Being bullied at school isn’t new-but it is getting worse as more kids experience the damage it causes. In this comic-the characters are just asking-“don’t be mean, especially to those who are powerless to stop you.”
Unfortunately, there has been a lot in the news (and in my office) of school bullies. There are kids who are being emotionally and physically hurt. Boys, girls, all levels of school. These kids take the abuse-because they feel they can’t fight back. Even if they do tell their parents-or if the school knows, often it isn’t stopped. These kids are so shredded by the mean words and of the “gang” mentality of multiple kids joining in the bullying. It happens that teachers and administration don’t do enough to intervene andstop it. Sometimes parents don’t take it seriously and think their kids are being too dramatic, need to be assertive and tell them off, or need to “man up.” I see the sweetest, kindest and beat down kids come in. It happens in the hall, online, in the cafeteria, on sports teams, notes, texts. It isn’t necessarily visible. I hear that a lot of bullying happens in the hallways, under the radar.
Signs to look for in kids/students who are being bullied: withdrawn, quiet, not connecting with other students, keeping to themselves at home, getting sharp or snap back at you.
PLEASE-listen and take action if a kid tells you they are being bullied at school. Tell someone who will do something, and don’t stop until it is solved. If necessary-the student may need to be removed from school, transferred, do a partial or full online school program to get out of the environment and away from the school bullies. There are multiple options available.
Take school bullying seriously. Kids who are bullied at school get depressed, shut down and yes, they do kill themselves. Until the time comes when “people” (bullies) stop being mean, we need to protect their targets from getting hurt.