http://www.bullyingprevention.org/repository//Best%20Practices%20PDFs/olweus%20bullying%20circle.pdfWhen I present "The Bullying Circle" to my classes, most students will admit to have playing at least three roles at some point in their lives. Some tell me, "I've been every person on this chart."
For a systemic approach, from a school's point of view, all the kids who aren't either the bully or the target are the key to stopping bullying. And this is why experts say kids should work on making a few good friends. It's certainly true that the new kids, the gifted kids, and the disabled kids are at a disadvantage here.
This is especially true in middle school and upper elementary where much of the bullying behaviors seem to be sorting out a pecking order, and people bully or support bullying as an attempt to fit in. And since the bullies are often the most popular kids in the class, it can take a teacher by surprise to find out who is doing the bullying.
I think of the time I found a Central American, Non-English Proficient student cowering in a corner of the girls room when the teacher's sink was broken, and a bilingual student talking to her. Turned out one of our soccer players, a good student, had passed her a threatening note. I was flabbergasted, but we talked to the soccer star, and the bullying stopped.
Most targets would not tell a teacher they were being bullied for anything. For that matter, there was a school shooting in 1997 where a couple dozen students knew it was going to happen beforehand, and nobody told an adult. This is why I say it's important to build that trust and keep those lines of communication open between kids and adults.
Thank you for the chart. I am including a little more text to go with it. VERY helpful. My gut tells me this truly is one way to reduce bullying in school. My daughter was a target for a few months in middle school; the bullying stopped completely when it was witnessed by two older students who took it upon themselves to "clarify" proper behavior for the bully. I copied this from the following website:
http://www.learningdisabilitiesinfo.com/bullied-children.html"The chart, "The Bullying Circle", adapted from Dan Olweus' work, in Coloroso's chapter on bystanders, outlines a variety of types of bystanders. As Coloroso notes,
there are no innocent bystanders. Those individuals who are neither the aggressive bully nor the target still enable the bullying through their silent or not so silent presence. The chart may be summarized as follows:
Bullies start the bullying.
Followers or "henchmen" take an active part but do not start the bullying.
Supporters, or passive bullies, support the bullying, though they do not take an active part.
Passive supporters, or possible bullies, like or are amused by the bullying but do not display open support.
Disengaged onlookers watch what happens and don't take a stand.
Possible defenders dislike the bullying and think they ought to help out, but don't do it, perhaps paralyzed by the fear of becoming the next target.
Defenders of the target dislike the bullying and try to help the target.
��Coloroso, 2003: pp.64�66
Parents and teachers of children with Asperger's (or any bullied child) should sit down together and try to identify which children in the classroom or neighborhood take the roles of possible defenders and defenders. Parents should enlist the teachers' help in showing active support to these children for courageous and compassionate behavior. Teachers should then take these children aside as a group and let them know that their proactive behavior and empathy has been recognized, and that the teachers and parents would like to enlist their help in protecting certain children from bullying. Giving the defenders and possible defenders attention strengthens their position, gives them direct access to each other, and lets them know that the adults will support them if they ask for help in defending a targeted child.
