hedrick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2015
- Messages
- 683
- Age
- 75
- Gender
- Male
- Religious Affiliation
- Presbyterian
- Marital Status
- Single
They used to tell kids "tell an adult." There are times when that's the only approach, but a lot of the times teachers getting involved makes it worse. That assumes bullying that doesn't involve actual physical damage. That's the case in our local schools. I did once know a kid who was being physically bullied. When there's blood on the floor, that's when adults have to deal with it. And they did in that case.
The last I looked research was tending to say that the reaction of other kids is critical. Bullies work because others support them. If kids won't tolerate bullying, it won't happen as much. And if it does, supporting the victim emotionally afterwards removes a lot of the sting. I've started hearing kids say "don't be a bystandard," so I'm assuming that's what our local school is now teaching. (This was a 5th grader, by the way.)
The last I looked research was tending to say that the reaction of other kids is critical. Bullies work because others support them. If kids won't tolerate bullying, it won't happen as much. And if it does, supporting the victim emotionally afterwards removes a lot of the sting. I've started hearing kids say "don't be a bystandard," so I'm assuming that's what our local school is now teaching. (This was a 5th grader, by the way.)