Preventing Peer Cruelty & Promoting

Kindness

Valley Prep AcademyPresented by: Teachers

Lisa Taylor, Nicole Rivera, Rachel Wilhelm

What is bullying?

Bullying is the deliberate and often repeated attempt to intimidate, embarrass, or harm another person. At its core, it involves the misuses of power. Those who bully typically have greater size, status, popularity, and control than their targets.

Bullying in Schools

What You Need to Know

by Paul Langan

Types of Bullying

* Bullying is most common in grades 6 to 10.

* Physical bullying- pushing, tripping, hitting...

* Social or relational bullying- use of peer pressure and manipulation to hurt feelings.

Types of Bullying

* Verbal bullying- teasing, mocking, threatening, insulting...

* Cyberbullying- cell phones, instant messages, social networking sites...

* Criminal behavior- vandalizing, stealing,...

Research shows:

* Approximately 160,000 kids skip school to avoid being picked on by their peers.

* Research points to significant link between bullying and the more than 4,000 teen suicides that occur yearly in the USA.

* Bullying is strongly related to overall school climate.

Bullying decreases when:* Overall respect increases as a

result of a character education* students have a greater

responsibility for solving problems and making decisions that improve their school.

- Dr. Maurice Elias, Rutgers University (based on a study of more than 100 schools)

What a student can do if he/she is being bullied:* Remember that bullying is the

problem- not the person being bullied.* Remember that bullying is not

permanent.* Understand several facts about bullies-

- they are usually lonely, insecure people

- they often want to be accepted- eventually the attention they receive for bullying will die out (unacceptable as an adult)

* If at all possible, tell someone else about the experience.

cont. What a student can do if he/she is being bullied:* Find safety in numbers* Tell a parent/guardian* Tell a school official* Stand up to him/her by rejecting their

attack ("You have no right to talk to me that way. I have nothing to say to you.")

* Physical violence is a harmful and unsafe strategy, one that often leads to more serious problems.

7 Strategies for reducing peer cruelty:1. Create a safe and caring school

environment, with student voice.2. Use character-based discipline.

(DTR= Discipline That Restores)3. Create a caring classroom community.4. Teach character through curriculum.

(Wise Skills)5. Teach empathy.6. Have students set personal goals.7. Use class meetings to problem-solve.

BPR- Bullying Prevention ResponseThe Bullying RubricA person by one with greater power

(age, size, strength, skill, status, numbers, etc.) who intends to harm or disturb another circles the actions done in an incident .

The number of points is totaled to determine the level of bullying involved.

www.pursuinghappiness.org