7 BULLY BLOCKERS

• Do NOT immediately call and talk to the parents of the bully
• Do NOT immediately call the school
• DO give your child the strength to withstand the bullying. 
• DO give your child tools to avoid it or to know how and when to get help
• DO gather information from your child as to:  Who is bullying, When the bullying happens, and exactly What bullying behaviors are present
• Now DO go to the school with the information and 1.)  Share the problem with the teacher first, 2.) If there are not results, share the problem with both the Guidance Department AND the School Administration
• DO offer yourself as an ally in solving the problem

7 BULLY BLOCKERS

• Get help from someone you trust
• Picture a tape or CD that plays encouraging thoughts in your head
• Avoid the situation where the bullying happens.  Know how and when to walk away with confidence
• Agree with bully - whatever he/she says - in order to laugh at yourself and the bullying remark.  Use this when someone is making fun of your clothing or haircut
• Assert yourself and stand up to the bully.  Stand up straight, look the bully in the eye, use a calm tone of voice and say, "I don't like it when..."  Important:  NEVER use this when bullying is severe or you could get hurt.
• Use humor - turn a difficult situation into a funny one.  Say something funny and catch the bully off guard.  This is not effective if you are very frightened or have a hard time, "Thinking on your feet."

7 BULLY BLOCKERS

• Actively solicit support from your family and friends
• Preserve you own physical and emotional health - get help from you doctor or consult a therapist/coach
• Solicit witness statements using a "Safe" memo
• Confront the Bully - Optional and must be carefully planned
• File an internal complaint
• Prepare a case against the bully
• Only make your case if you can have someone 2 or more levels above the bully in the organizational chart present to hear what you have to say

From:  The Bully at Work:  What you can do to stop the hurt and reclaim your dignity on the job, (2000) by Gary Namie, Ph.D. and Ruth Namie, Ph.D.    Naperville, IL:  Sourcebooks.  ISBN 1-57-71-534-3.

7 BULLY BLOCKERS

• Approach bullying as a problem with the system/culture rather than a problem with YOUR school or organization.  Use a prevention perspective rather than, "We've got a problem!!"
• Discuss bullying with all members of your school or organization who have a stake in building a different culture/climate.  Listen carefully to all sides of the issue
• Identify your mavens and persuaders among personnel - people respected by their peers who can "make or break" any initiative.  Cultivate their support
• Get a commitment from all stakeholders + administrative support for the program.  Guidance Departments can do much to spearhead Bully Blocking.  However, it is unfair to expect the Guidance Counselors to be solely responsible for an entire systemic/cultural change
• Prepare all stakeholders for the time it takes for real change to manifest itself - you may see cosmetic changes the 1st year, but it takes at least 3 years for real change to take place
• Introduce the language of Bully Blocking using newspaper and newsletter articles, staff development, presentations to Board Members, personnel, and all interested parties. 
• Go public - Introduce the Bully Blocking program with a formal introduction of the program, compete with reception and media participation.  Remember:  You are not only doing your school or organization a service by "Coming Out" against bullying - you're doing a service for the entire culture!