Sunday, June 24, 2007

Rethinking Bullying III

Signs That a Young Person Is Being Bullied

Before we can help students who are being bullied, we have to know how to identify the signs that tell us bullying is taking place. Most adolescents will not readily tell an adult about the bullying problems that they are facing for fear of retaliation by the bully or of being labeled a "tattle-tale."

A list of warning signs that a young person is being bullied includes:

• Clothing torn or damaged, belongings often missing
• Unexplainable bruises, cuts, or other wounds
• Loss of interest in school or a drop in grades
• Depression, crying easily, locking oneself in the bedroom
• Unexplained loss of appetite
• Trouble sleeping at night
• Anxiety
• Fewer friends
• Low self-esteem
• Has contemplated suicide

Whenever possible, be aware of bullying behaviors in chat rooms, over instant messenger, and through text messaging. Believe it or not, bullies have been known to use these technologies to harass their victims in a multitude of ways.

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1 Comments:

Blogger The Big Bully said...

A good list of things to be aware of. It would seem however that these events would be seen only byt a parent or someone else close to the child. Trying to get your child to talk about possible bullying is often extremely difficult.

Keeping an open communications channel with your child/friend/relative is essential. Not always easy, especially when you are asking the child to become vulnerable, admit that they are having trouble and need help.

If you can get them to admit they are being bullied and need help, then what? Do you accost the bully or their parents and possibly make the situation worse?

8:19 AM  

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