A Look at Bullying

Bullies and victims

Drawing: Lim Ju Hee

What makes a person bully others? Find out more about what makes a bully tick at Bullies: Who's a bully? on the PBS It's My Life Website for school children.

Go to this PBS site and click on "Bullies" to listen to what some school children have to say about bullies.


Learn more about bullies.

New studies on bullying find that bullies have often been victims of bullying themselves and that victims sometimes become bullies themselves. To learn more, read Vijai P. Sharma's article Profiles of Bullies and Victims in Mind Publications.

Read this article:The Effects of Being a Bully

*2011 update: 
Bullying: How it affects those who bully.

Send your opinion.

• Bullying is definitely bad for victims, but how might it have bad consequences for the bullies themselves?
  
  

TV host wants to end bullying

 

 

       
                                                                      
Drawing by In Ji Seo

Dr. Phil, a well-known TV personality offers people advice for solving problems in their daily lives. He said he wants to help people stop bullying.

He talked about what motivates some children to bully other children, how victims of bullying can fight back, and what students, parents, and teachers can do to stop bullying in their schools.

 

He gave advice to a young girl Katie, who didn't understand why she was being bullied in her school and to a concerned mother who asked how to stop bullying in her daughter's school.

On his online site, Dr.Phil.com, he showcases some bullying cases.  Work with a classmate. Read about one of the cases on this page. Think about what you have learned about bullying in our bullying project and discuss the situation.

Send your thoughts.

• What message would you send to the young girl Katie or the concerned mother?
• What ideas do you have for preventing bullying in schools?
• Do you think TV advice programs or online advice forums can help students to deal with bullying or help parents learn how to advise their children?

Teens and community members tackle bullying

Drawing: Eunjin Kim


Teens in Michigan tackle bullying at an anti-bullying conference

Photo: article in Lansing State Journal

In class and online, we read a Lansing State Journal article, Teens Tackle Bullying at Diversity Conference. The article reports on a school anti-bullying conference held on March 21 in Lansing, Michigan.

The conference aimed to help middle and high school students facing hurtful bullying situations. We learned that about 12,000 students from 37 schools in mid-Michigan attended workshops such as "Bullying hurts all of us."

A community in England tackles bullying at an anti-bullying conference

Last year in East Sussex, England, a whole community took steps to stop bullying. More than 100 community members—young people, teachers, education professionals, police, and health professionals—attended a conference to plan strategies for stamping out bullying in their community. To learn more about this community effort, read this BBC online article:

County-wide bid to tackle bullying.

Send your ideas.

• Do you think these kinds of conferences can be successful?
  How can they help students or other people who are picked on because of their race, a disability, or other difference?
• What do you think is the most effective way for schools or communities to stop bullying?
  
  
  

Meet 'the recovering bully!"

A Message from Andy Tomko

"My name is Andy Tomko and I am “The Recovering Bully.” For a long time in
my life I was a bully!

I was the guy you did your best to avoid so you wouldn’t get hurt, physically or emotionally.

I was the guy your mother warned you about. I was the guy you would cross the street to avoid when you saw me coming."


Information about Andy

Andy Tomko used to be a bully, but now he is a professional speaker who often goes to schools to talk about bullying.

Andy is joining us on our blog discussion. Look for his comments to postings. He has agreed to answer all your questions about what he is doing to help young people deal with bullying.

Andy's blog: The Recovering Bully Talks


Send your question.

• What question do you have for Andy?
  Use the Comments link below this post to ask him your question.