How
to Know if a Student is Being Bullied
If you notice
a behavior change, you may want to talk to the child to see if there
is anything wrong. For example, if a child is normally out-going
and willing to participate one day and then all of a sudden they're
quiet and afraid to raise their hand. Or, a calm child becomes loud
and obnoxious. If this happens, you may want to talk to the child
to see if someone is bullying them. Unfortunately when you ask the
student if there is a problem he/she may not give you a truthful
answer so it is ery important that you recognize warning signs.
Here are a
list of warning signs:
- Child is
sick from school more than usual
- Child stops
wanting to participate in classroom activities
- Child's
school work becomes sloppy
- Child's
grades unexplainably drop
- Child starts
coming to school with torn clothing
- Child is
afraid to board the bus or walk home from school
- Child is
afraid to go out on the playgorund
- Child wants
to go home for lunch
By keeping
a watchful eye you can help to prevent serious emotional and physical
damage.
Copyright
Richard Paul 2004
How
Do You Spot A Bully?
Unlike the
movies and television shows that dress the bullies up in leather
jackets, greased hair, and tattoos with a mean look on their face,
real life bullies many not resemble any of these characters. The
truth is a bully can be tall, large, small, smart, average, muscular,
thin, not so smart, not so muscular, small, young old. The one thing
that all bullies have in common is that they like to be the boss
or the leader. You can tell they are bullies when they are trying
to drain the self-esteem of others so they can make themselves look
and feel better.
Here is a list
of things to look for in your classroom, in the hallway, on the
playground or at home:
If one child
is pushing another child
If one child is making fun of the way another child looks
If one child is always talking negatively about another student
or students
If there are conversations going on between children leaving one
or more out of the group
If you see students on the playground grouping together in a circle
If a student reacts violently toward you or another student
If you see that students seem to be intimidated by another student
If you see a repeated and consistent negative action towards another
student
There is an imbalance of power between an alleged bully and the
targeted student.
Remember that
all students, staff and parents have the power to put an end to
a conflicting situation before it escalates in a negative physical
or emotional situation.
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Violent
Crime Rate Against Students Drops, New Report Says
The rate of
violent crimes in school settings against students ages 12 to 18
dropped by half between 1992 and 2002, according to a new report
released today by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Indicators
of School Crime and Safety: 2004 is the seventh in a series of annual
reports on school crime and safety. The report presents data on
student and teacher victimization, students' perception of personal
safety, gangs, student reports of bullying, students being called
hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti, and student
alcohol and drug abuse.
"Providing
a safe learning environment in our schools that is conducive to
learning is a major goal of No Child Left Behind," said Deborah
Price, deputy under secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free
Schools. "This report shows that over the past ten years or
so that violent incidents among teenagers have declined in our schools,
as have the number of students who bring weapons to school. This
annual report helps us monitor school safety. It is a necessary
reminder that we need to ensure that public schools are safe places
where parents feel secure in sending their children."
Other key findings
from the report are:
Between 1992
and 2002, the total crime rate for students ages 12 to 18, as well
as rates of theft, violent crimes (including serious violent crimes
and simple assault), and serious violent crimes (including rape,
sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) declined. Between
1993 and 2003, the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported
being in a fight on school property declined from 16 percent to
13 percent. In 2003, 7 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported
that they had been bullied at school. The percentage of students
in this age range who had been bullied increased from 5 percent
in 1999 to 8 percent in 2001, but no difference was detected between
2001 and 2003. Between 1993 and 2003, the percentage of students
in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon such as a gun, knife,
or club on school property within the previous 30 days dropped by
half, from 12 percent to 6 percent. In 2003, 12 percent of students
ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related
words against them (i.e., derogatory words related to race, religion,
ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation). During the
same period, about 36 percent of students ages 12 and 18 saw hate-related
graffiti at school. Twenty-one percent of students ages 12 and 18
reported that street gangs were present at their schools in 2003.
Students in urban schools were the most likely to report the presence
of street gangs at their school (31 percent), followed by suburban
students and rural students (18 and 12 percent, respectively). In
2003, students in grades 9-12 were asked about using drugs on school
property. In the 30 days prior to the survey, 5 percent of students
reported having at least one drink of alcohol on school property
and 6 percent reported using marijuana. Every year from 1998 to
2002, teachers were the victims of approximately 234,000 total nonfatal
crimes at school, including 144,000 thefts and 90,000 violent crimes.
On average, these figures translate into a rate of 32 thefts, 20
violent crimes, and 2 serious violent crimes per 1,000 teachers
annually. The complete text of the report is available online at
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005002. Copies
can be ordered by calling 1-877-4ED-Pubs (TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734),
by email at edpubs@inet.ed.gov,
or online at www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp.
November
29, 2004, Susan Aspey
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