In a recent survey, 70 percent of all students said they felt affected by bullying. That’s nearly three out of four people in any school, or approximately 25,000,000 young people in the United States alone. The enormity of the problem is unimaginable. But not irreversible.
According to current research, the accepted definition for bullying is as follows:
- The behavior is repeated over time.
- The aggressor intends to do harm, if only to embarrass.
- An imbalance of power exists between the aggressor and the target.
There isn’t an established profile of a bully or a target. Anyone can be either. If you think someone is bullying you, use the above definition to decide if it is bullying. If your behavior upsets someone, again, check the above definition to decide if your actions make you a bully. What you believe is teasing or fooling around may really be bullying. The effect on the other person is the defining factor.
Given the above definition, brainstorm bullying behaviors you have seen on television, in the news, and in school. Group them into different types of bullying—e.g., name-calling, homophobia, body image, etc.
Name-calling is the first form of bullying most of us experience. Make a list of the hurtful words young children use in calling one another names. Then make a list for elementary school, middle school, and high school. How do the names change? Where and when are these names most often heard in schools?
Discuss the three roles played in most bullying events—the bully, the target, and the bystander/witness. Set up some bullying scenarios and get volunteers to play the bully, the target, and the witnesses or bystanders. After the role-play, have each person share the way he or she thinks his/her character feels. Create at least one role-play involving a teacher as either the bully or the witness.
Brainstorm some healthy and helpful ways bystanders can react. Be sure that simple behaviors are included, such as smiling at the target in the hallway, walking with the target to a class, inviting a new student or an alienated student to your lunch table.
Research shows that 70–80 percent of adults at schools do nothing after witnessing a bullying event, while others are unaware of its happening. Brainstorm ways teachers and other staff can respond to a bullying event. Why don’t kids who arebullied tell adults?
Play detective. Get a map of your school, including outside areas—buses, playgrounds, sporting events, and the like. Carry it with you through the day and record any bullying events you see with tally marks. Share your observations in class. Why do you think bullying happens in these areas?
“Electronic aggression” refers to any kind of aggression perpetrated through technology. Cyberbullying is one type of electronic aggression. Brainstorm all the other types of electronic aggression. Ask if anyone in the class has experienced any acts of this form of aggression. Research legal consequences.
Each of us needs to decide the way we want to react if as a target or a witness we experience an incident of bullying. Discuss the options that are available inside and outside the school. If there are no helpful options in your school, how can you and others make the school accountable?
If your school does not have a statement of respectful behavior posted, perhaps you and your friends can create one. Try publishing it in your school newspaper. One elementary school had this one-sentence creed: “We don’t hurt anybody’s insides or outsides.”
Always remember to treat others with respect, and expect to be treated with respect yourself.