Bullying

Saturday 13th October

Bullying is an issue that is happening everywhere and affects children from all parts of the world. It is estimated that about 200 million children and youth around the world are being bullied by their fellow peers (kids spot). It is estimated that about 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of being bullied by other students. Bullying affects many aspects of life and can lead to depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts and criminal records later on in life.

Terminology and concepts of bullying

Sunday 14th October

Bullying is made up of four main concepts. There is Physical bullying, Verbal bullying, indirect bullying and Cyber bullying. There are three people involved in bullying: the bully, the victim and the bystander.

Through these diagrams we can see that the bystander holds a lot of control. Through standing up the bystander can put a stop to bullying and break the cycle

Bullying is defined as physically or psychologically aggressive or intentional behavior towards a victim by one person or a group, generally carried out repeatedly over time. Bullying can come in four different forms: physical, verbal, indirect and cyber bullying.  

Physical bullying can be any form of physical attack such as scratching, punch, hitting, spitting, scratching and kicking. 

Verbal bullying can consist of insulting, teasing, making remarks, abusive language, making sexist, racist or homophobic jokes. Cyber bullying is bullying that occurs through mobile phones or the internet

Indirect bullying includes spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours, sending abusive mail, and email and text messages.

Cyber bullying is bullying that occurs through mobile phones or the internet

Other terminology for bullying:

Target: “The victim who is on the receiving end of bullying”(do something)

Bystander: “person who sees someone being bullied and either does or does not do anything to stop it” (do something)

Upstander: “a person who goes against the tide and will protect a victim from injustice” (ednews parent)

Stand up to bullying

Monday 22nd October

Don't just be a bystander. Stand up for bullying. Celebrities have a powerful influence on society. People take in what they wear, say and do. Celebrities can have a big influence Here are some inspirational celebrities speaking out. If they can stand up to bullying then so can we. It is time to stand up to bullying and put a stop to it.

Bullying in Early Childhood Education

Wednesday 17th October

Early childhood education in New Zealand follows the curriculum ‘Te Whariki’. Te wharikis goals are focused on the strands of communication, belonging, well-being, contribution and exploration.

Bullying particularly relates to the strands of wellbeing and belonging. In early childhood education we aim for children to experience an environment where:

·      “Their health is promoted”

·      “Their emotional wellbeing is nurtured”

·      “They are kept safe from harm”

·      “They know they have a place”

·      “They know the boundaries and limits of acceptable behavior”

(Ministry of Education, 1996)

Bullying puts these goals in jeopardy and are often not able to be reached if bullying is occurring.

 The early years of life are very crucial for development. They are seen as the most important phase of development over the lifespan. Brain development in the early years of life is highly influenced by the young childs environment. “90% of brain growth takes place in the first five years of life” (time website).

Children bullied, neglected and traumatised at those crucial development stages will have trouble to feel love and empathy later on in life.

As early childhood teachers we are able to make a difference. Teaching children at this crucial developmental stage of life means that we have the opportunity to set children up for later in life.  It is our role to prevent bullying. This can be done by teaching children empathy from a young age and teaching children individualized social skill training. In order to encourage empathy, teachers should discipline but not punish, give empathetic examples and surround the children in a caring and loving environment.

Bullying victims

Saturday 20th October

Bullying is not an issue to be taken lightly. Bullying is happening all over the world and has claimed many peoples lives. Bullying victims can go through emotional trauma that may last them a lifetime. Bullying can be very dangerous and victims often feel that they have no choice but to take their own life.

Some signs that a child may be getting bullied are having unexplainable injuries, low self-esteem, avoiding school, frequently losing items, is afraid of going to school and makes excuses (bullying statistics)

Real life bullying stories

Wednesday 17th October

We are often not aware of bullying but we are surrounded by it everywhere. It is important for people to speak out and share their stories, so that the issue of bullying can be addressed and made aware of. Here are some videos, of people brave enough to speak out and share their experiences as the victim.

The documentary 'Bully'

Monday 15th October

Bully is an amazing heart touching documentary on peer to peer bullying in schools across America and how it has touched five kids and their families. It is set to come out on dvd in 2013. There is now a book that also accompanies the documentary as well as a social action campaign for the documentary which is called the bully project.

Seeing this documentary advertised on a talk show, has inspired me to create a blog on bullying. It is an issue that can affect children so deeply and is an issue I believe needs to be stopped.

Here is the link for the website of the documentary bully, for those of you who would like to find out more about it. The website is filled with amazing stories and information and is definitely worth looking in to.

http://thebullyproject.com/indexflash.html