The fourth annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is
Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, and some local schools are aware of the
issue in all its forms. Bullying can take the form of physical or
verbal abuse, and most recently has morphed with changing
technology that allows students to harm each other through text
messages and social networking sites.
”
We have, as a school, been talking to the kids about bullying
this year a lot,
”
said Eric Johnson, the principal and superintendent of Southside
School.
”
It’s all in an effort, all about being a safe campus. We are
trying to promote a positive place for [students] to learn. They
can’t do that with bullying taking place.
”
The fourth annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, and some local schools are aware of the issue in all its forms. Bullying can take the form of physical or verbal abuse, and most recently has morphed with changing technology that allows students to harm each other through text messages and social networking sites.
“We have, as a school, been talking to the kids about bullying this year a lot,” said Eric Johnson, the principal and superintendent of Southside School. “It’s all in an effort, all about being a safe campus. We are trying to promote a positive place for [students] to learn. They can’t do that with bullying taking place.”
Johnson, who is on the policy committee for the gang prevention coordinator, has enlisted the help of Al De Vos and some other law enforcement officers to give a presentation on what bullying can do during Bullying Prevention Awareness Week.
“Bullying and intimidation are a negative social by-product of gang/criminal influence in the community,” De Vos wrote, in a press release.
San Benito High School students receive a presentation in the first week of school about cyberbullying, a new wave of abuse that is conducted with cell phones and computers. It can include hateful text messages, e-mails or posts or social networking sites.
According to the National Crime Prevention Council Web site: “Bullying has become a tidal wave of epic proportions. Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school and even prompting health problems and suicide.”
According to the site, bullying includes:
– Fighting, threatening, name-calling, teasing, or excluding someone repeatedly and over time
– An imbalance of power, such as size or popularity
– Physical, social, and emotional harm
– Hurting another person to get something
Kids who are bullied are more likely to:
– Do poorly in school
– Have low self-esteem
– Be depressed
– Turn to violent behavior to protect themselves or get revenge on their bullies
Kids who bully are more likely to:
– Do poorly in school
– Smoke and drink alcohol
– Commit crimes in the future
Cyberbullying is not limited to the high school level, however.
“This is embedded now in the very early grades,” Johnson said. “This is not a high school thing or middle school thing. We have young kids coming to school with cell phones.”
Though he said bullying is not an overwhelming problem at the K-8 school, he said there was an incident recently where a student’s phone went missing and another classmate used it to send mean texts out to others.
“Once things go out on the airwaves, it’s there,” Johnson said. “A lot of these kids post things that you or I wouldn’t post … This is so anonymous and yet so devastating.”
Johnson said the presentation will enlighten students about the effects of bullying.
“We are trying to give them what it means to be the receiver, not wanting to come to school,” Johnson said. “But also that there are consequences. This is not just an anonymous prank. We want them to know that because taking away a kids opportunity to learn or desire to learn is serious.”
Johnson also has plans to host a workshop for parents on bullying.
“I don’t see it happening much at all,” he said. “But we don’t want it to.”
Tips for parents:
– Teach kids to solve problems without using violence and praise them when they do.
– Give children positive feedback when they behave well to help their build self-esteem. Help give them the self-confidence to stand up for what they believe in.
– Ask your children about their day and listen to them talk about school, social events, their classmates, and any problems they have.
– Take bullying seriously. Many kids are embarrassed to say they have been bullied. You may only have one chance to step in and help.
– If you see any bullying, stop it right away, even if your child is the one doing the bullying.
– Encourage your child to help others who need it.
– Don’t bully your children or bully others in front of them. Many times kids who are bullied at home react by bullying other kids. If your children see you hit, ridicule, or gossip about someone else, they are also more likely to do so themselves.
– Support bully prevention programs in your child’s school. If your school doesn’t have one, consider starting one with other parents, teachers, and concerned adults.
Online resources:
National Center for Bullying Prevention
www.pacer.org/bullying
National Crime Prevention Council
www.ncpc.org/topics/bullying
Safe Youth
www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/bullying.asp
