Bullying: What it is and how to address it

The Canastota Teachers Association gives insight and suggestions on how to deal with bullying.

We are the Canastota Teachers’ Association - the caring, dedicated professionals committed to supporting our students and the Canastota community.

Who has been bullied? How did it make you feel? Who has been a bully? How did it make you feel?

Bullying is saying or doing something repeatedly intentionally hurt someone else. Bullying can be verbal, physical, relational or cyber. Some examples of verbal bullying are name calling, teasing and making threats. Examples of physical bullying can include: hitting, pushing, and steal- ing. Relational or friendship bullying can include ignoring or excluding someone or starting/spreading rumors. Cyberbullying is using technology, phones or computers to bully someone.

Bullying is NOT a one time occurrance. If someone said hits you or says something hurtful one time, that is mean and rude but it is not bullying. True bullying is a pattern of repeated occurrences.

If your child reports to you that they have been bullied you should ask them questions so that you have details of the situation. Try to look at the situation from both points of view. Many times disagreements can be resolved by thinking things through. Tell your child that they have done the right thing by coming to you to report their feelings.

If you truly believe that bullying has occurred please report it to your child’s teacher or principal. If you think the situation is not severe and can be solved independently by the child, rehearse what to do. If your child feels picked on or singled out, teach them to stand up straight, look the person that is bothering them in the eyes and say, “Stop it, leave me alone.” In many cases, standing up for themselves will neutralize a potential bullying situation.

The Dignity For All Stu- dents Act a law in New York state intended to protect students from discrimination and harassment. Every district should have specific reporting procedures on the district website. Each website will have phone numbers and emails of the building principals to contact in case a report needs to be filed. The proper reporting procedures will also be listed on the web page. If you have checked into the situation and have exhausted all recourse in solving it yourself DASA is there to help.

Bullying is NO laughing matter but it is a problem that can be solved.

Look for another informative CTA column next month.