Frequency of Bullying
- 1 in every 4 kids K-12 are bullied
- 160,000 kids stay home EVERY day for fear of being bullied or made fun of
- Of all 50 states, Illinois is the THIRD worst in bullying... right behind California and New York
My goal is that our swimmers become the kid that can do something- they become more than just a bystander but an advocate.
Going back to the month of FEBRUARY- when we did our research on our inspirational people with disabilities... Malorie Grennan came to visit us on Monday. She spoke to the swimmers about her life. Malorie was a member of the Sterling Stingrays, she joined when she was 12. She went on to swim in both the 2004 and 2008 Paralympics and was ranked globally in her division. Malorie has cerebal palsy but didn't let that be an excuse in her life. Malorie now works as a social worker and is an advocate for children. We are so appreciative that she could join us and speak to us. I think she spoke into each one of those kids and was a perfect transition between the two social topics we've discussed this year..... Disabilities or differences... and Bullying. This is a perfect intro to welcoming new swimmers to our team. MSSC is currently working on an anti-bullying policy as required by USA Swimming. You will be seeing that online and in your mailbox in the next few weeks. As parents.. PLEASE talk to your kids about this. DON'T ASSUME they get the talk at school, because they do.... however, you are their biggest inspiration and the most important person in their life, they need to hear it from YOU. Together we can instill values into our youth, who are our future leaders of tomorrow.
Here are some talking points:
Bullying Definition
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
Types of Bullying
There are three of the four types of bullying:
- Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening to cause harm
- Indirect or Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Indirect or Social bullying includes:
- Leaving someone out on purpose
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors about someone
- Embarrassing someone in public
- Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
- Hitting/kicking/pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping/pushing
- Taking or breaking someone’s things
- Making mean or rude hand gestures
Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youth’s neighborhood, or on the Internet.
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