Bullying

Some memories from childhood can be joyous, others painful.  The most powerful of those painful memories usually involve teasing or verbal bullying.  Bullying is not a typical “kids will be kids” problem anymore.  Bullying is a societal problem which touches all of us whether we are in public or independent schools.  Recent studies show that one of ten students is regularly harassed by bullies.  Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the students who stand out who are bullied.  Children who wear glasses, are overweight, have red hair, speak differently or dress differently do not automatically invite bully attacks.  Any student can be a victim of a bully.

Here’s what you can do to help stop this from being a big issue at our school.  (1) Acknowledge your child’s feelings.  Don’t minimize the distress caused by teasing.  A child who has been teased or bullied may be ashamed to tell anyone, so be sensitive to your child’s concerns.  (2) Watch for symptoms your child may be a bullying victim.  Withdrawal, a drop in grades, torn clothes, unexplained bruises, not wanting to go to school, needing extra money, “losing” possessions at school are all symptoms.  (3) Share your past with your child.  Were you bullied or teased?  Sharing this information will help to ease your child’s humiliation.  (4) Praise your child’s kindness and acceptance to others.  Our children look to us as parents to set the tone when it comes to accepting the differences of others.  (5) Most importantly, notify your child’s teacher of possible bullying behaviors in a timely manner.  It helps us tremendously if we can investigate this as soon after it occurs as possible.  Waiting a week or two does not help in these situations.

If you have any further input on this topic, please contact me through email at sjackson@sumneracademy.org.