Can You Detect a Bully?

Figure One: Hello! We are the Detective Squad

Meet the Detective Squad, we are here to find and stop bullies!  First we need to find the bullies then determine what is happening then we can take action. Do you know what a bully looks like? Well do not worry we are here to help. Let us take you to school which is the #1 spot for bullying (1). While we explore the school looking for bullies we must be aware of some clues, these clues will lead us to the bully. After we follow the clues we then can put a stop to the bully.



Figure Two: Eeyore and His Friends

             

Eeyore and His Friends

We may all think school is a fun place to learn and play but not all of us feel the same. Do you have many friends at school? Well our friend Eeyore has many friends at school, that he loves to hang around with, as you can see in figure two. Eeyore and his friends do everything together, they eat lunch together, play outside together, they even walk home from school all together because they all live right next to one another. Eeyore loves all of his friends equally. We as the Detective Squad can see that Eeyore enjoys going to school and being around his friends, no clues yet of any bullies. 

Eeyore Loses His Friends

Figure Three: Eeyore's Friends Playing

One day Eeyore was running late to school, so he did not get to walk with his friends. When Eeyore left his house he noticed that a friend from school, Peter, was walking alone. Eeyore thought it would be a good idea to walk with him. When Eeyore arrived to school his friends were upset that he did not walked with them. They got even more mad when they found out he was walking with Peter. When Eeyore got to his classroom he noticed his friends were being very mean to him, this made Eeyore sad. It was almost time for recess and Eeyore was super excited to go play with his friends on this nice spring day. When Eeyore went outside he noticed all of his friends were playing without him. In figure three you can see that Eeyore's friends are having fun without involving him. Eeyore did not understand what he did wrong, so he sat and played by himself. Have you ever felt that your friends leave you out while playing? Well if you have you may have been bullied. We as the Detective Squad can conclude our first clue, which is how Eeyore's friends are treating him, they are showing  signs or clues of being a bully by not involving Eeyore while they play. 

Eeyore's Feelings



Figure Four: Sad Eeyore

Eeyore is very upset and feels like no one wants to be his friend (4). As you can see in figure four Eeyore is feeling very blue and sad. Eeyore decided that he needed to get help. He went to talk to his friend Peter, and told him what was happening. Peter told Eeyore that he should not be sad and that he should talk to his friends. We now found our second clue, by the way Eeyore's friends make him feel. Have you yourself ever felt this way? What Eeyore is experiencing is the action of being bullied. The way Eeyore is feeling are some warning signs or clues that we as the Detective Squad look for. If you are ever feeling this way you can get help or talk to some one you know like Eeyore did. Now that we found our clues we must stop the bullying. You as a friend can help other friends by being a detective and putting a stop to bullying (2).

The Detective Squad Helping

We saw that Eeyore was sad and needed our help. We also knew through clues that his friends were being bullies. The first clue we found was that Eeyore's friends were totally ignoring him just because he did not walk with them to school. This action helped us know that Eeyore friends were being bullies because one sign of being a bully is to isolate or leave out others (4). The second clue was that Eeyore was feeling upset and left out from his friends (4). As a detective we put a stop to bullying. We brought Eeyore and his friends together and explained that Eeyore  was not ready when his friends were walking to school,and that he was simply just late. Eeyore told his friends how he felt, his friends said they never meant to hurt Eeyore and that they were sorry (3). Eeyore and his friends gave a big group hug and went off to play. Thanks to our detective skills, in figure five,  Eeyore and his friends are all happy again.

Figure Five: Becoming Friends Again

Are you Being Bullied?

Figure Six: You as a Detective

Now that you are all experts at finding the bullies, take a look around your school. If you find clues that someone is being bullied, you should be a good detective and put a stop to bullying! Also if you are experiencing some of the feelings that Eeyore had or your friends are treating you the way Eeyore's friends were; you should be a good detective and stand up to the bully and get help. There is help all around you like your teachers, parents and many friends. Do not be scared to be a bully detective and put a stop to all bullying!





References:

(1) Gilkerson, L. (2012). Bullying Statistics: Fast Facts About Cyberbullying. CovenantEyes, http://www.covenanteyes.com/2012/01/17/bullying-statistics-fast-facts-about-cyberbullying/

(2) Prevent Bullying. (2012, March 8). Stop Bullying

(3) Recognizing Bullying | Violence Prevention Works. (2017, April 20).

(4) Warning Signs. (2012, March 8). Stop Bullying