Issue book layout:finale by Glenda Hansen Felde

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Bullying

How can we help our community be more aware of the seriousness of bullying?

Introduction (Define): The word “bully” can be traced back as far as the 1530s (Harper, 2008).

In its most basic sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, verbal or other means in order to gain a sense of superiority and power. These actions may be direct (i.e. hitting, verbally assaulting face-‐to-‐face, etc.) or indirect (i.e. rumors, gossip, etc.).-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Pg. 3 Approach 1-‐ Awareness -‐Public awareness on bullying has increased and the call for anti bullying legislation is on the move. However, the need for action is escalating at a pace that demands our attention. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Pg. 5 Approach 2-‐Ramifications-‐ Possible solutions are to increase awareness of cyber bullying and teach the public how to prevent themselves from becoming victims. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Pg. 9 Approach 3-‐ Scope Prevention/intervention strategies should focus on increasing empathy and support for those who are victimized by bullying, raising awareness of individual responsibilities, and encouraging action by the children who do not approve of bullying. -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Pg. 13 Solutions To Problem-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐Pg. 16

Bullying

Introduction:

harm; all three aspects need to be present in order for behavior to be called bullying, basically not all aggressive or harmful behavior between people is bullying. Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-‐term effects on those involved, including bystanders. What does ‘misuse of power’ mean? In a situation where there is a power imbalance, one person or group has a significant advantage over another, and if this power is misused, this enables them to coerce or mistreat another for their own ends. As mentioned in Fast Facts: Bullying in Schools, this imbalance of power may arise from context (e.g. having others backing you up), from assets (e.g. access to weapon) or from personal characteristics (e.g. being stronger, more articulate or more able to socially manipulate others). It is important to understand what bullying is in order to identify it and distinguish it from other types of conflicts or violence. When identified correctly, appropriate strategies and interventions can be used.

When did bullying begin?

behavioral standpoint demonstrating “power” over someone. Donegan says, the word “bully” can be traced back as far as the 1530s (Harper, 2008). In its most basic sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. Bullying has been engrained in “American society since the country’s founding. Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social outperform and overcome obstacles. This survival instinct and competitive atmosphere has remained the same throughout the years (Donegan)

Have you ever heard the word bullying before? We imagine you have; but what does bullying mean? When did it begin? Why do we hear it so often today? Let’s explore these questions together. Bullying The National Safe Schools Framework defines bullying as, “repeated verbal, physical, social or psychological behavior that is harmful and involves the misuse of power by an individual or group towards one or more persons (Fast Facts: Bullying in Schools).” The key word here is repeated. Almost everyone experiences an isolated attack or is called a derogatory name at some point in life. Conflicts or fights between equals and single incidents are not defined as bullying. The definition of bullying has three critical aspects -‐ a repeated pattern, the misuse of power within relationships, and behavior, which causes Believe it not bullying has existed from the beginning of time. Ross Teemant LCSW, MSSW said that there is evidence since Adam and Eve and their family was on the earth. It is sad yet it makes sense that since the beginning of time, people have had to choose between good and evil. Bullying is never good; it makes a Hierarchy, bullying has remained a relevant issue through the years.” The desire to survive is instinctual and common among all living things. Survival is associated with competition and people from the beginning of time want to

In the following chart, Billitteri with CQ Research in their report Preventing Bullying shows when bullying started drawing attention:

Awareness

The Nature of Bullying

Bullying is never good. In an interview Ross Teemant LCWS, MSSW he mentioned “that bullying makes a behavioral standpoint demonstrating “power” over someone. There are many ways that bullying is played out from Unfortunately it is not just once, but actions that are repeated hurting the victim mentally, physically and or emotionally. In The Nature, Prevalence & Dynamics of Bullying, we find bullying relationships characteristics by: 1. An imbalance of power. The bully can be older, bigger, stronger, more verbally adept and/or intelligent, higher up on the social ladder, of a different race or of the opposite sex. Sheer numbers of kids banded together to bully can create this imbalance. 2. Intent to harm. The bully means to inflict emotional and/or physical pain, expects the

ignoring peers and neglecting friends to outright verbal, physical or sexual violence. I believe that bullying is born out of vulnerability and pain. Bullies are usually protecting themselves from exposing a vulnerable emotion.” The bully does not want to be hurt, so they hurt others instead.

action to hurt, and takes pleasure in the distress it causes. 3. Repeated acts of aggression and cruelty over time. Bullying is not a one-‐time event. Both the perpetrator and the victim know that the bullying can and probably will occur again. Graph shows how bullying is a group phenomenon, it involves the following people: Graphic from Olweus Bullying Prevention Program School wide Guide, Dr. Dan Olweus, 2007 Hazel don Foundation

Bullying

The Bully in Books and Defeating the Bully Bullying has been around for so long that in literary works children have been singled out and harassed (Carpenter). In History of Bullying we find the following examples: “Oliver Twist is likely one of the most memorable examples. Written by Charles Dickens and published in 1838, Oliver Twist was one of the first novels in the English language to focus on the bullying and criminal mistreatment of a child protagonist.” “Lord of the Flies, another memorable novel, written by William Golding and published in 1954 (a book that is required reading in some middle school English classes), describes the actions of a group of young children who, in the absence of adult supervision, make a swift descent from civilized to barbaric after being stranded on a deserted island.” Often the bullying in movies is viewed as a challenge to the character of the kid being bullied. The entire outcome of the movie depends on how the kid being bullied eventually deals with the bully. “This usually means one of three things: the bullied child can stand up to the bully, like when Michael J. Fox travels back in time and helps Marty McFly's father stand up to the class bully in the film Back to the Future; the bullied child can “take it like a man,” as in the movie Stand by Me, where the older boys beat up the younger boys and the younger boys do their best to fight back; or the bullied kid must defeat the bully or bullies, as in The Karate Kid, where Daniel, a bullied boy, learns karate in order to fight and defeat his tormentors.”

In each of these examples, you cheer for the bullied kids to fight back and win; and when they do, you feel happy and that all is right in the world. “Unfortunately, real-life bullying situations rarely end with this type of Hollywood cinematic victory. The majority of children who are being bullied can't or just don't know how to fight back on their own (Carpenter).” They need help, support, and, most importantly, intervention. All children have the right to feel safe from bullying, and no that they are not alone. In A Time Line of the Evolution of School Bullying in Differing Social Contexts we also find more patterns of bullying in people described not only in books but also newspapers from the 18th and 19th century in some countries as the U.K. The following are some examples. Bullying took the form of isolation and physical harassment. There is a good example of introducing bullying and discussing the term in early Victorian times. Tom Brown’s Schooldays, first published in 1857, contains famous examples of bullying in school.

‘Very well then, let’s roast him cried Flashman, and catches hold of Tom by the collar: One or two boys hesitate, but the rest join.’(Hughes, 1913, p. 188).

Bullying

This quote from the popular book indicates that school bullying was a well-recognized circumstance in Victorian England even if it was not officially reported. There are more examples from popular books but it is “difficult to guess how much bullying occurred in schools” throughout the decades due to research began in the 1980’s. In newspaper The Times, introduced the first bullying incident on the 6th of August 1862, after the death of a soldier named Flood. The serious problem of bullying and its consequences warranted official mention and this was the first published announcement on bullying in The Times for the period covered since 1790.

“It is clear from the evidence that this unfortunate man, dreadfully as he retaliated upon his tormentors, was the victim of long, malignant, and systematic bullying”. (The Times, 6th Aug. 1862, p. 8, col. F)

Who started researching about bullying and is there something that can be done? Dr. Dan Olweus, a research professor of psychology from Norway, is often considered the "pioneer" in bullying research." He has spent decades researching the issue of bullying to help keep children safe in schools and other settings. Today, Dr. Olweus is best known for the most researched and widely adopted bullying prevention program in the world, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

Dr. Dan Olweus Dr. Olweus initiated the world’s first bullying research in the early 1970’s. The results of his research and studies were published in a Swedish book in 1973 and in the United States in 1978 under the title Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys. In “Home of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program,” we read “Dr. Olweus has long seen school safety as a fundamental human right. As early as 1981, he proposed enacting a law against bullying in schools so students could be spared the repeated humiliation implied in bullying. By the mid-‐1990s, these arguments led to legislation against bullying by the Swedish and Norwegian parliaments.” The first version of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program was prompted by the country's Ministry of Education to initiate a national campaign against bullying in schools after three adolescent boys in Norway committed suicide after severe bullying by peers.

Bullying

After the program’s success in Norway and other countries, Dr. Olweus began working with American colleagues in the mid-‐1990s to begin to implement the program in the United States. The first evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in the United States was in the mid-‐1990s, involving 18 middle schools in South Carolina. After one year of implementation, researchers observed: • “Large, significant decreases in boys' and girls' reports of bullying others” • “Large, significant decreases in boys' reports of being bullied and in boys' reports of social isolation.” An evaluation of the Olweus program in 12 elementary schools in the Philadelphia area revealed that among those schools that had implemented the program with at least moderate fidelity: • “There were significant reductions in self-‐reported bullying and victimization” • “There were significant decreases in adults' observations of bullying (in the cafeteria and on the playground)” Implementing a bullying prevention program and following it helps reduce the bullying in a campus or area. We need to work together in order to make a program succeed. Children and people in general will have a safer environment to learn and grow. A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found that 86 percent of high school students said teenager’s resort to violence in school because of “other kids picking on them, making fun of them, or bullying them.” Greenya continues saying that “the findings strongly suggested that bullying could no longer be considered just a relatively harmless phase that children must go through to get toughened up for life. “Being bullied is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through

County attorney of Minnesota's sprawling Dakota County, James C. Backstrom, frequently speaks at local elementary and middle schools about bullying trying to “get to kids before they move up to a larger school setting.” Interesting enough, when parents and school officials ask why a county prosecutor is interested in bullying, Backstrom has a simple answer: “Bullying prevention is crime prevention.”

Bullying

RAMIFICATIONS Like a progressive disease, bullying has transformed into a hybrid of old tactics and new technology to torment our youth today. Public awareness of bullying has increased and the call for anti-bullying legislation is on the move. However, the need for action is escalating at a pace that demands more than our attention. According to the 2012 status report on bullying, complied by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), “Bullying affects individuals across ethnicity, gender, grade, and socioeconomics status, whether they live in urban, suburban, or rural communities.” The OBPP preformed a poll of 300,000 students of all races and economic backgrounds.

Boys showed a trend of increased bullying as their grades levels increased, while girls who reported bullying said it decreased with grade level advancement. 30% of girls who were polled reported other girls as perpetrators and 20% said it was boys bullying them.

Verbal abuse is marked as the highest type of bullying for both genders with rumors and exclusion highest for girls.

While most bullying is reportedly occurring on the playground, lunchroom, and hallways, bullying still occurs in the classroom in plain view of teachers; at times bullying is reported in a combination of these locations. Sadly, 53% of 9th-12th grade students feel their teacher has done “little or nothing” to cut down on classroom bullying. Their teachers to minimize classroom bullying “fairly little” did 42-44% of 6th-8th-grade students feel. According to the National Education Association (NEA) 1 out of 30 complaints from school kids is bad treatment from their peers. 1 in 5 middle school kids refuse to use the restroom for fear of being bullied. Hostile behavior from peers isn’t exclusive to the school grounds. Cyber bullying has aggressively become a weapon of seeming anonymity. The form of victimization has evolved, and we must too in order to produce solutions. While bullying continues to amplify, so do its consequences. The rise in suicides related to bullying, compels us to take action curing this epidemic. Victim retaliation has shocked the world out of its complacency with the April of 1999 Columbine shootings, as well as 12 other bully related school shootings in the 1990s. Although not all victims respond with this level of violence towards themselves or others, some consequences are less sensational but just as impacting. Some negative effects of bullying, as reported by stopbullying.gov, are “Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood” or result in suicide. William E. Copeland, PhD, and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University said, “We were surprised at how profoundly bullying affects a person’s long-term functioning. This psychological damage doesn’t just go away because a person grew up and is no longer bullied.” Even the perpetrators were already experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, antisocial personality disorders. Victims and perpetrators are not alone in dealing with the devastating effects of victimization. Those whom have turned to suicide leave behind devastated parents and peers. The ramifications of bullying reach many people. Still others remain unaccounted for but are still victims of this unnecessary adolescent cannibalism. Heartbroken parents are putting the pressure on political leaders to create legislation for prevention and punishment. Many states have already enacted zero tolerance anti-bullying laws in addition to this movement.

Our kids are not surviving this harassing epidemic our solutions need to include preventative and collaborative action. Anti-bullying policies alone are not the solution to bullying. Research has found that teachers do not always identify bullying correctly nor respond to bullying acts appropriately. This lack of awareness can be translated into a lack of concern. In many cases, educational staff was unaware of bullying until parental intervention brought the issue to their attention. Those teachers who feel confident identifying bullying still feel prepared to manage the bullying situations. Many

bullying policies are unwritten but 58% of schools reflected some management strategies. Parentteacher partnership is paramount to achieving long-term results. Bullying trends will continue to rise without considerable intervention by adults. Anti-‐bullying policies alone are not the solution to bullying. Research has found that teachers do not always identify bullying correctly nor respond to bullying acts appropriately. This lack of awareness can be translated into a lack of response. Sometimes parents were the ones to bring bullying to the attention of their child’s teacher, when education staff was completely unaware. Some teachers who feel confident identifying bullying don’t feel prepared to manage bullying situations. Many bullying policies are ‘unwritten’ but studies show 58% of schools reflected management strategies. Parent-‐teacher partnership is pinnacle of positive educational and developmental outcomes. Bullying trends will continue to rise without considerable intervention by adults.

Interview with Brandon Crusat Building Administrator/ Vice principle Kuna Middle School Who develops and or determines the school districts bullying policies? The board of directors uses a law firm to put general procedures into legal format and then the board adopts specifics. Currently, there are district rules of conduct; however, each school within the

is aware of the rules of conduct policies but there is not reinforcement of this, beyond disciplinary actions given, through out the school year. Students and teachers are made aware of the rules at the beginning of the school year only.

district adapts it in their own way.

Teachers are also allowed to modify their enforcement of bullying as long as they are not doing less than the Idaho legislation requires. They have a standard they have to enforce and some are more proactive than others. If a teacher doesn’t support the policies made it is difficult to add more.

Are teachers and administration employees trained on how to facilitate these rules or handle bullying situations? Do they follow through? Everyone working for the school district Do you feel that policies currently in place are affective? What works best do you think? We follow the Middle Schools bullying/harassment steps form, adopted from the high school. It requires a student report the action, what type of bullying or harassment specifically, and the “victims” response to it. We depend of them reporting the incident; without that we have no way of knowing what is going on. I interview those involved, and others as impartial as possible, and come to a conclusion or the consequence. The step form has 3 steps; each step is a reported violation. We handle every case individually; sometimes they think they are bullied and they are

equally at fault or it proves to be typical middle school drama. If needed for legitimate cases, we involve the school resource officer. There are times when harassment qualifies as a misdemeanor or worse. Where would you like to see change? I am currently with some others to put together a program to help deal with theses issues but we don’t know yet if we want to spend money on anything yet. We have started teaching a Parents University class to cover issues that data tells us needs taught.

Bullying

It seems exhausting to deal with this issue reactively instead of proactively. It can be, no one likes to be hard on kids but sometimes you have to. We try and give positive feedback for the majority of kids that are not a problem and

reward that good behavior. The REAL program stands for Respect, Effort, Attitude, and Leadership. Teachers hand out tickets to students they caught being or doing good, then students turn them in for a change to win the raffle prize.

I had a wonderful experience learning how policies are made and enforced at a primary level. Brandon works daily with these issues and is still enthusiastic and loves the kids. Hopefully all teachers and school administration have that attitude and want to do what is best for the student’s interests. The school has policies in place that seem more reactive like discipline after the fact, but they need proactive actions implemented. Brandon didn’t have the momentum yet to start a prevention program but had some things in mind. The schools seem overwhelmed with kids who have social issues because you don’t want to punish them beyond their ability to understand and you want help them.

that could be added to the curriculum, as a reoccurring method, to modify behavior and teach awareness of bullying. We discussed a study I read that was published in the Journal of Experiential Education, referencing the interactive bullying prevention program called BPCCC (Bully Prevention Challenge Course Curriculum); I felt it had the most positive directives on how to attend to this challenge. Improving feelings of self-‐worth through "adventure based learning" where individuals are placed in physical (interactively distracting) and/or emotional challenging situations like a rope courses. It addresses bullying by targeting individual behaviors and promoting "cooperation, communication, trust and problem-‐solving skills." Students reported having improved self-‐esteem and awareness of others feelings. In addition, the teacher’s supportive role and unified vocabulary help create a positive, safe atmosphere for students. He asked for the information to study it out and maybe implement.

I asked Brandon if the teachers felt comfortable handling bullying issues in class he said that it’s hard because they want the teachers to teach not have to regulate behavior. He said when they have an assembly the kids don’t listen so they started trying to have advisory teachers take a few moments to reinforce some things. I discussed creating or implementing a program

Bullying

Scope of the problem:

Is bullying a serious problem?

It is to students of our schools. 71% of them report that they believe bullying is an ongoing problem (bullyingstatistics.org).

So is it really something that deserves our attention? The answer is yes it does deserve our attention. Bullying is something that happens cross our nation from elementary school, to high school and even into adulthood. 2.7 million students are being bullied each year (bullyingstatistics.org). The National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that 28% of students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied at school. Of that 28 percent, 5% reported that they were threatened with physical harm. 21% of students that received physical bullying such as being pushed shout or tripped were physically injured by these actions. Again this is only the number of students that reported (Robers, Kemp and Truman). There are many more cases that are never reported. In 2011 it was estimated that students only reported being bullied 40% of the time (Megan Meier Foundation). 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month (Make Beats not Beat Downs). 90% of fourth through eighth graders report being a victim of bullying. It is estimated that 15% of missed school days is because the students are trying to avoid bullying (Make Beats not Beat Downs). That is approximately 160,000 students per day that stay home from school (Megan Meier Foundation). 36% of students that report bullying problems indicate that it occurs a minimum of once or twice each month (Robers, Kemp and Truman). The amount of youth who bully is equivalent to the amount for the victims. It is estimated that 3.7 million youth act as the bully and 3.2 million are victims (Chon and Canter). It is also a fact that many who are victims of bullying become bullies themselves (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HRSA). This creates a snowball effect. Once one student bullies another than Bully continues to bully while the victim becomes a bully and bully someone else that may also become a bully.

Bullying

Cyber bullying So far we’ve only been talking about bullying that occurs during school hours. However the spread of social media and handheld technological devices has made it even easier to verbally assault, accuse and put down others. This is known as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying, like bullying is when one or several students single out an individual and attack them with negative, threatening and degrading comments. In 2011 8% of students ages 12 to 18 reported being a victim of cyber bullying (Robers, Kemp and Truman). This method of bullying may be even more prevalent than the traditional methods. It is estimated that only 26% of cyber bullying victims report being victimized (Megan Meier Foundation). 88% of the teens that report using social media and social networking sites admit to having seen other people being cruel and mean online. Of those teens 21% admit that they have joined in on the harassment (Megan Meier Foundation).

Though it has occurred for years, we cannot look at being bullied as something harmless. “Before Columbine, few Americans would have drawn a connection between bullying and schoolyard massacres. But as Gerald Newberry, director of the NEA's Health Information Network, points out, “The kids who pulled the trigger weren't who we thought they were. They were not the bullies — they were the kids who had been bullied. That's what changed the focus of the schools and the nation” (Greenya). A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found that 86 percent of high school students said teenager’s resort to violence in school because of “other kids picking on them, making fun of them, or bullying them.” Greenya continues saying that “the findings strongly suggested that bullying could no longer be considered just a relatively harmless phase that children must go through to get toughened up for life. “Being bullied is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through childhood,” says Duane Alexander, director of the NICHD. “It's a public health problem that merits attention. People who were bullied as children are more likely to suffer from depression and low self-‐esteem, well into adulthood, and the bullies themselves are more likely to engage in criminal behavior later in life.””

Bullying

victims have to those who are engaging in the bullying. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, children who are at risk of being bullied are ones who parenting behavior. If the parents are seen bullying others or bully their children it is likely that there children may become bullies. It is also true that when children are left alone and do not have limits to their behavior or supervision their greater risk of becoming a bully (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HRSA).

Factors that contribute

As a society we should be careful in how we allow people to think about differences. Bullying often focuses on the differences that the have a perceived difference from their peers. These differences can be something so minute as different clothing or a physical feature such as being overweight. I can also include things such as economic background or religious beliefs (U.S. Deparment of Health & Human Services). That makes a child or teen at risk for being a victim of bullying is if they are seen as unable to defend themselves. This could mean that they do not have the courage to stand up against the bullies. Being anxious or having a low self-‐esteem also makes them a target. Victims are not the only place where we should look at the factors that contribute to his negative behavior. There also influences that increase the likelihood of a child or teen being the bully. These include having a feeling of popularity or social power, or feeling isolated from other peers and having a low self-‐esteem themselves. Children who bully others are often reported to have less parental involvement or have a difficult home life. The US Department of Health and Human Services reported in 2010 family risk factors of bullying include harsh physical discipline as well as overly permissive

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEM Solutions 1: Prevention/intervention strategies should focus on increasing empathy and support for those who are victimized by bullying, raising awareness of individual responsibilities, and encouraging action by the children who do not approve of bullying. The goal is to transform schools into environments in which students experience being cared for, and caring for others; practice responsibility, fairness, tolerance, teamwork, understanding and respect for different points of view. Ross Teemant said, “I think that helping kids recognize their value and esteem will go a long way in reducing the effects of bullying. As parents and others in the lives of teens really take the time to listen to them and hear their struggles, fears and excitement then the vulnerable place that bullying is born will be filled with recognition and love rather than rejection and deceit.” This is true, every child and person needs to realize their value, and they’re

Solution 2:

Parents are the driving force in raising awareness regarding the types of bullying and the roles of those who participate. Bystanders are included as participators of harassment because they are standing by while someone is being victimized. Parents need training to become affective components of bullying prevention and victimization. Research proves that parental intervention is impacted by how parents’ view the schools climate, regardless of the child’s role whether a bully or a victim. An additional line of defense is the child’s educational resource, their teachers and school administrators. An anti-bullying policy is useless without affective implementation of the policies. A clear, consistent, welldocumented definition of bullying sets the

platform for collaborative action. Research showed that teacher’s belief’s involving bullying was directly related to prevention and intervention behavior. Continual education and awareness is imperative to providing both confidence and competence to bullying prevention. Anti-bullying initiatives may assist in decreasing the frequency of bullying attacks, but raising awareness to less commonly known parties associated with bullying can help. Solutions to bullying are limited by the resources allocated toward the issue and the level of cooperation from the community as a whole. Bullying is a community issue. The Journal of Experimental Education says, “Of utmost importance is constructing a culture of respect and recognition where bullying is not only not tolerated but is not necessary. Intervention should focus on creating an environment of pro-social values, including empathy, and an increased awareness of what constitutes bullying behavior and ways to combat those behaviors.” Intervention is not a one-time act or a brief training session. Studies from the Bully Prevention Challenge Course Curriculum (BPCCC) show that future efforts need to include an ongoing bullying curriculum throughout the school year to create changes. Adopting classes or a program as part of educational curriculum is recommended to bring awareness and change behavior. Involving students, in implementing solutions for bullying, is a positive way to augment a bully prevention program. In addition to tools for dealing with bullying and group activities aimed at bully deterrence, ongoing curriculum prevention training will not just change the school program of study- it will change a life.

Solution 3 1) First solution; How to Talk About Bullying a) Identify: parent-‐child centered prevention. i) Places the responsibility on the shoulder of the parents and their children ii) It centers on parents teaching their children b) What is bullying c) Why it is bad d) How to prevent it e) Need to report it

b) Write down, keep track of incidents of bullying c) Parents need to ask children how their day is and if there was any problems d) Parents need to watch for signs of avoiding certain people or activities (1) This could be an indication of the presence of bullying iii) Helping yourself and others a) How to stand up to a bully (1)Say, “please stop” in a clear and calm voice (2) Walk away and stay away (3) Report the incident to an adult b) Showing kindness (1) Don’t say or do anything that could hurt someone physically or their feelings (2) Include those were left out or bullied (3) Apologize and sympathize with those you have bullied or who have been bullied (4) Don’t spread rumors or join in teasing c) Web safety (1) Don’t post any personal information on the web (2) Do not hand out email address at school or other public settings (3) Keep your passwords safe (4) Ignore and block negative messages or messages from unknown senders (5) Keep all profiles private (6) Never friend someone online that you do not know.

b) What parents need to teach? i) What is bullying a) Verbal (1) Teasing (2) Name-‐calling (3) Inappropriate sexual comments (4) Taunting (5) Threatening b) Social (1) Exclusion (2) Rumors (3) Embarrassing others in public (4) Convincing others to not be friends with someone c) Physical (1) Hitting, kicking, pinching (2) Dripping, pushing, shoving (3) Spitting (4) Taking her breaking other’s things d) Cyber bullying (1) Embarrassing others online (2) Threatening messages (3) Taunting messages (4) Rumors spread using social media or other online tools (5) Name-‐calling (6) Inappropriate sexual comments ii) Bully reporting a) Encourage children to report to an adult

Appendix 1:

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Elizabeth Gamber, a University Studies student at BYU Idaho, with a mayor in Marriage and Family. My husband and two teenage boys live in Texas. Throughout our lives, I have always encouraged our boys to treat others how they would like to be treated. This includes respect, love and acceptance; and to find ways to include and serve others. Individuals and families are very important to me; I want to see each person become who our Heavenly Father knows they can become. As a team we selected the topic of bullying, it is an issue that unfortunately is growing. We wanted to make sure others knew what bullying is, its history, nature and the types of bullying that are out there and what can happen if something is not done to prevent or stop it. Children, teens and people in general can get bullied verbally, physically, mentally and now even cyber bullied to mention a few. As a team we knew that it was important to bring this issue forward in order to try to help not only the children and teens, but also parents and teachers. For our team, I was able to contribute the history, nature, information on the psychologist that began the research on bullying and his prevention program, Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which has helped many around the world. I was also able to contribute on the serious problem that bullying is with some solutions. It has been a great opportunity for me to research about bullying and its effects. Through the research I realized that bullying has been around basically from the beginning of time; however, only since the late 1970’s has research really been done on this important issue. Ross Teemant LCSW, MSSW in his profession is able to see a decrease in the effect of bullying as each individual starts seeing his or her worth. Families are very important, here is where we start building our children’s self-esteem, and we teach them to love and care for each other; to lift people up instead of breaking them down. As part of the team, I want to make sure every child, teen and person learns from the past, the history of bullying, and moves forward helping others become what our Heavenly Father knows they can become.

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Appendix 2:

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I am Shannon Teater, a Communications student at BYUI. I have three children one in high school, middle school, and one in elementary school, who have all faced bullying of some sort. My passion for interpersonal and organizational communications compelled me to advocate for important issues such as this one. For a few years, I taught a supplementary course to elementary school children, on manners and feel that good social behaviors at every level need reinforcing. Our team selected the bullying issue to focus on, because we sensed the importance of it. Many adults think they know what bullying is and what to do about it, even kids cry out “bully” like the little boy who cried wolf, only to find out that just because feelings are hurt it doesn’t mean it was bullying. Hypersensitivity to bullying is counter balanced with those who hide victimization and no one knows to help. Most parents use personal experiences from their childhood to teach their children how to handle bullies and the cycle perpetuates, only more and more it is gaining momentum. This increased momentum will continue unless adults surrounding the issue educate themselves on what it is and work together to stop it. My opportunity, as member of this team, was to write about the ramifications of bullying. Knowing that this issue impacted many people, we wanted to bring it to light. Awareness is the first step to action; non-action shows lack of concern and we should be concerned. Mothers, fathers, families and friends are affected by those damaged by peer-to-peer interaction especially with harmful intentions. Suicide leaves behind questions for loved ones; some wanting to know what more they could have done and who is at fault. School shootings and other vicious retaliations leave devastation in their wake, and no solution to the epidemic with side affects lasting well beyond adolescents. My interview with the Vice Principle of a local Middle School showed me that educators need information and resources to do more than ‘get by’. Education and collaboration is the key to a bully prevention program. He told me when they have an assembly, as a platform for teaching; the kids don’t listen so they resorted trying to have advisory teachers take a few moments to reinforce some rules. I discussed creating or implementing a program that could be added to the curriculum, as a reoccurring method, to modify behavior and teach awareness of bullying. We discussed a study I read published in the Journal of Experiential Education, referencing the interactive bullying prevention program called BPCCC (Bully Prevention Challenge Course Curriculum). I felt it had the most positive directives on how to attend to this challenge. Improving feelings of self-worth through "adventure based learning" where individuals are placed in physical (interactive activities) and/or emotional challenging situations like a rope courses. It addresses bullying by targeting individual behaviors and promoting "cooperation, communication, trust and problem-solving skills." Students reported having improved self-esteem and awareness of each others feelings saying now they were more likely to stop bullying if they saw it. In addition, the teacher’s supportive role and unified vocabulary help create a positive, safe atmosphere for students.

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Appendix 3:

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Biography: Cortley o My most prominent roles in life have been as a student, and educator and a mother. I obtained an associate’s degree from Brigham Young University-‐ Idaho and will be graduating with my Bachelors from the same institution this April 2014. In my experience at this university I have had the great pleasure of studying a wide variety of subjects including theater, communication, child development and education. o I grew up in a family of six siblings. I have been married for four years to a wonderful accountant and economist. I have the great pleasure of being a mother to a two-‐year-‐old little girl and soon to be the mother of a newborn this April 2014. I currently work as a teacher at Patterson elementary school. Selection of issue: o My experience has mostly been in rural communities. Here I have learned that issues like bullying are not exclusive to certain areas. It is a problem that creeps into the most tightknit societies. Not only have I been a victim of bullying through my childhood but also I see it happening now with my students and relatives. o Especially with the introduction of cyber bullying due to the widespread popularity of social media I fear for the emotional and mental safety of our rising generation. Being part of bullying can have drastic lifelong consequences for both the victim and the bully. If the message can be sent to the rising generation along with their educators and parents there is a hope that this epidemic can be still before it destroys our society. Team tasks: o My contribution to this booklet was to research the scope that bullying has across the schools and our nation. I am advocating the proposed solution that bullying can be stopped with parent-‐child communication. I have interviewed a middle school teacher from Wichita Kansas in order to understand the connections bullying has between rule and urban communities and schools across the nation.

Upon doing a more in depth studying of bullying I have come to realize that there is far more factors than simply popularity versus the dork. Many children and teens that choose to bully others do so because they themselves have experienced being bullied either from their peers or even from their own legal guardians. Also those were selected as victims are singled out for various reasons. Because of this bullying is a complex multidimensional issue. It cannot be solved simply with one solution or one action. It requires the integration of several approaches in order to truly be effective if we did not take the solution to the main occurrence of the problem. Children and teens need to

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not only be informed but also empowered to make a difference in the field of bullying both in schools out of schools and on the web.

Bibliography

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Billitteri, Thomas. Preventing Bullying. CQ Resarcher. 20.43. (2010) :1013-‐10360. Web. 12 o Mar. 2014. http://library.cqpress.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/cqresearcher/getpdf.php?id=cqresrre201012 1000

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Carpenter, Deborah and Christopher Ferguson, Ph.D. “History of Bullying.” netplaces. Web. 12 o Mar. 2014. http://www.netplaces.com/dealing-‐with-‐bullies/what-‐is-‐bullying/history-‐of-‐ bullying.htm

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Donegan, Richard. “Bullying and Cyberbullying: History, Statistics, Law, Prevention and o Analysis.” The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications 3.1 (2012) : pag. 33-‐41. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-‐ web/academics/communications/research/vol3no1/04DoneganEJSpring12.pdf

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“Fast Facts: Bullying in Schools.” Bullying. No Way! n.p. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. o http://www.bullyingnoway.gov.au/resources/pdf/fast-‐fact-‐bullying-‐in-‐schools.pdf

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Koo, Hyojin. “A Time Line of the Evolution of School Bullying in Differing Social Contexts.” o Asia Pacific Education Review. 8.1 (2007) : 107-‐116. Web. 12 Mar. 2014 o https://webspace.utexas.edu/lab3346/School%20Bullying/Koo2007/Koreabullyinghistor y2007.pdf

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Teemant, Ross. Personal interview. 13 Mar. 2013.

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“The Nature, Prevalence & Dynamics of Bullying.” Bullying Prevention Resource Guide: Best o Practices. The Colorado Trust. n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. o http://www.bullyingprevention.org/index.cfm/ID/9

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Violence Prevention Works! “Home of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.” Hazelden o Foundation. Web. 12 Mar.2014. http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/olweus_history.page

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Battey, Glenda J. L., and Vicki Ebbeck. "A Qualitative Exploration of an Experiential Education Bully Prevention Curriculum." Journal of Experiential Education 36.3 (2013): 203-‐217. Print. Cooper, Leigh A., and Amanda B. Nickerson. "Parent Retrospective Recollections of Bullying and Current Views, Concerns, and Strategies to Cope with Children’s Bullying." Journal of Child and Family Studies 22.4 (2013): 526-‐540. Print.

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Goryl, Ola, Catherine Neilsen-‐Hewett, and Naomi Sweller. "Links with early childhood teachers' perceptions and attitudes to bullying." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 38.2 (2013): 32-‐40. Print. Publications, Harvard Medical. "Taking on School Bullies." Harvard Mental Heatlth Newletter 19.4 (2009): 6. Print. 14.http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/02/21/the-‐psychological-‐effects-‐of-‐ bullying-‐last-‐ well-‐into-‐adulthood-‐study-‐finds/ Saint Louis, Catherine. "Effects of Bullying Last Into Adulthood." The New York Times [New York City] 21 Feb. 2013, New York ed., sec. A15: 30. Print. Garby, Lisa. "Direct Bullying: Criminal Act or Mimicking What Has Been Learned?." Education 133.4 (2013): 0-‐0. Print. Limber Ph.D., Susan P., and Dan Olweus Ph.D.. "Bullying in U.S. Schools: 2012 Status Report." Olweus bullying prevention program 1 Sept. 2013: 1-‐20. Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Web. 1 Sept. 2013.

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bullyingstatistics.org. Bullying statistics 2010. 2013. March 2014. Chon, Andrea and Andrea Canter. "Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents." National Association of School Psychologists. March 2014. Madden, Mary, et al. "Teens, Social Media, and Privacy." 21 May 2013. PewResearch Internet Project. 10 March 2014. Make Beats not Beat Downs. Facts and Statistics. 2009. March 2014. Megan Meier Foundation. Megan Meier Foundation : Be the change...stop bullying and cyberbullying. 10 March 2014. Robers, Simone, et al. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2012. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice , 2013. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Galileo Galilei." 13 June 2013. plato.stanford.edu. 20 March 2014. U.S. Deparment of Health & Human Services. "Risk Factors." stopbullying.gov. 20 March 2014. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HRSA. "Bullying: Children Who Bully." 8 December 2010. education.com. 20 March 2014.

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www.stopbullying.gov/

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http://stopbullyingnow.com/

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http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educational-‐issues/the-‐civil-‐and-‐criminal

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http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/bullyingconsequences.html

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http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_prevention_resources.page

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http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_prevention_resources.page.

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http://actagainstviolence.apa.org/

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http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-‐statistics-‐2010.html

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http://www.pacer.org/bullying/

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http://www.stompoutbullying.org/

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http://www.kellerisd.net/studentsandfamilies/know/AntiBullying/Pages/default.aspx

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http://www.championsagainstbullying.com/

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http://www.bullying.org/

o http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-‐statistics-‐2010.html

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o http://www.stompoutbullying.org/

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Additional Resources: