Your Child Could Be the Class Bully - Three Things You Should Know NOW
Schools nowadays are much more proactive against bullying, and rightfully so as seemingly minor bullying incidents can lead to major safety incidents later.
Parents are not surprised to learn that bullying exists even in elementary grades, but they are often shocked and even defensive when the label is applied to their own children.
1.
Your child doesn't seem to be making friends.
Does your child have trouble making friends or have poor social skills? Sometimes a child will result to bullying because that is the only kind of social interaction that seems to be getting attention from others.
Other times a child's constant bullying has frightened other children into keeping their distance as much as possible.
If this is the case for your child, look for resources such as the school counselor, a community organization, or a big buddy program to help your child reconnect with others.
Similarly, be wary of your child making friends with other bullies, as sometimes bullies find strength in numbers.
Research shows that a child's peers can have as much or more influence on a child than his or her parents.
2.
Your child's teacher has mentioned this to you.
Teachers don't throw the word bully around lightly.
Schools nowadays are much more proactive against bullying, and rightfully so as seemingly minor bullying incidents can lead to major safety incidents later.
The increased attention has actually opened up a proverbial can of worms at schools, as many of the incidents being reporting are not actual bullying cases.
So if a teacher brings up the issue, take it seriously and be proactive before bad habits in your child are more established.
The same is true if the child has been in trouble in the principal's office.
A formal discipline referral is usually the last step in a line of lesser interventions.
3.
Your child's grades are slipping.
A principal once told me that she once checked the current grades of all the students who had received formal discipline referrals at her mid-sized elementary school.
Every student who had been in her office that week also had performed poorly on their school work.
A sudden drop-off in student performance could be indicator of a number of potential issues in a child's life.
Whatever the reason, it's time to have simultaneous talks with your child about school work and social behavior.
Helping your child overcome excessive aggression or other unhealthy social behaviors is all about looking for patterns of behavior, noticing extreme events, and considering all logical possibilities before drawing a conclusion.
Look for clues that your child is displaying bullying behaviors, and make contact with the teacher and other supports before the behavior gets out of control.
Parents are not surprised to learn that bullying exists even in elementary grades, but they are often shocked and even defensive when the label is applied to their own children.
1.
Your child doesn't seem to be making friends.
Does your child have trouble making friends or have poor social skills? Sometimes a child will result to bullying because that is the only kind of social interaction that seems to be getting attention from others.
Other times a child's constant bullying has frightened other children into keeping their distance as much as possible.
If this is the case for your child, look for resources such as the school counselor, a community organization, or a big buddy program to help your child reconnect with others.
Similarly, be wary of your child making friends with other bullies, as sometimes bullies find strength in numbers.
Research shows that a child's peers can have as much or more influence on a child than his or her parents.
2.
Your child's teacher has mentioned this to you.
Teachers don't throw the word bully around lightly.
Schools nowadays are much more proactive against bullying, and rightfully so as seemingly minor bullying incidents can lead to major safety incidents later.
The increased attention has actually opened up a proverbial can of worms at schools, as many of the incidents being reporting are not actual bullying cases.
So if a teacher brings up the issue, take it seriously and be proactive before bad habits in your child are more established.
The same is true if the child has been in trouble in the principal's office.
A formal discipline referral is usually the last step in a line of lesser interventions.
3.
Your child's grades are slipping.
A principal once told me that she once checked the current grades of all the students who had received formal discipline referrals at her mid-sized elementary school.
Every student who had been in her office that week also had performed poorly on their school work.
A sudden drop-off in student performance could be indicator of a number of potential issues in a child's life.
Whatever the reason, it's time to have simultaneous talks with your child about school work and social behavior.
Helping your child overcome excessive aggression or other unhealthy social behaviors is all about looking for patterns of behavior, noticing extreme events, and considering all logical possibilities before drawing a conclusion.
Look for clues that your child is displaying bullying behaviors, and make contact with the teacher and other supports before the behavior gets out of control.
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