Psychology Assembly
Good morning!! Everyone today’s show is going to discuss a prevailing
problem which is bullying!
So here we have our special guests for today _______and________,
who are professional psychologists.
_______ will you be shedding some light on what bullying is.
Yes, Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in
relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour
that intends to cause harm. A bully is someone who intimidates people,
usually those who are weaker or smaller. The classic example of a bully
is a mean kid in a schoolyard who hassles or beats up younger students.
There are many different types of bullying that can be experienced by
children and adults alike, some are obvious to spot while others can be
more subtle.
Physical bullying includes hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching and pushing
or damaging property. Physical bullying causes both short term and
long term damage.
Verbal bulling includes name calling, insults, teasing, intimidation,
homophobic or racist remarks, or verbal abuse. While verbal bullying
can start off harmless, it can escalate to levels which start affecting the
individual target.
Social bullying, sometimes referred to as covert bullying, is often harder
to recognise and can be carried out behind the bullied person’s back. It
is designed to harm someone’s social reputation and / or cause
humiliation.
Social bullying can include:
lying and spreading rumours
negative facial or physical gestures, menacing or contemptuous
looks
playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate
mimicking unkindly
encouraging others to social exclude someone
damaging someone’s social reputation or social acceptance.
The Cyber Bullying Research Centre defines cyber bullying as:
Intentional and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers,
phones, and other electronic devices.
Cyber bullying can be overt or covert bullying behaviours using digital
technologies including hardware such as computers and smartphones,
and software such as social media, instant messaging, texts, websites
and other online platforms.
Cyber bullying can happen at any time. It can be in public or in private
and sometimes only known to the target and the person bullying.
Cyber bullying can include:
abusive or hurtful texts, emails or posts, images or videos
deliberately excluding others online
nasty gossip or rumours
imitating others online or using their log-in.
now we would like to invite a victim’s family
we have _____ who is a victim of bullying and their parents _______
and _______.
So (child) would you like to share your experience?
Yeah, *bullying experience* it has also affected my daily life, as I had
lost confidence and shut myself off from people around me, it was one
of the worst things that I ever went through.
Now let’s hear from the parents-
*parents state their observation, like the at first didn’t know that
something like this was happening, but when (child’s) grades started
dropping and he stopped social interaction we realized something was
wrong , we tried asking (child) and we uncovered the entire situation,
we constulted to the school counselor miss_______, then introduction
of counselor*
These are the ways to identify someone who is being bullied-
changes in sleep patterns
Changes in eating patterns
Emotional instability
Feels ill in the morning
Refuses to talk about what is wrong
Begins to target siblings
Continually 'loses' money or starts stealing.
Has unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches
Comes home with missing or damaged belongings
Doesn't want to go to school
Changes their route to school or are frightened of walking to school
Doesn't want to go to school on the bus/tram/train
School grades begin to fall.
Sometimes signs bullying can be far more hidden. They can include:
Often alone or excluded from friendship groups at school
A frequent target for teasing, mimicking or ridicule at school
Unable to speak up in class and appears insecure or frightened .
How to help someone who is being bullied-
The first recommended step is to try to get your child to open up about
what's happening in their life by showing them that you understand,
and won’t judge them.
Listen
Encourage your child to tell you the whole story. Listen calmly and
without interrupting, and reassure them that they've done the right
thing by speaking up. Your child may need to tell the story more than
once.
Talk
Have a conversation about what happened. Try not to let your very
understandable emotions (anger, distress...) show. Your feelings can
intensify the child's or make it worse for them and might even deter
your child from talking to you another time.
Remind your child that bullying is never OK, and that whatever they are
feeling – e.g. hurt, scared, sad, angry – is understandable and normal.
Ask your child what they would like to happen. Often all they want to
know is how to stop the bullying. Children may feel that if the
perpetrator is punished, it will be worse for them in the long run.
Find out what is happening
Note what, when and where the bullying occurred, who was involved,
how often and if anybody else witnessed it. Don't offer to confront the
young person or their parents yourself. This might make things worse
for your child.
Contact your child's school
Bullying arises from social situations - family, school, clubs, and work -
and if possible, cases of bullying are best dealt with where they occur.
In children's lives, school is the most common location for bullying. It's
therefore important you alert the school to the situation, as they may
not be aware of it.
Don't assume the school will know about the situation, because your
child may not have told them. The majority of children and teenagers
do not disclose to teachers or parents. Schools are keen to prevent and
stop bullying behaviour.
Here are some tips to guide your discussions with the school:
Make an appointment to speak to your child's teacher or
coordinator.
Check your school's bullying/online bullying policy. This may be
contained within the behaviour or wellbeing policy. It might be
available on the school's website or printed in the school diary.
Note what the policy promises to do to keep children safe from
harm and respond to the situation.
Take along your notes about the situation or screen-shots, texts etc.
It's often difficult to remember specific details.
Find out if the school is aware of the bullying.
Ask what is being done to ensure your child's safety.
Ask for a follow -up appointment to ensure the situation is being
addressed. The school may ask you to attend a restorative
conference. If so, they will explain to you what is involved.
If your child asks to stay home from school, explain it won't help -
and may make things worse.
Give Sensible Advice
Encourage your child not to get angry or aggressive in response to
bullying, as this may make things worse. Help them explore other
possibilities, including using neutral or (if appropriate) joking language,
acting bored or unimpressed, and identifying safe places, friendly
groups of kids or caring staff members they can turn to.
Other useful advice includes:
Tell them that the behaviour was intentional and it won't just go
away
Explain it's safer to avoid people, places or situations that could
expose them to further bullying
If your child asks to stay home from school, explain that it won't
help - and may make things worse
If possible, help to make opportunities for them to join other groups
of young people - e.g. clubs at school or other groups outside of
school time.
