Topic: Bullying: Four Characters and a Tragedy This presentation will focus on the description and explanation of the various forms of bullying experienced by children at schools. There are various role players that can be identified in bullying incidents, each contributing in particular ways to this “tragedy”. Specific emphasis will be placed on the characteristics and roles that the bully, the bullied and the bystanders play in bullying episodes. Furthermore the role that teachers play within the bullying cycle will be explored and elaborated on, as it is imperative and cannot be underestimated.

1. Teachers Upfront 2015
Dealing with Bullying
Presenter: Dr. Moeniera Moosa
Presentation Title: Bullying: Four Characters and a Tragedy

2. What is Bullying?
• Bullying is a conscious, wilful, and deliberate
hostile activity intended to harm, induce fear
through threat or further aggression and create
terror.
• It can be premeditated or come out of the blue
• Can be done by a group or an individual
• Bullying includes 3 elements:
– Imbalance of power
– Intent to harm
– Threat of further aggression
– Terror
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

3. BULLIEDBYSTANDER
BULLY
TEACHER
• Surveys landscape
• Test run
• Action
• Either looks away
• Laughs
• Joins in
• Feel guilty
• Helpless
• Unsure what to do
• Blames himself
• Tries to figure out how
to avoid the bully
The Characters…

4. The Bully
Come in all different shapes and sizes
Kinds of Bullies
• The confident bully
• The social bully
• The fully armoured
bully
• The hyperactive bully
• The bullied bully
• The bunch of bullies
• The gang of bullies
Some common traits of Bullies
• Like to dominate others
• Use others to get what they
want
• Only concerned with their own
wants
• Find it hard to see a situation
from others point
• Tend to hurt others when
adults are not around
• Refuse to accept responsibility
• Crave attention
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

5. The Bullied
Anyone can be a target
Targets
• Youngest in the school
• Been traumatised previously
• Submissive kids
• Those whose behaviours
others find annoying
• Shy kids
• Rich kids, poor kids
• Gender / sexual orientation
• Fat, thin, short, tall
• Being in the wrong place at
the wrong time
Some reasons for not telling
• Ashamed
• Afraid of retaliation
• Doesn’t think anyone can help
• Believes that bullying is a part of
growing up
• Not cool to report on others
A few warning signs
• Abrupt lack of interest in school
• Drop in grades
• Takes an unusual route to school
• Withdraws from family and school
activities
• Has physical injuries
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

6. The Bystander
Actively engages with the bully or cheers him on
Reasons for not intervening
• Does not know what to do
• The bully in my friend
• It’s not my problem
• “She /He is not my friend”
• “He deserves to be bulled”
• Bullying will toughen him up
• Afraid:
– of getting hurt themselves
– to become the new target
– to make situation worse
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

7. The Teacher
• Teachers may also willingly and unwittingly contribute
to aggressive behaviour at schools:
– By their actions
– By not following up on reports
– By their attitude towards bullying
• Teacher behaviour that are most likely to co-exist with
and will encourage bullying are:
– The authoritarian educator
– The narcissistic queen bee
– The active bully educator;
– The disinterested educator
– The wishy-washy, liberal, permissive educator
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

8. Types of Bullying
Physical Bullying
• Most obvious form of bullying.
• Used to gain power and control
over their targets.
• Physical bullies tend to be bigger,
stronger and more aggressive
than their peers.
• This is not exclusive to boys.
• Examples of physical bullying
include kicking, hitting, punching,
pinching, slapping, shoving and
other physical attacks.
• Receives more attention from
schools
Verbal Bullying
• This form of bullying is quick
and painless for the bully
• Perpetrators use words,
statements and name-calling
to gain power and control over
a target.
• Targets are chosen based on
the way they look, act or
behave.
• Often very difficult to identify
• Can leave deep emotional
scars.
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

9. Types of Bullying
Relational Bullying
• Most difficult to detect
• Often goes unnoticed
• Is a type of social manipulation
• Relational bullies often ostracize
others from a group, spread
rumours, manipulate situations
and break confidences.
• The goal is to increase their own
social standing by controlling or
bullying another person.
• Girls tend to use relational
aggression more than boys, often
called mean girls or frenemies.
• Most powerful in preteen years
…but not limited to this stage
Cyberbullying
• Use of the Internet, a cell phone
or other technology to harass,
threaten, embarrass or target
another person
• Examples include posting hurtful
images, making online threats,
and sending hurtful emails or
texts.
• Cyberbullies often say things that
they do not have the courage to
say face-to-face
• Online bullying is often mean and
cruel
• To the targets it feels never
ending.
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

10. Types of Bullying
Sexual Bullying
• Repeated, harmful and
humiliating actions that target a
person sexually.
• Examples include sexual name-
calling, crude comments, vulgar
gestures, uninvited touching,
sexual propositioning and
pornographic materials.
• In extreme cases, sexual bullying
opens the door to sexual assault.
• Girls are often the targets of
sexual bullying both by boys and
by other girls.
• Sexting also can lead to sexual
bullying.
Prejudicial Bullying
• Prejudicial bullying is based on
prejudices toward people of
different races, religions or
sexual orientation.
• This type of bullying can
encompass all the other types
of bullying
• When prejudicial bullying
occurs, kids are targeting
others who are different from
them
• Can open the door to hate
crimes.
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

11. A BRIDGE Community of Practice
I shall remember forever and will never forget
Monday: My money was taken.
Tuesday: Names called.
Wednesday: My uniform torn.
Thursday: My body pouring with blood.
Friday: It’s ended.
Saturday: Freedom.
Coloroso (2005:xix)