 |
| |
| Bullying |
Prevention can only occur when we understand the problem and commit ourselves to sharing this information with others in our community. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Bullying is more than just teasing on the playground.
Bullying can include:
- Physical abuse( grabbing, striking, pinching, shoving, physical harassment, etc.)
- Threats: of doing harm, of telling on someone or spreading rumours
- Verbal abuse: yelling, name-calling, constant criticism, insults, threats, and gossiping.
- Social abuse( isolating the victim, using silent treatment, leaving out and scapegoating)
- Harassing or stalking
Bullying occurs when one person or a group of people try to control another in order to dominate and get their way. Bullying can include physical, emotional, or sexual harassment. It causes fear and prevents the person from doing what they want,or it forces them to do things they didn't choose. Bullying isn't something that just happens to little kids; bullying can happen when you are a child, teenager, or adult, and it crosses all racial, religious, gender, social, and economic backgrounds. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
What to do if you are being bullied: |
|
| |
If you are being bullied, you can do something about it.You can make a difference!
TELL, TELL, TELL
Tell someone you trust, such as a friend, parent, teacher/coach, relative, or even a neighbor.
Remember that teachers have to listen carefully when a child tells them about being bullied.
Remember - that it's right to tell an adult that you are being bullied and to ask for their help, but you don't have to let them take over; you can talk with them about what you would like to happen.
|
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
| |
back to top |
|
| |
Helping a friend that is being bullied: |
|
| |
|
| |
1. Don't ignore bullying. You can help.
2. Don't let the bullies get away with thinking that no one will do anything.
3.Don't rush over and take them on; it might not be safe, and you don't want other people to think you are a bully.
4. TELL a teacher or adult what is happening.
5.Try to be a Friend to the person being bullied.
6. Refuse to join in.
7. Try to be friendly to the bully, but even if you can't be friends, being kind can sometimes help the bully stop bullying.
When you can't sort it out yourself, ask an adult for help. |
|
|
|
 |
| back to top |
| Ignore Bullying, if you can. |
This works best only if you and the bully are alone. Often, a bully will tease or taunt to get a reaction from you, such as anger or crying. If you ignore the bully, they will not get the reaction they want and will often stop. |
|
| Practice what you want to say. |
If there are people bystanders present, then ignoring the bully may not work. The bystanders’ reactions such as laughing or cheering will encourage the bully to continue harassing you until you react. You will then need to stand up to the bully. Standing up does not mean that you return the physical or verbal abuse; it simply means to being assertive. For example, if the bully is demanding you give them something that belongs to you, such as your calculator, then be assertive: “NO! You cannot have my calculator and if you ask me again, I will tell the principal.”Assertiveness may not come naturally and may need to be practiced.
If responding assertively does not stop the bullying, tell someone. If that person does not listen, tell someone else. Keep telling until someone listens.
It is important to report the incident as soon as it happens. |
| |
| Keep a note or diary of what is happening. |
After an incident of bullying, write everything down in case you will need the information later.
If you have experienced any of form of physical violence, threats, harassment, or stalking, please call the RCMP at 279-3001 or your local detachment. The RCMP will act on all reports of bullying.
If you need someone to talk to call the
Kid’s Help Line at 1-800-668-6868
For more information on Bullying or Youth Violence please go to www.outragenl.ca
Don't give up. |
 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
back to top |
| Signs that your child is being bullied: |
|
|
|
1. Changes in your child’s behaviour.
2. Obvious signs of physical hurt or damage to belongings.
3. Unwillingness to go to school, or skipping school.
4. Your child becomes more clingy or more emotional than usual.
5. Other signs of stress such as changes in eating and sleeping patterns, anxiety or nervousness.
6. Getting involved in bad or risky behavior in order to fit in with others. |
|
 |
|
|
| |
| back to top |
| What to do if your child is being bullied |
|
|
| Ask your child if he or she is being bullied |
|
| |
Of course, you hope your child will tell you as soon as there is a problem with bullying. The truth is this doesn't always happen. In fact, many children keep bullying to themselves – perhaps feeling that telling someone will make the bullying even worse. Your child may not tell you no that they are being bullied because they feel confused. They may feel the bullying is their own fault, or they’re worried about how you’ll react. When your child finally tells you that they are being bullied, they need to feel believed and listened to; develop trust in how you can handle it; talk more openly about what has happened; gain some control over what is happening; learn things they can do to protect themselves and regain their self confidence. It helps when parents involve the children in making decisions about what to do, listen to what children say and tell them you understand. |
| Don't get angrY |
|
| |
It does not help when parents get angry or upset, feel guilty or ashamed, make the child think that it is not important, blame the child, blame the school, accuse people without knowing the facts, look for scapegoats, or demand to know all the details at once and look for easy solutions. Many parents do get angry, quite understandably, and want to go to the school and sort it out NOW! This may not be the best first best step. For one thing, the child will almost certainly be reluctant to involve the school straight away because it is something they would rather keep quite and not have spread around. The child may feel at risk of the bully taking revenge. |
| Talk wth your child about it |
|
| |
As a first step, encourage your child to talk through it as much as they may want so you get the basic facts straight. Try to keep an open mind, remembering you are hearing one part of the story only. Ask questions gently, and help the child reflect on what has been done so far, help the child work out what might be done. It is important to find out what happened: who was involved, where, when, and did anybody else see it, and if so, who?
It is a good idea to write down what you find out. |
| contact the school |
|
| |
NEVER try and sort out the bullies yourself. This rarely works and often makes matters worse. Once you have a clear picture of the situation, and some idea about how you and your child would prefer to handle it, contact the school. Make an appointment to see the principal or class teacher or whomever you think would be best to see. DON’T barge in. Present the information you have as calmly as possible. Do it in a way that makes it clear to the school that you see yourself and the school as partners in trying to fix the problem. Tell the school what you and your child would like to do, and ask them for ideas as well. Give the school time to get back to you because they will need to investigate the matter and by talking to teachers, other students, and even other parents if that’s the best thing to do, and to make a note of what the school says it will do, and arrange to make a follow-up call to see what has been done.
If you are not satisfied with the school’s response, please contact
Charles Penwell with the Burin Peninsula School Board at 891 -6100. |
|
