Defining the Bully with Regards to the Child Protection Policy

Post date: Apr 27, 2018 3:00:53 AM

By: RHYANN CARLOS D. BALAN

Teacher I - Tuyo Elementary School

The DepEd Order No 40 s.2012, otherwise known as Child Protection Policy tells about protecting a child against numerous types of bullying. With that, I wish to clarify what bullying is or what a bully does.

Bullies do not fit into a neat little box. They come from all walks of life, ages, genders, races, and culture. According to Dr. Cerullo, a well-respected educator who specializes in child psychology, bullies are very often people who have been bullied or abused themselves.

Sometimes, they are experiencing life situations they cannot handle and they are left feeling helpless and out of control. A bully does not feel that they can find any other means of fitting in or carving out their own place in life so they turn to being powerful in a way that brings them respect.

They feel that being feared is the way to be respected and surrounded with friends and people who look up to them. However, what they do not realize is that there are good people who can be with them.

Another possibility of having bullying attitude is that when they bully, it gives them a feeling of having no control in their lives. Maybe their home life is out of control and they are not listened to or valued by their family. In order to compensate for the lack of value at home, the bully finds it in other places inappropriate and unhealthy ways.

Even though these are all valid explanation, the bully is identified as a mean and cruel person who only feels good when they can inflict harm and pain. This may be a pattern for their entire lives.

Trying hard to understand where the bully is coming from but it might help us, as educator, on how to handle them in our classes.

The above-mentioned facts on bullies have been widely accepted for many years, but new research purposes reveal that bullying is something entirely different to some people. “Dr. Cerullo used to believe that bullies have low self-esteem and put down other people to feel better about themselves.

While many bullies are themselves bullied at home or at school, new research shows that most bullies actually have excellent self-esteem. Bullies usually have a sense of entitlement and superiority over others, and lack compassion, impulse control and social skills.

Though there are different reasons behind the behavior of bullying, most bullies have certain things in common. Bullies behave in a dominant manner and cast blame for the bad things in their lives upon others. Though bullying is a learned behavior, genetics can play a part.

For instance, some people are more predisposed to violence and aggression. However, not all people with these tendencies become bullies. Some are able to find ways to take out their aggression and anger in more manageable and healthy ways. It can be a simple matter of nature. Another commonality in bullies is that they are attention seeker. Though the attention they receive is negative they still crave the attention that they receive.

The people in the bully’s life that also have an effect on their behavior. On one side, the bully may have a family who does not care about the bully’s behavior and may even encourage it because they are the same way towards people.

How can we can handle/manage bullying?

In our school, especially in classroom situation, we shall take all appropriate measures to protect the child from all forms of bullying to ensure that discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child’s human dignity and in conformity.

It involves setting goals for learning and finding constructive solutions to challenging situations. We should respect children’s developmental levels, their rights to dignity and physical integrity, and their right to participate fully in their learning.

I personally implemented the Positive Discipline and No Bullying in my everyday teaching based on sound pedagogical principles and practices. I always remind my pupils to do good things to others and no saying of bad words to their classmates to avoid harmful thoughts that may also cause bullying.

There is no perfect classroom situation, and there is always a possibility of conflict between students and teachers. But through the implementation of Positive Discipline Model, we can use the conflict as a great opportunity to teach and deal with our students especially to ourselves on how to manage emotions and resolve conflict without any harmful abuse. Let’s make the world safe for children.

A child is a special creation of God. They want to stay and live in a warm, safe and loving place wherein they learn best. Let them feel our love and care through listening to their little voices that are full of hopes and dreams.