Bullying behavior affects all children in one way or another. Teacher Carol Gray of Jenison Public Schools in Michigan and other researchers have found that:
By age 24, 60 percent of identified people who bully have a criminal conviction.
Children who are repeatedly targeted by bullies sometimes see suicide as their only escape.
Bullying usually happens in or around school.
Bullying occurs once every seven minutes and averages 37 seconds.
Children who are frequently alone are targeted the most.
Children who are bullied are more likely to be avoided by all children, isolating them further.
If a targeted child "ignores" the child who bullies, the intensity and frequency of the attacks will increase.
6 Ways You Can Help:
Bring up bullying at PTA meetings.
Survey kids to reveal the extent of the bullying at your school.
Encourage your school to develop a bullying reporting system so that everyone knows how to handle such behavior.
Have the school set up an anti-bullying program that stresses protection of children who are targeted rather than telling on the child who bullies.
Tell children not to hit back or threaten the bully; that will escalate the aggression of the child doing the bullying. Instead, tell them to report the incident to an adult, even if it's a minor threat or teasing.
If the bullying involves your child, keep a written record of bullying attempts citing names, dates, times, and circumstances, and send a copy to the principal.
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