By: Branavi Nadarajah

Poem by Francis DugganVerbal Bullies

When we look for flaws in others the flaws in them we do seeThat's how it is and always was and that's how it will always beFor some it is easier to be cruel than it is to be kindTheir souls are clouded over by darkness of the mindEven ageing men and women who in dye cover their grayWith their words are verbal bullies it is their natural wayWhen they put down other people their sense of self esteem they try to undermineTo inflict verbal hurt through insult does seem to suit them fineWise words from a wise old lady from years back I recallShe said if you cannot say something good about another person why say anything at allI still recall to this day the great wisdom in her truthSuppose some cannot help it if they do sadly lack in ruthThey live in every district, village, city and townThe people who find pleasure in putting others down.

Verbal Bullying Occurs when someone uses language

to gain power over his or her peers. To insult or tease a person Make fun of a persons appearance Verbal abuse can have lasting

psychological impacts on victims. Two forms of verbal abuse that are

common in school and in society in general: Derogatory comments and name calling.

Verbally abused children may: Lose self-esteem. Feel lonely, helpless, rejected, or

depressed. Be unable to focus or sit still for long. Experience uncontrolled anger and

rage. Have trouble sleeping. Isolate themselves, quit school or fail

classes. May turn their rage outward and assault

peers or turn inward and commit suicide.

Bullying Facts and Statistics: 160,000 kids in the US stay home every day because of

bullying. Eighty-three percent of bullying incidents receive no intervention

and continue to happen. Those who bully are four times more likely to engage in criminal

behavior in adulthood and often develop suicidal thoughts There are three described forms of bullying: physical, verbal,

and social. Male bullying more commonly consists of verbal and physical abuse, whereas female bullying more commonly involves more verbal abuse and social bullying by spreading of rumors.

Only half of educators have received training on how to handle bullying situations. According to bullying.org founder Bill Belsey, not teaching educators how to handle bullying is like not training physicians to deal with the flu! A 1998 survey of 58 high schools conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Education revealed that 22 percent of gay respondents had skipped school in the past month because they felt unsafe there.

Roughly 80% of students who experienced bullying in 2007 reported it occurring inside the school grounds.

Children are more likely to experience verbal assaults targeting appearances and behaviors rather than race or religious affiliations. In many cases, bullies felt that the victim was at fault for these behaviors or appearances.

A study published by the National School Board Administration reports that only 33.1% of the middle and high school students surveyed agree or strongly agrees that teachers can stop bullying. This means that 2/3 of these students are not confident that they can get help from their teachers.

In 2005 roughly one out of ten Internet users ages 10-17 had been a victim of cyber bullying and “on-line harassment”. Fifty percent of victims who were bullied off-line and on-line by the same people reported being very distressed by the incidents.

If you are the parent of a child who is a bully: Take action and talk to the child. Stop him/her and make him/her understand:

teach the child how to properly interact with others.

You are responsible for the child so its important for you to find ways to change this unhealthy behavior. Maybe the child needs more care and attention. Something maybe bothering him so its important you talk and find out why he is picking on other people.

If it is difficult for the parent to change this behavior seek help. (There are places to seek out counseling that will help parents deal with their child’s behavior problem).

As a teacher what could you do to prevent verbal bullying: Establish Rules: Consistent rules against bullying should be

developed and used throughout the school. Teachers should hold classroom discussion of these rules. Students must understand what teachers expect of them and the consequences of bullying. Establishing clear rules on bullying encourages other students to help when they see someone bullying one of their peers. The ultimate goal is to create a school environment where students view bullying as uncool and view helping others and inclusive behaviors as cool.

Awareness Activities: Help students to understand the causes of bullying, develop their ability to identify bullying behaviors and understand ways of dealing with bullying using awareness activities. Awareness activities can include puzzle and coloring handouts, classroom role-playing exercises and classroom games.

Continuation.. Team Effort: The U.S. Department of Health & Human

Services Stop Bullying Now program recommends forming a bullying prevention team that includes a school administrator, at least one teacher from each grade level, a non-teaching staff member, school mental health professionals as well as a parent. While a student advisory team is a possibility, instituting any type of peer mediation or student conflict resolution group is not recommended. Bullying is not a conflict in which both parties carry equal blame and teachers should not treat it as such.

Survey Students: Bullying frequently takes place in such a way that teachers and other staff are unaware it is going on. Having students complete an anonymous questionnaire about bullying provides information about the extent of bullying in a school, assists in the formulation of bullying prevention strategies and offers a means of tracking the effectiveness of the bullying prevention program.

Continuation.. Interventions: Many teachers encounter difficulties when

they attempt to intervene in bullying that is taking place at the moment. Bullying is not the same as a fight between students. Teachers should not try to sort out facts of what happened or send any students away. A successful bullying intervention carries a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate behavior to all students involved, including those witnessing the bullying. For a complete breakdown of how to intervene in bullying, review the Stop Bullying Now! "How to Intervene to Stop Bullying" tip sheet.

Cooperative Learning Exercises: Cooperative or collaborative learning exercises differ from awareness activities in that they do not specifically focus on bullying. A class that has a cooperative environment is far less likely to permit bullying. Cooperative learning exercises promote understanding among students of different backgrounds and increase empathy within the group.

Best ways to prevent verbal bullying: As parents and educators, one of the

best ways to stop bullying is to speak up and become involved. Encourage the child who is being bullied to tell someone who can help.

Help the child boost self esteem. Must serve as role models and

demonstrate self confidence.

2 solutions to stop verbal bullying: Kids should tell adults when bullying is

happening to them, a friend, or a classmate.

Adults should take action to prevent bullying and discipline kids who are bullies.

The End!