ANATOMY OF
When it comes to bullies, they can come in all shapes, sizes, genders and ages. “Everybody is unique,” Miriam Belopolsky, Imperial County Office of Education Student Wellbeing and Family Resources Department director, said. “This is human behavior. This is very much like psychology and sociology. We are unique individuals. That bully is a person.”
Such individuals, once identified, can be given the tools they need to terminate such negative behavior, Belopolsky said.
“We have come a long way with bullying and knowing how to address it and tackle it and really deal with it, but it is really complex. Schools used to be good at just addressing the problem face on, and that did not work.”
Such measures were designed to be punitive and did nothing to address the root cause of the behavior, Belopolsky said.
“Most schools have policies on bullying, so you’ve got to follow the policy, but then you’ve got to kick those support services in gear as well because there is trouble happening, either at home or with a sibling or a parent aggressor or a tougher aggressor on the school yard. Or, they are a child that is being abused. There is stuff going on that is not normal typical childhood behavior.”
Bullies themselves may also be the victims of bullying, Belopolsky said.
“We talk about bullying as a power imbalance.”
When a bully levie havior against a victim unhealthy coping mec from someone who them, Belopolsky add
“You are just not na to be the aggressor. So pening deep within. T there is pain, and th and there is anger.”
Anger is a blanket unpleasant emotions or rejection, Belopols
“It is not by accident is why we have this b about bullying becaus domino (effect), and i layered. You have to the root of the proble treat the aggressor; y the behavior, but you You’ve got to try and u