Bystanders Suffer from Bullies, Too

Much has been written lately about bullying in schools, and one item in particular has caught my attention. It talks not just about the bullies and their targets, but about the bystanders as well.

Citing numerous sources, the authors of an article in the latest issue of the journal of the Association for Childhood Education International argue for heightened awareness of bullying and intervention programs on school campuses. Such programs should involve faculty, staff, parents, and students. Adults need to recognize the indicators of bullying, and develop techniques for intervention with the bully, the target, and the bystander. Supervision and discipline must be consistent among all the adults on the campus.

However, most bullying occurs out of view of adults, and in the presence of the target’s peers. When bullying incidents occur, the student bystander has three choices: (1) side with the bully and become an accomplice; (2) support the target and risk becoming a target himself; or, (3) remain silent and live with the shame and guilt. Obviously, none of these choices is acceptable. Bystanders and targets alike need to be taught how to handle bullying.

Targeted students need to express their feelings and receive support. They need to learn how to avoid exposing themselves to bullies by walking to school with a friend, avoiding unsupervised areas, and leaving expensive belongings at home, among other techniques. Such a child should also be taught how to neutralize a bully through confident and assertive behavior and humor.

Student bystanders can be trained to intervene on behalf of the target either during an incident or by reporting it to an adult. They could talk to the bully privately to intervene on behalf of their friend or anonymously report the problem to authorities.

Given the increases in childhood violence, substance abuse, high school dropout rates and suicides in our society, we need to take bullying much more seriously. It isn’t a harmless rite of passage or a passing phase that adults should ignore. It is a physical and emotional assault akin to child abuse, and it disrupts a child’s growth and learning.

For more information, contact Diane Trautman at StudyPros In-Home Tutoring at (661) 296-9206 or studypros.com.