Life Skills: Grade 4
Bullying
BULLYING
Many kids find school a battle-ground because they are bullied by other kids.
More people are now aware of the issue of bullying and
many schools have anti-bullying campaigns. This means that
you can openly speak out about bullying and get help.
Key Concepts
Bullying: This is when a person deliberately hurts another person, in a way that is unfair and
the action is repeated over time.
Verbal bullying: This is when a person says hurtful things to another person. These remarks
usually take the form of insults; swear words and judgments that are personal and mean.
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Bullying
Emotional bullying: This is when a person deliberately tries to humiliate and exclude
another person.
Physical bullying: This is when one or more people physically hurt another person when
they cannot fight back.
Sexual bullying: This includes many of the above-mentioned aspects of bullying, but is
focused on your private parts. This includes talking about and commenting on these private
parts.
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Bullying
Cyberbullying: This means bullying over the social media networks, by sms or email.
Examples of the different kinds of bullying:
Verbal bullying:
Examples of verbal bullying:
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Hurtful name-calling
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Persistent teasing
Gossiping
Racist remarks
Threatening another person
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Verbal bullying can be scary and could lead to you not wantingto go to school. It is important
to make sure that this does not happen, so you need to speak out and tell an adult what is
happening.
Emotional bullying:
Examples of emotional bullying:
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Humiliating another person
Blackmailing them
Attacking someone’s personality
Manipulating friendships
Excluding someone from activities
Peer pressure
Spreading rumours
Everyone wants to be accepted, so being excluded and humiliated is really hurtful and very
difficult to deal with on your own.
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Bullying
Physical Bullying
Examples of physical bullying:
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Punching
Poking
Strangling
Hair-pulling
Beating
Biting
Kicking
Pinching
Damaging or stealing someone else’s
property
Physical bullying can easily get out of hand. Victims of physical abuse can get really hurt and
in severe instances get killed. Physical bullying must be stopped!
Sexual Bullying
Examples of sexual bullying:
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Inappropriate sexual contact, such as pinching buttocks
Inappropriate talk about private parts of the body
Cyberbullying
Examples of cyberbullying:
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Setting up a hate group on a social network.
Posting offensive pictures.
Sending text messages with rude, inappropriate or racist comments.
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Bullying
Why do some kids bully other kids?
There are many reasons why kids behave in this way. Some of
these reasons could be:
 They like to have power and control over others.
 They don’t like sharing or taking turns.
 They might be being bullied themselves – either at home or
at school.
 They are angry or stressed and don’t know how to deal with
this.
 They feel bad about themselves for some reason.
 They might be exposed to violence at home.
Whatever the reason, there is no excuse to bully other people. Nobody likes a bully and they
have no true friends.
If you think you might be a bully, go and speak to an adult who can help you.
For more information go to the Live Life module on Being a Bully:
http://www.mycyberwall.co.za/live-life/being-bully
How to Deal with Bullying
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Bullying
What do you do when you see someone being bullied?
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Do you join in?
Do you walk away?
Are you too afraid to do something yourself?
Are you willing to find an adult who could help?
It is important to know how you want to react in a situation where someone is being bullied.
Think about the questions above, speak to your parents about it and be prepared.
Bullying will never stop if no one ever stands up to bullies, tries to help those being bullied,
and finds an adult who will help.
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Life Skills: Grade 4
Bullying
If you see someone being bullied but are too scared to step in, you could still help by:
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Telling your parents or another adult that you trust.
Telling an older student.
Writing down exactly what happened and giving the information directly to the
principal or a teacher.
Remember there is a big difference between reporting something bad and just splitting on
someone. Where bullying is concerned, you have to report it because kids could really get
hurt. It’s about getting bullying to stop, not about getting the bully into trouble.
If you are being bullied, try the following:
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Talk to someone; if you don’t say anything, it won’t get any better or go away.
Ask your friends to stay with you, so that the bully can’t get to you when you are
alone.
Remember, it is not your fault; no one has the right to hurt you.
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Life Skills: Grade 4
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Bullying
If needs be, stay near a teacher during break.
Look the bully in the eye and don’t show that you
are scared.
Say loudly:
“No, leave me alone!”
Practise some replies, for example:
“I want you to stop hassling me.”
“I don’t have to put up with you doing this.”
“If this happens again I will report you.”
For more information, go to the Live Life module on Being Bullied:
http://www.mycyberwall.co.za/live-life/being-bullied-0
Celebrities Who Have Been Bullied
In recent years, many celebrities have admitted to having been bullied. They have all gone on
to have successful careers. They want to share their experiences, so that young people all
over the world know that being bullied is not something to be embarrassed about.
These people were all bullied for different reasons. Here are some examples of celebrities
who have spoken out against bullying:
Emma Watson
This beautiful girl, who stars in the Harry Potter series, experienced bullying at school
because of her fame and intellect. Nonetheless, she has stayed one of Hollywood’s most
down-to-earth role models and completed her studies at Brown University.
Emma Watson
Wikimedia Commons: Flickr.com
Attribution: David Shankbone
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Bullying
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus might not always be the perfect role model, but this girl has come a long way.
When she was still at school, there was an “Anti-Miley Club” full of “big, tough girls” who
went out of their way in their pursuit of Miley. Cyrus was once locked in a bathroom during
class: “They shoved me in. I was trapped. I banged on the door until my fists hurt. Nobody
came.” And when Cyrus wasn’t being physically bullied, she was being verbally teased about
her father.
Miley Cyrus
Wikimedia Commons; Flickr.com
Attribution: calmdownlove
Chris Rock
Chris suffered severe bullying because of his skin color. Being bullied and beaten up was part
of his daily life.
Chris Rock
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution: David Shankbone
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Bullying
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera experienced bullying in school from kids who did not understand her love
of performing. She was different and the other kids did not understand how she could love
the spotlight so much, while they were worried about the next sports game or doing their
homework.
The bullying and isolation got so bad that the tyres on Christina’s family car were once
slashed. They ended up moving house.
Christina Aguilera
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution: Nick Stepowyj
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has experienced a very public display of bullying. The singer was cruelly
bullied by classmates, causing her to become bulimic. Since those days, she has improved,
but says that she will always carry some scars.
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Demi Lovato
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution: Keith Hinkle
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Bullying
Kate Winslet
Kate was picked on because of her weight at school. As one of the most beautiful and
talented women in Hollywood, it’s hard to believe that anyone would pick on Oscar winner,
Kate Winslet about her looks, but it’s true. Growing up, Winslet was bullied and teased for
being chubby. Her nickname at school was “Blubber”, and she was once even locked in the
Art cupboard.
Kate Winslet
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution: Andrea Raffin
Chris Colfer
Chris Colfergot used to people calling him gay. In school, Colfer remembers someone yelling
“fag” at him. Being witty, Colfer yelled back “Yeah, but can you spell it?” Everybody
laughed at the other kid. Because of the bullying, Chris became witty with his comebacks and
is hugely successful today.
Chris Colfer
Wikimedia Commons
Attribution: David Shankbone
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