Tag Archive for: Bullying Strategies

One of the main reasons why bullying is not addressed is that the bully tells teachers, the Principal, or their parents that they were just “playing around” with the victim. While it is socially acceptable for friends to call each other unflattering names or make harmless physical contact – it is NOT acceptable for people to do it to others who they do not consider “friends”.

Here are five questions that determine a student’s intentions in a neutral, non-accusatory way:

1. If someone I didn’t know came up to me and hit me or said something rude to me in front of my friends, would I laugh

and think it was funny? Would I do the same thing to a total stranger that I just did to my “friend”?

2. If the person I just “played around” with did the exact same thing to ME in front of my friends, would I laugh and think it

was funny?

3. Was this the first time I hit, kicked, made a joke about, or otherwise “played around” with this person?

4. Would I sit at the same lunch table with the person I just “played around” with? Would I invite this person to my

house to hang out and/or play?

5. Did I stop bothering this person immediately after they asked me to stop?

If the answer to any of these questions is “No” – then you are bullying the person that you are “playing around” with.

For more FREE information to help you deal with the bullies at your school, visit lesson one of our Bully Neutralizer online course 

– Shannon Holden