Meet Hank Hanky- bully advice

There is an animated series on YOUTUBE called Ask Hank in which a cartoon character Hank Hanky answers questions from the audience.  Check out his tips on bullying

Click here to view

Denial - Not a River In Egypt

Is your school in denial?

In this youtube video
A Chillicothe mother is out for justice after her gay son is brutally beaten in at Union-Scioto High School, in front of his classmates by another student. One student recorded the incident on a cell phone.

If bullying is, indeed, an issue, then I say you take the denial personally ---as if you do, you may be saving some poor kid a good beating, like the boy in this video. Beyond a beating, harassment of this sort --and the verbal bullying that goes with it, is absolutely no fun to be on the end of --and it may scar someone for many years following.

If you have a school system in denial, tell me --and I will help you take steps to bring them into the real world.

Mike Bogdanski

America's ANTI Bully

mike@mikebogdanski.com

ANTI Bully Video

One of my ANTI Bully blog followers created a video I wanted to to share with you. It is short, simple and powerful.
Chloe is a film student who wanted to create a dramatic piece to fight bullying.
Click here to view the youtube video.

Mike Bogdanski
America's ANTI Bully

Do Your Children Have Everything They Need For Back To School?

Do Your Children Have Everything They Need For Back To School?

You will give your kids a nutritious lunch and snack, instructions how to avoid strangers, the best electronics/laptop to make them a more productive student but would you give them something that would help them have emotional stability and reduce stress?
I am talking about self defense against bullies.
Returning to school after being off all summer may be a little stressful for kids. Giving them the right tools and skills to return are essential for a great start and I would like to provide some tips on how to prepare for the possibility of bullying.
Forewarned is forearmed. Identifying what bullying is helps kids see the problem.

BULLYING

Bullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, or over the Internet.
Types of Bullying:
a. Physical aggression: spitting, tripping, pushing, shoving, having money or other things taken or damaged.
b. Social alienation: gossiping, spreading rumors, excluding someone from the
group, publicly humiliation.
c. Verbal aggression: name calling, teasing,
d. Intimidation: playing a dirty trick or a public challenge to do something,
e. Threats or being forced to do things
f. Sexual bullying - commenting on body parts, calling a person gay or lesbian.
g. Racial bullying
h. Cyber bullying (via cell phone or the Internet)

We have a classic idea of what a bully looks like, big strong, mean and usually a male. This is not the case anymore. Bullying has two approaches, the male way, more direct and in your face and the girls way which is more indirect in its approach. There are three people in the bully situation. The bully, the target and the bystander. The bully is usually someone with lots of confidence and leverage in situations and has a commanding presence. This makes it challenging for a child who is targeted to stand up to them. Bullies look for children who look, act, dress or speak differently and give off signs of vulnerability. Here are my main suggestions.

When Your Child Is Bullied
• Help your child learn how to communicate with confidence by teaching them how to:
1. Look the bully in the eye.
2. Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.
3. Walk away.
• Teach your child how to say in a firm voice.
“Back away”. This is a concise script that is simple and effective.
• Teach your child when and how to ask for help.
• Encourage your child to make friends with other children.
• Support activities that interest your child.
• Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.
• Make sure an adult or older child who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.
When Your Child Is a Bystander
• Bystanders far outnumber the bullies in school. They can and should be the dominant force in defeating bullying.
• Teach your child they have a moral responsibility to help children who are being bullied.
• Encourage your child to join with others in telling bullies to stop (remember there are NO innocent bystanders)
• Tell your child not to cheer on or even quietly watch bullying.
• Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying.
• Help your child support other children who may be bullied. Encourage your child to include these children in activities to help reduce the opportunities bullies look for.


Mike Bogdanski
America's ANTI Bully

It Get's Better

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Being bullied with no hope can have a tragic ending. Even President Obama believes "It doesn't last forever and it DOES get better". Use the above link to see what I mean.

Mike

Pecking Order

You probably heard of the case of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, an Irish immigrant and high school student who had recently moved to Massachusetts. She was taunted and bullied unmercifully by classmates mostly because she dared to break from the school’s social order and date a popular upperclassman. Unable to deal with the bullying she was found by her younger sister in her home where she hung herself in a stairway.

A new study links bullying to student rivalries and the desire to improve social status. In high school students strive for positions of power and to be popular. Bullying and put downs allow students to improve ranking in the school culture.
This study ties bullying to students' desire to improve their status and popularity among their peers. It shows that once kids get to the top of their social hierarchy in school, they are no longer as likely to be aggressive with their bullying. Robert Faris, the author of the study and an assistant professor of sociology at the UC Davis, says: "They no longer need to be aggressive because they're at the top, and further aggression could be counterproductive, signaling insecurity with their social position."

Of 3,722 eighth to 10th graders in a North Carolina study shows most bullying is directed at kids "one rung above or right beneath" the bully socially, Faris said, not at the target most typically seen in movies - a newcomer or social misfit.
What can be done about bullying? For one thing, parents and educators must be aware of the signs of bullying and have zero tolerance. Student leaders must be empowered to speak up for kids being targeted. They must have the full support of adults who will take action in all cases. Consequences for bullying must be firm and swift and schools must have clear policies for these situations.