When bullying occurs, the whole community is affected. Clearly, those who are bullied can experience negative consequences, but we often overlook the damage bullying inflicts on those who observe it. Encouraging those bystanders to take a stand is important for two key reasons.

If your child is being bullied, or is confronting social cruelty, it can be difficult to know what to do and what to say. Shorecrest, as I assume most schools do, strongly encourages parents to inform school staff whenever bullying is suspected. However, even after sharing information with the school, many parents feel at a loss as to how to support their child at home.  

What is bullying, really? It’s become a buzzword in the media and in playground talk but many of us, parents and educators, don’t have a solid understanding of the formal definition of the word. According to Dan Olweus, who is one of the foremost researchers and writers in the field, bullying is defined as: “[when a person] is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.”