Bullying = Danger!

The fifth graders started a unit on bullying in class councils this week. We learned that . . .

Bullying = Danger!

A situation is bullying if it . . .

• is on purpose to hurt

• happens over and over

• involves an imbalance of power

Because bullying is dangerous, you must ALWAYS tell an adult about it, whether it's happening to you or to someone else. Bullying is NOT something kids can solve for themselves. If the adult doesn't believe you or tells you to solve it yourself, tell them, "We're always supposed to tell when it's bullying. I know this is bullying because it's on purpose to hurt, it happens over and over, and there's an imbalance of power."

After learning how to tell if a situation is bullying, the fifth graders watched some video clips and analyzed the bullying behaviors they had noticed. Their ability to think deeply about what was happening and their empathy for the bullying targets in the movie were impressive. Many of them spoke right up about how they would have helped if they had witnessed the bullying.

Over the course of the unit we will learn about the different types of bullying, why people bully, what to do if you: are being bullied; see someone being bullied; are the friend of someone who is bullying; or are bullying someone else. Stay tuned for more information and student work samples!