Wayne Sakamoto Safe Schools Coordinator 858 2923569 wsakamotsdcoe.net

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Wayne SakamotoSafe Schools Coordinator(858)
292-3569wsakamot_at_sdcoe.net
San Diego County Office of Education
Bullying
What Every Parent And Teacher Needs to Know
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Objectives

• Greater Understanding of Bullying
• Increased Knowledge of Characteristics of Bullies
  and Victims
• Increased Knowledge and Skills to Help Your Child

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Six Critical Questions

• 1. What is Bullying?
• 2. How Prevalent is Bullying?
• 3. How Does Bullying Develop?
• 4. What Are the Warning Signs?
• 5. What Are the Effects of Bullying?
• 6. How Can I Help My Child?

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• Question One
• What is Bullying?

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Definitions

• Specific Type of Aggression
• Verbal
• Physical
• Psychological
• Behavior is Intended to Harm or Disturb
• Carried Out Repeatedly and Over Time

• Imbalance of Power
• Physical
• Psychological
• Direct Bullying
• Physical Acts
• Threats
• Intimidation
• Verbal Abuse
• Taunting
• Indirect Bullying
• Making Faces
• Obscene Gestures
• Exclusion
• Rumors

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• Question Two
• How Prevalent is Bullying?

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Bullying Data

• European Study
• 15 to 23 Percent of Students Involved as Victims
  or Perpetrators (Olweus)
• United States Study
• National Study (1998)
• 15,686 Students in Grades 6-10
• 29.9 of Students Involved
• 13 Bully
• 10.6 Victim
• 6.3 Both Bully and Victim

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Bullying Data (Continued)

• (United States Study)
• South Carolina (1998)
• 6,000 Students in Grades 4-6
• 43 of Students Involved
• 20 Bully
• 23 Victim
• More Prevalent in
• Elementary School
• Middle School

• Occurs in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Schools
• Some Studies Indicate Slightly Higher in Rural
  Areas

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California Healthy Kids

• Grades 5, 7, 9, 11
• Every Two Years
• State-wide 48 of Students Report Being Bullied!

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• Question Three
• How Does Bullying Develop?

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Risk Factors (Catalano and Hawkins)

• School
• Family
• Community
• Personal
• Peer Group

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Media Influence

• Children spend 6.5 hours each day with some type
  of media
• Video Games in 65 of US Homes
• 86 With Males
• 8th grade boys play 23 hours per week
• 8th grade girls play 12 hours per week
• 59 of 4th grade girls and 73 of 4th grade males
  favorite games are violent
• 61 of youth 8-17 have TVs in their rooms
• At 18 years old they witness 200,000 acts of
  violence including 40,000 acts of murder

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Bully Continuum

• Age 0-3
• Preschool
• Grades k-3
• Grades 4-6
• Middle School
• High School
• Adult

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• Question Four
• What Are the Warning Signs?

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Characteristics of Bullies

• Higher Levels of Conduct Problems
• Dislike School/Poor School Adjustment
• Positive Attitude Toward Violence and Use of
  Violence
• Impulsivity
• Strong Need to Dominate
• Little Empathy Toward Victims
• Positive View of Themselves
• Greater Ease in Making Friends

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Warning Signs - Bully

• Maliciously Teases, Threatens, or Strikes Out
• Hot-tempered
• Impulsive
• Hard Time Following Rules
• Aggressive Toward Adults
• Tough/Mean Spirited
• Lack of Empathy
• Involved in Other Anti-social Behaviors

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Characteristics of Victims

• More Anxious and Insecure
• Greater Levels of Depression
• More Loneliness and Unhappiness
• Lack Social Skills
• Poor Social and Emotional Adjustment
• Difficulty Making Friends/Lack of Friends
• Cautious, Sensitive, and Quiet
• React by Crying and Withdrawal (Lower Grades)
• Low Self-Esteem
• Negative View of Themselves
• Males are Generally Weaker Than Their Classmates
• Boys Have Close Relations with Mothers

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Warning Signs - Victim

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Drop in Grades
• Drop in Attendance
• Psycho-somatic Symptoms
• Signs of Physical Confrontations
• Torn Clothes, Cuts, Bruises, etc.
• Loss of personal possessions
• Few Friends
• Loner/Isolated
• Poor Self-esteem
• Afraid to go out to Play

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• Question Five
• What Are the Effects of Bullying?

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Effects on Bullies

• Short-term
• Involvement in Other Negative Behaviors
• Vandalism
• Shoplifting
• Truancy
• Frequent Drug Use
• Long-term
• 60 Percent of Bullies Identified in Grades 6-9
  had at Least One Conviction by Age 24 (23 for
  Control Group)
• 35-40 Percent had Three or More Convictions by
  Age 24 (10 for Control Group)

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Effects on Victims

• Short-term
• Unhappy/Distressed
• Confused
• Low Self-Esteem
• Develop Negative Views of Themselves
• Anxious/Insecure
• Depression
• Physical Injuries
• Psychosomatic Symptoms
• Headaches
• Stomach Pains

• Long-term
• Longitudinal Study (Olweus)
• Age 23
• Greater Depression
• Lower Self-esteem
• Suicide

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• Question Six
• How Can I Help My Child/Student?

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WHY Bullying Is Not Reported

• Fear of Retaliation
• Not Wanting to Be a Snitch
• Not Wanting to Worry Parents
• Shame
• Fear of Losing Friends
• Hard to Prove
• Confidentiality
• Fear of What Parents Might Say and Do

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Parent Tips - General

• Be Aware of Warning Signs
• Do Not Overreact
• Gain Information
• Do Not Minimize
• Take It Seriously
• Work on Childs Social Skills
• Listen to Your Child
• Work With the School

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Parent Tips - Victim

• Dont
• Be the Cynic - Youre over-reacting
• Be the Martyr - Thats nothing, when I was a
  kid
• Be the Brick Wall - Not listening and jumping to
  conclusions You should have I would have
• Be the Interrogator - I want to know everything
• Be the Bully - Stick up for yourself If you
  get a black eye the other guy better have two
  black eyes
• Be the Rescuer - Leave it to me, Ill take care
  of it

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Parent Tips - Victim

• Do
• Be the Listener - Do not jump to conclusions
• Be the Clarifier - Restate facts
• Be the Supporter - See their side
• Let Your Child Know
• That you are pleased they told you
• That you believe them
• That it is not their fault
• You are sorry it happened
• That you will help with solutions
• Role play solutions

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Parent Tips Bully

• Be aware of your own feelings
• Remember This is for your childs well-being
• Talk to your child
• Ask how you might be able to help them
• Do not get into the blame game
• Let Your Child Know
• Bullying is NOT acceptable
• You will be monitoring their behavior
• You will periodically visit the school
• That you are supportive of the school
• What the consequences will be for further
  bullying
• Provide options for positive behaviors
• Role play appropriate behaviors
• Teach Skills Role Model

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Cyberbullying

• Keep the Computer in a room with high traffic
• Install a Monitoring Software - Spectorsoft
• Support your child
• Politely Warn the Sender
• Block the Sender
• Google Search Your Child
• Save All Messages
• Contact the ISP Terms of Service Violation
• Report the Incident to School
• Monitor the Sender
• Monitor Your Child for Assistance
• Report the Incident to Law Enforcement
• Continue Monitoring MySpace, Youtube and Other
  Social Networks
• Source Stopcyberbullying.org

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Teacher/Administrator Immediate Action

• Stop the Bullying
• Interview Separately
• Talk with victim
• Talk with perpetrator
• Support the Victim
• Immediate Consequences
• Skill Development
• Follow-up

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Talk With Victim

• Tell them
• You are concerned
• They will be protected
• Their needs will be taken care of
• Place child at ease
• Collect information
• Encourage the expression of emotions
• Provide support and encouragement
• Inform of general actions
• Have child agree to report further bullying
• Gauge distress level - Refer if needed
• Communicate with parents
• Follow-up

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Talk With Perpetrator

• Talk With Separately
• Do not tell them victim reported
• Discuss Rules and Consequences
• Notify them that they will be monitored
• Document
• Alert appropriate staff
• Notify parents
• Follow-up

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Fostering Empathy

• Teachable Moments
• Classroom Meetings on Empathy/Kindness
• Intervene Early
• Focus on Behaviors not the Student
• Recognize Empathetic Behaviors
• Have Students Share How They Have Helped
• Role Modeling
• Role Playing
• Role Reversal
• Point-Counter Point
• Class Discussions
• Literature
• Movies
• Perspectives of ALL Characters

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Teacher Tips

• Proactive is Easier Than Reactive
• Be Aware
• Identify the Players
• Environmental Design
• Seating Assignments
• Isolated Areas
• Student Movements
• Passing Periods/Transitions

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Teacher Tips (Continued)

• Develop A Positive Classroom Culture (Teach
  Students Not Just Subjects)
• Establish Rapport
• Classroom Rules
• Fun AND Secure
• Model Appropriate Behaviors
• No Dumb Answers
• Find All Students Strengths
• Allow All Students to Exhibit Strengths

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Teacher Tips (Continued)

• Develop A Positive Classroom Culture Teach
  Students Not Just Subjects (Continued)
• Do Not Allow Teasing, etc.
• Discipline in a Low-Key Fashion
• Avoid Power Struggles
• Teach Skills for Youth Success
• Utilize Classroom Meetings
• Know When to Refer to Principal/Counselors

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Resources/Bibliography

• Aggression Replacement Training, Goldstein,
  Arnold P., Glick, Barry, et al Research Press
  [phone] www.researchpress.com
• Steps to Respect A Bullying Prevention Program,
  Committee for Children, 2001. [phone]
  www.cfchildren.org .
• Bully Busters A Teachers Manual for Helping
  Bullies, Victims, and Bystanders, Horne, Arthur
  M., and Newman, Dawn A., and Bartolomucci,
  Christi L. Research Press [phone]
  www.researchpress.com
• Blueprints for Violence Prevention Book Nine
  Bullying Prevention Program, Olweus, Dan and
  Limber, Sue University of Colorado at Boulder.
  [phone].
• Stop Bullying! Guidelines for Schools, New
  Zealand Police