Bully, Bullied, and Bystanders

Recently, I read an article which focuses on the three characters (as they were called) who play a part in a bullying situation. The characters were the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. The article was by Barbara Coloroso, an advocate of bullying education. Here is the link to the article. 

 Bully, Bullied, Bystander...and Beyond | Teaching Tolerancehttp://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/bully-bullied-bystanderand-beyond

Sometimes we at schools focus so much on the bullied and the bully that we forget the bystander. Ms. Coloroso suggests that bullying generally can’t happen without the “complicity of bystanders.” Coloroso says that sometimes the bystanders will cheer on a bully, join in, or look away because they don’t want to be the next target. Coloroso believes that schools need to hold bystanders accountable for the roles that they play. She suggests that the bystanders need to be part of the change process. She believes that merely holding the bullies accountable and trying to change their behaviors is not enough. She said that “we can transform the role of bystander into that of witness – someone willing to stand up, speak out, and act against injustice.” She presented some examples of students standing up with others i.e. 50 students wearing a pink shirt for a student who was bullied over a pink shirt, a girl who ate with another after being told not to eat with that student, and a student who stood up for another who in turn was bullied. These students exuded courage in standing up for others.

A second article I read was “An analysis of school anti-bulling laws in the United States” by Maryellen T. Kueny and Perry A. Zirkel. The article was published in the Middle School Journal.  This article also discusses the role of the bystander. According to the authors, “students who witness bullying occupy a bystander role that may contribute to the cycle of aggression.” This article stated that “50% of students admitted to allowing bullying to occur without intervening.” In addition, the authors suggest that student bystanders “increase their level of participation by encouraging the bullying to continue.

This idea of standing up for the child being bullied is very difficult for the middle school student. The middle school student might not have the self-confidence to put himself/herself as a challenger to the bully. This is where we as a school need to educate our students that they do need to stand up for the bullied and not just ignore what is occurring.

Check out Barbara Coloroso's website at  http://www.kidsareworthit.com/ in which she provides handouts for parents and educators about bullying. These handouts are in English and Spanish. She also has a great handout which visually portrays the cycle of bullying.