Bullying Elementary

Statistics show that 77% of students are bullied mentally,verbally and physically.

What is the Definition of Bullying?

A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.

Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically.
Spreading bad rumors about people.
Excluding people from a "group".
Teasing people in a mean way.
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others.
Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyber-bullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include: Sending mean text, email, or instant messages
Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites.
Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone.

Why Do Kids Bully?

Kids bully for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they pick on kids because they need a victim — someone who seems emotionally or physically weaker, or just acts or appears different in some way to feel more important, popular, or in control. Although some bullies are bigger or stronger than their victims, that's not always the case.

Sometimes kids torment others because that's the way they’ve been treated. They may think their behavior is normal because they come from families or other settings where everyone regularly gets angry, shouts, or calls names. Some popular TV shows even seem to promote meanness — people are "voted off," shunned, or ridiculed for their appearance or lack of talent.

Signs of Bullying

Unless your child tells you about bullying — or has visible bruises or injuries — it can be difficult to know if it's happening.

But there are some warning signs. You might notice your child acting differently or seeming anxious, or not eating, sleeping well, or doing the things that he or she usually enjoys. When kids seem moodier or more easily upset than usual, or when they start avoiding certain situations, like taking the bus to school, it may be due to bullying.

If you suspect bullying but your child is reluctant to open up, find opportunities to bring up the issue in a more roundabout way. For instance, you might see a situation on a TV show and use it as a conversation starter, asking "What do you think of this?" or "What do you think that person should have done?" This might lead to questions like: "Have you ever seen this happen?" or "Have you ever experienced this?" You might want to talk about any experiences you or another family member had at that age.

Let your child know that if he or she is being bullied — or sees it happening to someone else — it's important to talk to someone about it, whether it's you, another adult (a teacher, school counselor, coach or family friend), or a sibling.

What Bullying looks like.

Elementary Years

Name calling.

Leaving a friend out of a situation.

“shh here he/she comes.

Sitting alone at lunch.

Pushing/shoving/hitting.

Making comments about someone’s clothes.

gossip.

Scribbling on someone’s work.

Laughing at someone.

Threatening comments.

Helping Kids

If your child tells you about a bully, focus on offering comfort and support, no matter how upset you are. Kids are often reluctant to tell adults about bullying. They feel embarrassed and ashamed that it's happening. They worry that their parents will be disappointed. Sometimes kids feel like it's their own fault, that if they looked or acted differently it wouldn't be happening. Sometimes they're scared that if the bully finds out that they told, it will get worse. Others are worried that their parents won't believe them or do anything about it, or that their parents will urge them to fight back when they're scared to.

Praise your child for being brave enough to talk about it. Remind your child that he or she isn't alone. A lot of people get bullied at some point. Emphasize that it's the bully who is behaving badly, not your child. Reassure your child that you will figure out what to do about it together.

Avoid the bully and use the buddy system.
Hold the anger .
Tell them you don’t like how they are treating you.
Act brave, walk away, and ignore the bully.
Tell an adult.
Talk about it.

Bullying is a form of abuse, and is a narcissistic sort of act.

Elementary Years

There are short and long term consequences for children who are bullied. Some of the short term symptoms that bullied children can suffer from include:

Sleep disturbances
Bed wetting
Abdominal pain
Headaches
Feeling sad
Not feeling important/ feeling different

Researchers have studied the long term effects of bullying in children. These studies have shown that children who are bullied are more likely to suffer from poor self-esteem, depression, drug abuse and suicide in later life. Children who are bullied are more likely to suffer from depression, and develop psychological disorders, where they might have physical complaints e.g. nausea or pain, which are due to an illness of the mind.

In the short term:

Anger
Depression
Anxious avoidance of settings in which bullying may occur.
Greater incidence of illness
Lower grades or drop in grade
Suicidal thoughts and feelings

In the long term:

Reduced occupational opportunities/or loss of interest in activities
Lingering feelings of anger and bitterness, desire for revenge.
Difficulty trusting people/ not feeling Safe
Social Withdrawal, social anxiety including fear and avoidance of new social situations
Increased tendency to be a loner
Perception of self as easy to victimize, overly sensitive, and thin-skinned
Damage to image, identity, Self-esteem problems (don't think well of self)
Increased incidence of continued bullying and victimization

People who have been bullied have been fundamentally dis-empowered. Their feelings of personal safety have been violated and their belief in their own competency and adequacy has been brought into question.

Long term abuse of bullying can stem into;

Low self esteem/self worth

Social Withdrawal

Substance abuse

Alcohol Abuse

Eating disorders

Cutting

Suicidal thoughts

Please click here or on the image to the left to download the Bullying brochure.