“Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy” takes the issue around the corner, beyond bullying and toward solutions. Many books try to do that, as we did in “The New Bullying,” but Bazelon seems to have built her book around the solution, rather than the problem.

An attorney with long experience in the social and legal consequences of bullying among teens, she has done a good job of advancing the debate, both in the book and on the circuit.

The book is getting mostly favorable reviews, but it is also opening conversations with people who see things differently than she does. And that is to be expected on this subject.

Writer Joyce E.A. Russell keys off the 2011 book, “The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization,” by Gary and Ruth Namie, then addresses the definition of workplace bullying and some behaviors. Russell says the solution lies in stronger bosses and policies.

In the United States, the concern over bullying began with schools and has moved on to other areas. In other places, such as the United Kingddom, anti-bullying movements actual began with workplace bullying.

The five-week onine course will include faculty from women and gender studies, psychology and education.

A university release describes Karyl E. Ketchum as a driving force behind development of the course and quotes her as saying that her daughter was cyberbullied in high school.

In the release, Ketchum sys, “Bullying is a significant problem in schools locally and nationwide. There’s a mistaken notion that things have gotten better, but schools are unsure of how to respond to bullying and receive little to no training on this issue. The goal of this course is to give educators an effective set of tools to address this problem.”

For information on the bullying course.

Related:

School transitions can be a time of trouble

Hallways, stairwells are bullying hot spots

Teachers say that training must support laws

Michigan was the 48th state to pass anti-bullying legislation, but it may be one of the first to develop clinical treatment for those affected by bullying.

William Beaumont Hospital, of Royal Oak, is expected to open a clinic to help victims of bullying, bullies, bystanders and families on May 4.

Kevin Epling, a major proponent of Michigan’s anti-bullying law, said the concept is on the cutting-edge of bullying therapy.

“I’ve not heard of anything like this taking place in a hospital,” said Epling. “Most of these are providers that parents would have to find such as counselors or someone at the general community health office.”

Dr. Marlene Seltzer, director of the No Bullying Live Empowered (NoBLE) Center, stumbled upon the idea while practicing gynecology through the years.

“I’ve always been interested in the psycho-socio issues of medicine like domestic violence, and gynecology has a lot of those type of issues in that field,” said Seltzer, who’s been an OB/GYN for nearly 16 years. “It wasn’t so far to go from domestic violence to bullying as an area of interest.”

Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, stomach-aches, headaches, insomnia, bedwetting and suicide are all potential consequences of bullying, according to Seltzer.

After hearing of a Florida teen being videotaped as she was bullied by several of her classmates, Seltzer said she knew she had to get involved.

“For some reason, that really struck a chord with me that we’ve gotten to a point in our society where kids beat each other up and post it on YouTube, and we are all just OK with that,” she said. “That put me on the path toward trying to do something about this issue.”

She contacted Alonzo Lewis, Beaumont Children’s Hospital’s vice president of women’s and children’s services, to discuss a solution.

“Wow, wouldn’t this be a neat project for us to launch,” recalled Lewis on his initial meeting with Seltzer. “(NoBLE) would bring some new patient volume to Beaumont and service a need that doesn’t have enough support in the community.”

Originally, Seltzer planned to combat bullying through a hotline, but she quickly realized that wasn’t enough. She said the NoBLE Center’s main goal will be to provide mental health services to youth (K-12) impacted by bullying through individual and group therapy. However, Seltzer said it will not directly prescribe medication.

Community outreach will be another vital area if the center is to meet its full potential.

“Beaumont already has relationships with schools in the area and so we’ll use those already established relationships to go face-to-face and meet with superintendents, principals, counselors and teachers to really explain the program and answer any questions they have,” said Seltzer. “So when they refer students, they’re referring them to something they’re familiar with.”

Lewis said that after hearing Seltzer propose the concept for the center, funding became the biggest concern. But thanks to the hospital’s support and several donations, NoBLE has secured about $350,000 as of March 30.

“So far, we’ve been very lucky to receive funds from the Children’s Miracle Network and also from Beaumont Children’s hospital,” said Seltzer. “We’ve had a private family foundation donate some money and we’re about to embark on a fundraising campaign. What we’re hoping is that this issue has unfortunately touched so many people’s lives but that people will want to do something and support us.”

The NoBLE Center, which will be on campus in the medical office building, is starting small, with four mental health providers plus Seltzer, and she hopes to expand depending on the need for treatment.

Although the project is in the early stages of development, Lewis said he’s confident about its potential.

“Beaumont Hospital is a leader in cardiovascular medicine, robotic surgery, transplant surgery… So, we’re a leader in all these sophisticated medical programs, and this type of program (NoBLE) positions us to be a leader, as well. I have no doubt that as soon as our program grows we’re going to get calls from all over the country in terms of ‘How did you make this happen?’ and ‘Can we use your model to develop a program or service in our state?’”

Children’s television channel Cartoon Network realized how important bullying is and decided to take a stand. It started with a definition. According to the Cartoon Network website, bullying is “when someone repeatedly hurts or threatens another person on purpose. Bullying comes in many forms. And it can happen in person, in writing, online, on cell phones, in school, on the bus, at home, anywhere.” The last part of the definition is the most important: “Wherever it happens, it’s NOT acceptable.”

During the fall of 2011, Cartoon Network created and marketed a campaign to promote anti-bullying. It started with a few commercials starring Ali, Jackson and CJ from the show “Dude, What Would Happen.” They present a situation where a newcomer is bullied by another child, and an innocent bystander runs to an adult for help. At the end, they say bullying is wrong and if you see something, say something.

A few months later, more and more anti-bullying commercials began airing on the network. The commercials feature cartoon characters, actors from various shows and celebrities who have been bullied, all joining together for the Stop Bullying, Speak Up initiative. Programming suddenly switched from the Dude commercial to a huge variety: there was an anti-bullying advertisement being played almost every commercial break.

On March 11, Cartoon Network aired a half-hour special entitled Speak Up. The special included stories from celebrities such as NBA player Chris Webber, tennis player Serena Williams and President Barack Obama, and testimonials from real-life victims of bullying. The program is designed to create a discussion, especially within families and schools, about bullying and how it affects people.

The program is very candid. The network warns in the beginning that some of the language is a bit vulgar and may make some people feel uncomfortable. Kevin, a victim, talks about starving himself for a summer because other children were calling him fat. Another child, Aaron, says he was bullied in grade school and his grades suffered as a result of the constant teasing. Jackson Rogow, co-star of Dude, What Would Happen, said that being bullied as a child turned him into a bully after he got older.

The program also discusses solutions. A big theme is communication: victims are encouraged to talk about the incidents with someone and to seek help. Bystanders and witnesses to bullying are encouraged to stand up for the victims and to get help.

One segment featured Alye Pollack, who made a YouTube video in 2011, entitled Words Do Hurt, after being bullied since sixth grade. She talked about how her bullies saw the video and apologized for their actions after watching it. According to Pollack, people even began sticking up for her and other victims after she posted the video. Other victims of bullying saw her video and were inspired to make their own. One year after posting, in March of 2012, she posted another video, Words Do Hurt: 1 Year Later. She encourages other victims to hang in there: it gets better. The video also includes links to the suicide prevention hotline.

Cartoon Network also has a website dedicated to anti-bullying. There are games and literature for children, a page for parents dealing with bullied children and even a page for teachers on how to deal with incidents of bullying in school. There’s also a link to the website of author Rosalind Wiseman, who answers viewer-submitted questions about bullying via a video blog.

For more information, visit www.StopBullyingSpeakUp.com

Dan Olweus, a psychology professor in Norway, is often cited as the first major researcher of bullying.

Olweus began thoroughly researching the subject in the early 1980’s following the suicides of three boys aged 10-14, all three were potentially consequences of bullying in school.

Following these suicides, Olweus went to work to prevent bullying. According to the program’s website, the method led to a reduction of 50% or more in student reports of bullying in Norway. The report also provided evidence for marked reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior, such as vandalism, fighting, theft and truancy.

Following such success in Norway, the Olweus Program to prevent bullying in schools has been implemented elsewhere. In 1999, after the killings at a school in Columbine, Colo., the U.S. Department of Justice selected the Olweus Bully Prevention Program as a model for its national violence prevention strategy.

In March 2012, a South Korean film crew visited a New Jersey school district to document the effectiveness of the Olweus Program in the United States.

The news story account of the visit showed how cultures were learning from one another to curb a worldwide bullying epidemic. Yeji Shin, a film producer from Korea, said in the story about why she had made the trip to America to help show how bullying could be stopped in her country.

“There are a lot of concerns right now regarding men, boys and bullying. The bullying issue is one of the worst in the world in Korea,” Shin said. “We just want to show the Korean society what’s out there. I definitely think, just by what we’ve filmed so far, we have more than enough information to bring back. This is a very rich and action-oriented program. I hope we can prove that bullying is an issue that can be managed.”

In Michigan, school districts began forming or re-evaluatng school policies following the anti-bullying law that was passed in 2011. Williamston School District, which is about 10 miles east of Lansing, set out in its policy to define what bullying is, and guidelines based on the Olweus Prevention Program.

Defining bullying has been very difficult for lawmakers and teachers alike, but the Williamston district defined it as the following: “Bullying is defined as any gesture or written, verbal, graphic, or physical act (including electronically transmitted acts, i.e. internet, telephone or cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or wireless hand held device) that, without regard to its subject matter or motivating animus, is intended or that a reasonable person would know is likely to harm one or more students.”

The policy draft goes on to describe ways in which the school district will work to curtail bullying, many of which are similar to the Olweus program.

In today’s world, schools must intervene when it comes to the issue of bullying. How do they know if the programs being conducted are successful?

Schools sometimes turn to questionnaires which are filled out by students and given to educators. They use the student’s answers to better understand how they view bullying, who is being bullied and if those views change throughout the programs implemented.

“Bullying surveys are used to measure the prevalence of bullying and to guide intervention efforts,” said Dewey Cornell, clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Virginia. “They allow schools to gauge whether their intervention efforts are being successful. Ideally, they are carefully developed with extensive research to establish their reliability and validity.”

Ken Rigby, Adjunct professor from the University of South Australia, said questions that allow students to describe their feelings are usually most important in raising awareness.

Rigby also said that questionnaires better equip teachers to deal with bullying and can get parents to be more involved. More information on Rigby’s work with questionnaires can be found here.

Not all surveys are developed carefully, Cornell said.

“Unfortunately, anyone can make up a survey that may have little reliability or validity,” he said.

Surveys are used to get a better understanding of bullying in schools. With surveys, administrators can get an honest look at who is being bullied and how the students view bullying. Schools may purchase surveys and other materials at both websites listed above and can also have school counselors create their own.

What began more than 14 years ago as a “bully-proofing” program has evolved into a multi-tiered approach to school bullying and prevention in Delaware.

The program, “No Bullying Allowed,” was implemented by the Delaware Department of Justice. A key ingredient of the program is the bully questionnaire that is provided to schools as a tool.

“The forms were created from the Olweus project,” DDJ Ombudsman and school crimes investigator Joseph Flinn said. “The project was funded through a grant we received through the state.”

There are four core principles of the project that offer tips to prevent bullying in school and the classroom.
One of the major components of the program is understanding the importance of the involvement of adults.

“This is where the survey is important,” said Flinn. “The anonymous survey among students is used to present faculty and parents with important information.”

According to a study by the Delaware Department of Justice, most bullying occurs during breaks. Because of this, the program recommends schools provide adequate supervision during recess periods along with providing teachers with a system for exchanging information about bullying that occurs during these times.

“The supervision, along with providing education and examples of what bullying is helps deter children from bullying,” said Flinn. “We believe that follow up questions in class teach students what bullying really is.”

The final principle of the project calls for talks with targets, bullies, and their parents.

To help with discussions, the justice departement developed a worksheet for victims of bullying to help them think about strategies for dealing with the bully and a bully package for use after a bullying incident occurs.

Flinn said that for the program to reach its potential, adults must commit to change the reality of bullying. He also said that they must use the resources that are provided by the state of Delaware to show students that bullying is not acceptable.

“The goal of our program is to promote the necessary components of a healthy school climate,” Flinn said. “Because our program provides an effective evaluation process, along with resources designed to provide a safe and supportive environment, our goal is accomplished.”

*Delaware Bully Questionnaire used with permission from the Delaware Department of Justice.
KIDS QUESTIONNAIRE

Delaware Bullying Questionnaire: Before answering these questions, please be sure that you read and understand the definition of bullying. Teachers may need to read the definitions and questions to younger students.
Definition:

Bullying often, though not always, happens between students who are not friends. Sometimes bullying can happen just one time. Bullying happens when one person who has more physical or emotional power targets another person who has trouble defending himself or herself. Usually the person targeted becomes very upset.

Directions: Answer all the questions. Think about each question carefully. Fill in the blanks or circle the correct answer. Do NOT put your name on this survey.
Basis Information:

1. School: __________________________

2. Grade: __________________________

3. Teacher: ________________________

4. Date: ___________________________

5. Age ____________________________

6. Are you a girl or a boy?

a. girl
b. boy

7. Are you a special education student?

a. yes
b. no

8. Do you have ADHD or ADD?

a. yes
b. no
c. I have been told that I might , but I have not been tested
d. I don’t know

9. Do you take Ritalin or Adderall?

a. yes
b. no
c. I have taken it before, but don’t anymore
d. I don’t know

10. Do you take medicine for any other problem related to your feelings or behavior?

a. yes
b. no
c. I don’t know

How safe you feel:

11. This is how often I feel sad at my school:

a. all the time
b. several times a day
c. once a day
d. several times a week
e. once a week or less

12. The teachers and other adults at my school are:

a. never helpful
b. hardly ever helpful
c. so-so
d. sometimes helpful
e. very helpful

13. This is how safe I feel in my classroom:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

14. This is how safe I feel on the playground:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

15. This is how safe I feel in the cafeteria:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

16. This is how safe I feel going to and from school:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

17. This is how safe I feel in the bathroom:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

18. This is how safe I feel in the hallways:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe

19. This is how safe I feel in the locker rooms:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe
f. don’t have a locker room

20. This is how safe I feel on the school bus:

a. very unsafe and scared
b. kind of unsafe
c. so-so
d. kind of safe
e. very safe
f. don’t ride a school bus

How others treat you

21. How often do other students bully you by laying their hands on you ( hit, kick, or push you or hurt your body) in school or on the school bus:

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

22. How often do other students bully you by saying mean things to you (things that hurt your feelings)?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

23. How often do other students bully you by making sexual comments to you that bother you?
for instance, commenting on your body, calling you gay, talking to you about sex etc.

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

24. How often do other students bully you by spreading mean rumors about you?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

25. How often do other students bully you by leaving you out of their activities to hurt your feelings at school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

26. How often have you been bullied into giving up lunch money, food, drinks or snacks?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

27. Who has bullied you by saying mean things to you, teasing you, calling you names spreading rumors about you or leaving you out to be mean at school or on the school bus?

a. both boy(s) and girl(s)
b. several boys
c. a boy
d. several girls
e. a girl
f. an adult who works for the school
g. nobody

28. Who has bullied you by laying hands on you (hitting, kicking, pushing or hurting your body) in school or on the school bus?

a. both boy(s) and girl(s)
b. several boys
c. a boy
d. several girls
e. a girl
f. an adult who works for the school
g. nobody

29. In what grade is the student or students who bully you?

a. I haven’t been bullied
b. in my class
c. in the same grade as me, but in a different class
d. in a lower grade
e. in a higher grade

30. If you have been bullied this year, who have you told?

a. I haven’t been bullied
b. my mother or father
c. my sister or brother
d. a teacher or other adult at school
e. another kid at school
f. nobody

31. If you have been bullied this year, who has tried to help you?

a. I haven’t been bullied
b. my mother or father
c. my sister or brother
d. a teacher or other adult at school
e. another kid at school
f. nobody

32. How often do you spend recess or lunchtime alone because nobody wants to hang around with you?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

How you treat others:

33. How often do you bully others by laying your hands on them ( hitting, kicking, pushing or otherwise hurting the bodies of other students) in school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never
f. only if it’s a fight

34. How often do you bully others by saying mean things, teasing or calling names to other students at your school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

35. How often do you spread mean rumors or leave other students out of your activities to be mean?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

36. How often do you make sexual comments to other students who you know are likely to be bothered by it?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

What you have seen and heard:

37. How often have you seen another student bully others by laying hands on them ( hitting, kicking, pushing or physically hurting) in the school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

38. How often have you heard another student bully others by saying mean things, teasing or calling other students names in school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

39. How often have you heard another student spread rumors or leave other students out of activities to be mean in school or on the school bus?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

40. How often have you heard another student bully others by making sexual comments to be mean to other students?

a. every day
b. once or twice per week
c. once or twice per month
d. once or twice per year
e. never

How you reacted

41. What have you done when you have seen a student being hit, kicked, pushed, punched or otherwise physically hurt in school or on the bus?

a. I have never seen another student being bullied
b. I walked away and ignored it
c. I stood and watched
d. I helped the person who was being targeted
e. I helped the bully
f. laughed

42. What have you done when you have heard a student being teased or called names in school or on the school bus?

a. I have never heard another student being bullied
b. I walked away and ignored it
c. I stood and watched
d. I helped the person being bullied
e. I helped the bully
f. laughed

43. If you helped a target in a bully situation, how did you help?

1. by telling an adult
2. by later telling the target that you thought what the bully did was mean.
3. by telling the bully to stop
4. by going over and leading the target away
5. other
6. I didn’t help

Gangs

44. I know of students in my school who are members of a gang (or wannabes)

a. yes
b. no
c. wannabes, but not members
d. we don’t have gangs, just “popular” kids who control others

45. How much of a problem do you think gangs are in your school?

a. a huge problem
b. a big problem
c. somewhat of a problem
d. no problem at all

Conclusion

46. How much of a problem do you think bullying is in our school?
REMEMBER – Bullying is when one person or group of people keep
hurting another person with words or actions.

a. a huge problem
b. a big problem
c. somewhat of a problem
d. no problem at all

If you wish, describe a particular incident of bullying in school that you witnessed or experienced (without using names) that you think others should know about, and that something should have been done about:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

While adults refer to arguments and gossip taking place on social media as bullying, teens simply call it drama.

Danah Boyd at the Writers on Writing about Technology Conference at Yale in 2009. Photo by Sage Ross, published under Creative Commons license.

According to their paper: “When American teens talk about their day-to-day lives, drama invariably comes up. Drama is the language that teens—most notably girls—use to describe a host of activities and practices ranging from gossip, flirting, arguing, and joking to more serious issues of jealousy, ostracization, and name-calling.”

Boyd said there is a “gendered difference to meanness and cruelty.”

“Girls are more likely to engage in ‘relational aggression’ — gossip-mongering, rumor-spreading, etc. —  while boys are more likely to engage in physical aggression or to engage in punking or pranking that can be hurtful,” she said.

According to the paper, drama is different from bullying.

In the paper, Boyd and Marwick define drama’s five key components: it is social and interpersonal, it involves relational conflict, it is reciprocal, it is gendered and is often performed for, in, and magnified by networked publics.

Drama is different from bullying because drama is social and interpersonal. Teens can avoid drama by not engaging, but they cannot avoid bullying. Drama also can go on within the same friend group, which is different than bullying,  Boyd wrote in the paper.

Boyd also said the internet has not increased bullying, but social media helps increase drama.

“Actually, the data has consistently shown that bullying has not increased with the rise of the internet.  In fact, there’s fantastic data that shows that young people report that face-to-face bullying happens more frequently, does more psychological damage, and is more difficult to deal with than what happens online,” she said. “What happens through technology is more visible to more people, including adults. Bullying does not encompass all forms of meanness and cruelty.  Bullying specifically refers to social, physical, or psychological aggression that is repeated over time between people of different social standing or physical stature.  Most of what happens online is reciprocated meanness and cruelty that escalates.  That’s an entirely different set of dynamics.”

Everyone knows someone who has been affected by bullying during grade school. Most discussion about bullying revolves around the victim. However, there is another victim in this situation: the bullies themselves. While we encourage and nurture the bullied, we often ignore the bully, which can lead to them falling through the cracks.

Many people think bullies are dim-witted, large and over-aggressive, such as Helga from Hey Arnold! and Roger from Doug. In reality, most bullies are intelligent, popular and highly charismatic. They also may show traits of anger, aggression, hyperactivity and violence, according to Education.com, a privately funded site.

Just as victims might grow up to have issues later in life, bullies can also encounter issues. According to Utterly Global, an organization dedicated to anti bullying, children who were bullies in grades six to nine are 60 percent more likely to have a criminal conviction by the age of 24. A bully is also five times more likely than a victim to have a serious criminal record in adulthood. Even bullies who grow up to work in an office instead of entering the judicial system cause problems for others. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workplace bullying causes $3 billion in lost productivity and a staggering $19 billion loss in employment every year.

Matt DeLisi, sociologist and head of the Iowa State University criminal justice program, writes in an article for the for the ISU sociology department that as bullies age, they are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior. According to DeLisi, adults who were bullies as children are 10 times more likely to lie, six times more likely to fight and almost three times as likely to engage in harassment than adults who were not bullies. “Bullies are 11 times more likely to have had conduct disorder than non-bullies. That giant fact shows you that bullies are antisocial anyway. When you get into personality disorders, you’ll see that in anti-social personalities there is almost an eight times difference,” wrote DeLisi.

The bullies themselves are victims, too, and need help just like the children they bully. “Because bullies are so aggressive, they are viewed by peers to be so difficult to deal with, so they are rejected,” writes DeLisi. Many bullies experience some type of abuse at home, and bullying others is simply a coping mechanism. Counseling can be provided as an avenue for bullies to talk about their feelings. Bullying may be a growing problem, but we can stop it by treating all victims: the bullied and the bullies.