Bullying

 Some Peer Leadership students went to the World of Difference Conference in Montpelier.  It was a great conference which was based on Cyberbullying.  John Halligan gave his powerful speech as he did last year.  It really made a difference in the message this conference was trying to give. 

    Some things which were important at the conference were the methods of cyberbullying and the forms of cyberbullying. The methods of cyberbullying are the places which cyberbullying can take place.  For example: Email, Chat Rooms/IM-ing, Cell Phones/Text Messaging/Photos/Videos, Social Networking Sites (Facebook, MySpace), Websites and Blogs/Message Boards/Gaming Sites.  

     The forms of cyberbullying were the different ways people can be cyberbullied.  The different forms are:

 Flaming: Online "fights" using electronic messages with angry and/or vulgar language.

 Harassment: Repeatedly sending offensive, rude, and/or insulting messages.

 Cyberstalking: Repeatedly sneding messages that include threats of harm or are highly intimidating.  Engaging in other online activities that cause a person to be afraid for his of her safety.

 Denigration: Showing disrespect towards soemone online.  Sending or posting cruel gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships.

 Happy Slapping: Using a phone camera to vidotape an unsuspecting individual who is physically assaulted and then distributing or posting the videotape for others to see.

 Impersonation: Breaking into someone's account, posing as that person and sending messages to make the person look bad, get the person in trouble or danger, or damage the person's reputation or friendships.

Outing and Trickery: Sharing someone's secrets or embarrassing information online.  Misleading someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, which is then shared with others online.

 Exclusion: Intentionally rejecting someone from an online group, like a "buddy list," Facebook group, or game.

 Trolling: Intentionally posting provocative messages about sensitive subjects to create conflict, upset people, and baitthem into "flaming" or fighting.

 We talked about how cyberbullying can affect someone so badly.  It can ruin relationships, reputations, and many other things.  It can be an extremely serious matter.  A good thing to prevent cyberbullying is to stop anyone who you see do it.  Whether it's being assertive or if it's not sending something mean.  This is something which is very common and it can be prevented.  The best thing you can do is to stop yourself everytime you are tempted to cyberbully someone.  Think about if you have ever used one of these forms of cyberbullying or if you have ever seen it.  Let's do our best as a school to stop this!

 

http://www.girlshealth.gov/bullying/cyberbullying/index.cfmv  You can go to this webpage if you want to learn more about cyberbullying.

BEAT BULLYING

Think of life as one big plate,

One side you love and one side you hate.

For all the rubbish you give us day and night,

you never give us a chance to defend of fight.

Now its our chance to stand up and say "No!"

maybe you'll have to leave without us having to go.

~Craig Bagwell

http://circle.nypo.org/craig.html

Bullying may not seem like a big deal to some people, but that's probably because they haven't experienced it yet. You most likely, if you haven't, will experience bullying yourself at some time.Bullied students may have higher rates of absenteeism and dropout as

compared to their non-bullied peers. Students who are bullied tend to present with higher levels of insecurity,anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and low self-esteem.

 

 

"There should be no “end date” for bullying prevention

activities. Bullying prevention should be woven into

the entire school environment." ~stopbullyingnow

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bullying

by Alexandra Galvis

As I make my way to school each day

To see the girls who break my soul

I wish I could tell the bullies in my school

Can you be kind and not so cruel?

And it starts and lasts all day

I cannot stand it, go away

Just close your eyes and you will see

All the memories that you have engraved in me

I think to myself

There is no pain, there is no fear

So dry away that silent tear

It's not that easy you must know

I'm not a project of anybody

I'm not your pity either for you to be my friend

Give me a chance so you can see

There is nothing strange about me

That you have not let them see

I ask myself will this ever end?

I just feel empty time to time inside me

Sooner or later I'll break down and cry

Let the darkness fill the room

I can't get out of it, I can't resume

I feel so alone like a single red rose,

So alone like a story that's never been told

I feel so alone like a sparrow in the sky

Like a bird who cannot fly

I am lucky to have a family like mine

Who understand me and feel pride

Otherwise my world would be dark

With every unpleasant memories

That is left inside me.

Never allow anyone to bring you down

On your mind make these feelings

Make you stronger and put your head up high

Never keep it silent

There is nothing to feel ashamed of

Only to those that join in all that harm.

As I get up in the morning  

To prepare myself for school                                                        

My body and my mind

Start to get scared and

My life felt very dark inside

I couldn't take it any longer

As I started to share my pain with my mum

I didn't know how to explain to her

It all came out with tears and a broken heart

She couldn't comprehend as I hid it for a while

I showed her every day I was a happy child

Nobody will understand that bullying can make such harm

I ask myself everyday what wrong have I done

Why bullies don't take a day in my shoes

To feel the unpleasantness to feel unwanted

To understand how much damage they have done

When you feel scared and abused inside

If you ever feel you've been bullied

Never feel guilty and keep it shut

Just remember it's not your fault

There are always jealous cowards in this world.

 

http://circle.nypo.org/alexa.html

 

 

 

 

• Find your (true) friends. If you've been bullied with rumors or gossip, all of the above tips (especially ignoring and not reacting) can apply. But take it one step further to help ease feelings of hurt and isolation. Find one or two true friends and confide how the gossip has hurt your feelings. Set the record straight by telling your friends quietly and confidently what's true and not true about you. Hearing a friend say, "I know the rumor's not true. I didn't pay attention to it," can help you realize that most of the time people see gossip for what it is — petty, rude, and immature.            

         http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html

Take this quiz to see if your being a bully to someone... http://www.girlshealth.gov/bullying/quiz.bullied.cfm