Feb 18 - 22

Bullying

Bullying is when an individual with more power, repeatedly and intentionally harms another person  who feel helpless to respond. Bullying can be physical (hitting, kicking, pushing), verbal (swearing at, teasing, threatening, spreading rumours), social (excluding someone or ganging up on them) or cyber (using the internet or social media to put down or outcast someone).
Pink Shirt Day - Feb 27

Signs to watch for:
- changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- mood swings (overemotional or aggressive)
- refuses to tell you what is wrong
- doesn't want to go to school or has stomach aches in the morning
- school grades drop
- becoming withdrawn & sullen
- stolen or damaged belongings
- physical bruises / cuts

As a parent or teacher the first step is to LISTEN without interrupting. Acknowledging their feelings and letting them know you are always there to help them. It is important to get all the circumstances about what happened, how often it has happened and what their reaction or actions were in response to the bullying.
Dealing with Bullies

I Am 

I am the person you bullied at school,
I am the person who didn’t know how to be cool,
I am the person you alienated,
I am the person you ridiculed and hated.

I am the person who sat on her own,
I am the person who walked home alone,
I am the person you scared every day,
I am the person who had nothing to say.

I am the person with hurt in her eyes,
I am the person you never saw cry,
I am the person living alone with her fears,
I am the person destroyed by her peers.

I am the person who drowned in your scorn,
I am the person who wished she hadn’t been born,
I am the person you destroyed for ‘fun’,
I am the person, but not the only one.

I am the person whose name you don’t know,
I am the person who just can’t let go,
I am the person who has feelings too,
And I was a person, just like you.(This poem was written for the BEAT BULLYING ad in the UK and narrated by celebrity sports people.) 

source: http://www.stclares.ie/anti_bullying_poems.html