Site Map
District Policies
All About Bullying!
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To go Mr. Letson's web site on Bully Reporting and Tips: bullystoppers.com
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Email Mr. Letson to report a problem or report it on bullystoppers.com
Dealing with bullies/teasers at lunch.
Dealing with bullies/teasers on the bus.
Dealing with bullies/teasers in the halls.
Dealing with bullies/teasers online.
Dealing with bullies/teasers who are popular.
Review some examples of comeback lines.
Is it really bullying or are you being a little too sensitive?
Move
your seat! Ask
a friend to move with you. If you
are not allowed to change seats, ask an adult if you can change it.
If they say no, tell your parents so they can talk to the person in
charge to get your seat changed.
Sit
close to an adult! Bullies
can’t bully and teasers can’t tease around an adult – so sit as close to
one as you can! If an adult
who is supervising doesn’t see the problem, please tell a teacher you
trust or your parents.
Be the first one to enter the lunchroom and the first one to leave! Don’t waste time in the halls when going to lunch or when getting back to class after lunch. Wasting time only gives bullies more opportunity to bother you.
Sit
near the front of the bus! Sitting
close to the driver will make bullies and teasers think twice before doing it
for fear of getting caught.
Don’t stay silent! Unless you feel that another kid will physically attack you if you speak up, remaining completely silent while kids are harassing you will only give them reason to keep doing it. Try one of the following:
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Directly ask them to stop.
| Distract them by starting a different conversation that might interest them.
| Diffuse
their attack by giving them some sign their words are harmless to you
(“yeah, right!”) or
try laughing along with them (even if you don’t think it’s funny).
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Sit with friends! There are strength in numbers. You are less likely to be singled out if you are sitting with others.
Always
be aware of who is ahead of you! If
you see a bully or teaser ahead of you, DON’T pass the person and give
him the opportunity to bother you by noticing that you are there!
Take your time and slow down a little so they get farther ahead of you.
Always
be aware of who is behind you!
Don’t
allow a bully or teaser to stay behind you in the hall.
They will most likely follow you until you have reached a part of the
school with no teachers around so they can harass you without fear of being
caught. If you notice a bully or
teaser behind you, stop and let them pass.
Stop in to say hello to a favorite teacher or go to the front office or
the nurses office to say hello.
Go a different way when possible! If your school has a first and second floor you may have a choice of taking more than one way to class. Choose the safest way, even if the safest one is the longest one, it is worth the longer walk to prevent giving the bully or teaser an opportunity to bother you.
Don’t
respond to the message!
Although
it is very tempting to tell them off, it is not a good idea.
This may only get them angry and cause more problems for you.
They also can print out your message and use it against you by showing it
to teachers or to the principal to say you are bothering them and not the other
way around.
Get
out of the chat room!
If
someone is making fun of you or is threatening you in a chat room, leave that
room so they don’t continue to have the opportunity. Take down their screen
name and report them to your online provider.
Print
out any threatening or harassing messages! You
can’t prove it is happening if you do not print out the evidence.
Show the printed out message to your parents.
It is against the law to threaten or harass someone online.
Report inappropriate messages to your parents and your online provider! Most online services will suspend individuals who violate online rules. Let them get what is coming to them and report the violation to get them off the net.
Don’t
exchange insults with popular kids! This
will only make them try harder to make you look bad in front of others.
Try ignoring them when they have an audience or agree with them to get
them to stop: “You’re right,
I’m a terrible basketball player.” Later
when they do not have an audience, you can approach them to tell them to stop:
“Hey, stop making fun of me in front of others, you wouldn’t like it if it
was happening to you.”
Don’t accept getting teased to fit in with the popular group! Some kids tolerate teasing to be accepted by a popular group of kids. If you are hoping they will stop teasing you as soon as they get to know you, it most likely will not happen.
Don’t
hesitate to report the bullying or harassment!
Many
popular kids are very concerned about remaining popular, not only among their
classmates but among their teachers. Mention
what is happening to a teacher or counselor you trust.
An adult talking with a student in this situation may be enough to stop
it.
Defeating
Bullies with comebacks!
The key to comeback lines is to avoid the temptation to trade name calling or personal insults with the bully or teaser. A great comeback line is brief and to the point and leaves the bully or teaser feeling that they did not get to you! Don't forget to always look them in the eye and keep cool - anger is a sign to them that what they are doing is working. Try some of the following, however always remember: if another student is threatening physical violence toward you, don't say anything to him or her - do your best to get away from the situation and to where a teacher or other adult is located.
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"Why do you waste your time saying that stuff to me? Try someone else."
| "Those things are ridiculous, but whatever."
| "I don't do this to you. You should really think about that."
| "I'm not sure why you keep saying these things to me, but it really doesn't matter."
| "Okay. Finished?"
| "That's funny, but enough already okay?"
| "You really got me with that one, but enough already okay?"
| "Here we go again, Tell me when your done." |
Is it bullying or are you being too sensitive?
This is a simple definition of bullying and harassment:
Repeatedly doing or saying something to another person for the purpose of physically hurting (or threatening to physically hurt) OR seriously annoying, alarming or embarrassing that person.
Examples of bullying and harassment that occurs in school:
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Someone is threatening to beat you up in school, when walking to or from school, when you get off the bus, while talking to you on your cell phone or while you are online using instant messaging, in chat rooms or by email.
| Someone is taking something of yours without your permission.
| Someone is spreading rumors about you or your family. (whether it is true or not)
| Someone is embarrassing you in front of others by either calling you names or doing something to you (like hiding your book, pulling your seat out from under you, etc.)
| Someone is telling other kids not to talk to you or be friends with you.
| Someone continues to shove into you in the halls and says it is always an accident.
| Someone is sexually harassing you (always following you around, whistling at you when you walk by, making comments about your body, etc.) |
Examples of being a little too sensitive:
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Someone has a nasty attitude with you (talks to you in a nasty tone of voice, etc.) or is being unfriendly (refuses to be around you or sit with you).
| Someone is calling you names such as "stupid" or saying things like "you don't have any friends" and when they are doing these things they ARE NOT doing it in front of others to embarrass you. |
If you are unsure how to handle the above situations, see your school counselor for some great advice!