Getting to the Roots of Bullying

It seems that hardly a month goes by without a new headline-grabbing story about bullying. In very recent years, one student in Vancouver was viciously murdered by a pack of bullies. At least three Canadian students have committed suicide due to bullying. And in a precedent-setting verdict in British Colombia, a 16 year-old girl was found guilty of criminal harassment after her actions pushed a victimized girl to commit suicide.

Even many of the horrifying school shootings, such as Columbine and Taber, can trace their roots back to bullying. Too late, the public often learns that before they were perpetrators, the gunmen were victims themselves. Bullying has been in schools as long as there have been schools, but only recently it seems death has entered the picture.

And yet, to many of us, the bully is more an archetype than a reality, a thuggish, cartoon-like stereotype found in movies and on television. Rarely do we cast our eyes on the playground and wonder who the bullies are and why?

Is bullying a growing epidemic or are we just blind to the problem until tragedy occurs? What is being done to prevent future tragedies?

Before we can even begin to address the problem, we need to understand "What is bullying?" It can take many forms, some more subtle than others. We as adults might not even recognize it as bullying. Today's bully is no longer just the tough kid who pushes others around and steals their lunch money. Today's bully could be any student, in any school.

Boys who exclude another from soccer because of his skin colour; girls who spread rumours about another girl they don't like; a group of kids repeatedly calling another "fag" or "homo"; these aren't just "kids being kids," these are bullies. Bullying can manifest itself as physical violence, intimidation, name-calling and other verbal abuses, peer-pressure, taunting, ostracizing and excluding, spreading rumours, theft or destruction of personal property, racial discrimination and any other way one child can denigrate another.

It's not just the nature of bullying that's changing, the gender of the bully is changing as well. Dr. Alan Leschied of the University of Western Ontario has been involved with considerable research on bullying and finds that girls are displaying bullying behaviour at an increasing rate. "We now know that generally, adolescent girls now constitute the largest group accounting for an increase in youth violence - although boys continue to account for almost 92% of all of the youth violence and bullying behaviour."

The increase in female bullies has also led to the diversification of bullying behaviour, says Dr. Leschied. "The nature of bullying with girls is different than boys. Aggression with girls usually begins through 'socialized' or 'indirect' forms of aggression such as the spreading of rumours and disrupting social relationships whereas for boys, bullying is frequently a physical event such as pushing or shoving."

Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step towards resolving it. But then, we wonder, how significant a problem is bullying? After all, our schools and communities have adopted a stance of zero tolerance to prevent this type of behaviour, haven't they?

In 2001, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health surveyed more than 4,000 students from Grades 7 through 12. The study found that nearly 25% of students considered themselves victims of bullying, while close to one-third of students admitted to bullying others. Apply these figures to the school population in Ontario, and the results are frightening. These statistics suggest that bullies have victimized more than 225,000 children in Ontario schools. As a point of comparison, if each and every child in London-area schools were a victim of bullying, they would only comprise half of that total.

This Centre for Addition and Mental Health study was the first to provide an estimate of bullying in Ontario schools. Unfortunately, without any previous statistical benchmarks, it is impossible to tell if bullying is on the rise or decline. Now that there is a benchmark, future studies will be able to track the increase or decline in bully behaviour, and the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs. Even then, since many incidents of bullying likely go unreported or ignored, it might never be possible to get a truly accurate assessment.

But, we might think, everyone gets bullied in school. It's almost a rite of passage for a child. We've all been through it. What's the harm? In the worst cases, bullying can have very serious long-term effects on both the victim and the bully. The victims can experience long-term depression, anxiety, and poor social development, which can carry over into adulthood. Some children suffer in their studies and don't even want to go to school. The bullies often find themselves at a greater risk of illegal activity, gang activity, and violence, which escalates through youth and into adulthood. In the long run, the victim, the bully, and society all lose.

So we know what bullying is, how prevalent it may be, and what the long-term impact could be. The next question to ask is what measures are in place to prevent bullying, and why might they not be working?

Anti-bullying programs take place almost exclusively in a school environment. While there are some community-based programs, those in schools reach the largest audience and have access to the widest array of resources. The negative outcome for the victim and victimizer is one reason why current programs are taking a two-pronged approach to bullying: preventative efforts to stop the problem today, and proactive steps to keep children from become bullies in the future.

Behaviour in Ontario schools is governed at the highest level by the Safe Schools Act. Passed by the provincial legislature in 2000, the Act standardized codes of behaviour and punishment across all Ontario school boards. The boards have since adapted the Safe Schools Act to existing regulations, including previous zero tolerance policies. Two recent court actions may force a re-evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of those policies.

In May, a brother and sister in Burlington filed a $550,000 suit against the Halton District School Board, former principals and vice principals, and three bullies for years of constant physical and psychological abuse. The siblings claim that despite complaints to school administration, the bullying was allowed to continue and escalate, culminating with the sister dropping out of school in grade 11.

In Calgary, a student has filed suit against a teacher, claiming three years of physical and verbal abuse led to a suicide attempt. In other cases, teachers have been accused of complicity for not stopping bullying, or in the worst cases, encouraging it.

One legal gray area that arises from the first case is that while many bullies find their targets and begin the abuse in schools, much of the harassment and assault takes place off school grounds. This can include on the street, in public parks, or at popular hangouts. While the chain of events may begin in school, the administration can't be held responsible for what happens outside the school. However, had they stopped the bullying at school, it might not have carried over into the community.

These lawsuits involve allegations that have not been proven in court, but the negative consequences to a school board's reputation, future liability and financial bottom line could be disastrous. Just one successful suit could open the floodgates to a flurry of bullying-related lawsuits, crippling the already cash-strapped school system.

One telling similarity between these and other high profile cases is that the response from school administrators and parents is often "we didn't know there was a problem." Many of the victimized children and their friends keep silent, for fear of reprisal from the bullies. Most bullies are quite careful to avoid drawing attention from teachers and other adults.

To prevent these abuses from continuing unabated, school boards, along with the community, will have to examine their practices, from the top-level policies down through fair implementation at all levels, and be vigilant in their monitoring and enforcement. Zero tolerance policies may stop girls from carrying nail clippers in the hallways, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it's not stopping bullying from occurring.

The Thames Valley District School Board's Safe Schools Policy is a system-wide policy that encourages staff, students, parents and the community to collaborate in forming solutions to school safety problems. The policy focuses on three keys: stressing the responsibility that all stakeholders have in maintaining a safe-school environment; ensuring a consistent, coordinated approach to handling violent incidents that occur in schools; and including violence prevention in all aspects of the curriculum from junior kindergarten to the end of secondary school. Teachers have many different lessons and programs to choose from, featuring a wide variety of media, discussion topics and role-playing activities, which allow children to act out bullying situations, and see things from all sides. The Board maintains an informative website for parents, students and other stakeholders at www.tvdsb.on.ca/programs/safeschools/introduction.htm.

Dr. Leschied cautions that anti-bullying programs must be aware of their audience. "Interventions need to be mindful of these differences in gender in order to be effective. For example, teaching girls the nature and effect of relationships would seem to be a critical part of reducing or de-escalating bullying or violent behaviour."

The Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board are also active participants in the community, taking part in non-curriculum projects such as the Kids Count Leadership Camps, which include workshops on bullying.

While they have accepted a great deal of responsibility for educating children about bullying, school boards cannot be expected to do everything. Equally important is the role that parents play in their child's lives.

Where bullying is concerned, parent needs to be aware of what their child is doing, to ensure they are neither victim nor bully. The simplest, and yet often the most difficult, way is to talk to your children. Being bullied is a frustrating, embarrassing experience that many children are afraid to talk about. If parents have open and honest, two-way communications with their child, they may be able to find our directly from their child.

Failing that, it is important for parents, and educators alike, to know what signs to look for. A bullied child will often have bruises, scratches or torn clothing, missing possession or money, depression, misplaced aggression, or a lack of desire to go to school, often manifested as head aches or stomach aches in the morning. A child who is a bully will likewise give warning signs in their behaviour. Poor academic performance, disruptive behaviour and discipline problems, new possessions or extra money, expressions of violence in writing and drawing, uncontrolled anger, substance abuse and intolerance of others are just a few of the warning signs.

Parents also need to be concerned with what outside sources are influencing their child's behaviour. "While the evidence is never totally clear on what causes youth violence, the preponderance of research evidence suggests that factors such as the extent to which children are consumers of violent media plays an important role," says Dr Leschied. "An important role for parents is to be vigilant in the type of media their children are exposed to. Recent research has once again shown that children who are more inclined to be bullies are more likely to choose violence as a form of entertainment than children who did not have a history of bullying."

What is perhaps most important for a parent, teacher or principal is to respond quickly if they see even the slighting hint of a problem. Parents and school personnel can work with both the victim and the bully to stop problems. A child is often not in a situation to stop the abuse, but adults, through timely intervention and understanding can make a positive difference.

There are several community-based programs designed to promote positive social behaviours and spread the anti-bullying message, including Social Skills Camp and the Kids Count Leadership Development Camp. Investing in Children is proud to the leading force bringing a pilot version of Roots of Empathy to London. Roots of Empathy is an innovative program that has had a significant impact in reducing bullying behaviour wherever it has been used. Developed in Toronto in 1996 by Mary Gordon, a world-renowned educator, Roots of Empathy introduces an elementary school classroom to a baby and its parents once a month over a nine-month period.

Students learn about parenting, about themselves, and to empathize with the feelings and needs of others. Each month, the students will cover a new theme in three sessions, including Meeting the Baby, Emotions, Communication and Good Bye and Good Wishes. The first session is a visit from the instructor to introduce the new theme, then a session with the baby and parents, and third, a follow up session with the instructor to analyze and reinforce the lesson. Each session will last between 25 to 40 minutes.

Curriculum materials have been prepared for four levels: Kindergarten, Primary, Junior and Senior. Students will use their math skills to chart the baby's physical development, exercise their imaginations to write poems and songs, and read stories that deal with feelings like fear, sadness and anger.

Investing in Children is coordinating a pilot project for students across the Thames Valley. The project will begin with the training of 16 instructors, who will each work with at least one class, starting in September 2002. This will allow more than 300 students to participate. In it's 6th year of operation, 52 Roots of Empathy programs in the Toronto District School Board reached more than 1300 children.

At the end of the school year, the Roots of Empathy pilot project will be evaluated on its ability to foster empathy, the increase in children's knowledge of human development, and the positive changes in child behaviour. By teaching children to empathize with a newborn baby, this knowledge will help children to better understand and appreciate their feelings, and those of their peers. Creating this sensitivity to the feelings of others can help to reduce bullying and aggressive behaviour before it begins.

To learn more about Roots of Empathy, visit the website at www.rootsofempathy.org.

To learn more about bullying and anti-bullying resources, visit these web sites:
National Crime Prevention
Canada Safety Council
Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa
London Family Court Clinic
Bullying.org
Bully B'ware