General English 3

Research Pack - Bullying

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General English 3 | Summary Vocabulary teaching: Explicit vs Implicit Instruction

In Brazil, from bullied student to cold-blooded killer
David Miller, April 9, 2011, (AFP)
The Brazilian whose ghastly shooting spree left 12 school children dead was a loner who
spent his days surfing the Web, and had been victim of schoolyard bullying and taunts, those
who knew him said.
The country was struggling to come to grips with how 23-year-old Wellington Menezes de
Oliveira, a former student of the school where he committed Thursday's atrocity, could
morph from a quiet, solitary person with no criminal record into a suicidal monster.
Menezes de Oliveira's classmates and former teachers said he was routinely bullied at school,
rejected and taunted by girls in class, and forced to endure "constant humiliation" including
being thrown into a school garbage can, according to Brazilian media.
Fellow students gave him the nasty nickname "Swing," because he walked with a limp, said
former classmate Bruno Linhares, who lamented to O Globo newspaper that "the class fool
turned into a criminal."
"They called him all kinds of names," said Linhares, 23, who studied with Menezes at Rio's
Tasso da Silveira school where the bloodbath took place.
"I honestly do not know why he did not do that (massacre) with our own group," Linhares
told local media.
Experts took to Brazil's airwaves, seeking to explain just how he could have turned to evil,
with some saying Menezes could have been reacting to the abuse at school.
"Often the victim of bullying tends to isolate themselves but can also become violent,"
University of Rio psychologist Maria Luiza Bustamente said.
A former Menezes teacher, Celia Maria de Carvalho, who was in the building on the day of
the shooting and escaped with her life, described Wellington as a quiet, shy boy who was
constantly picked on by classmates.
"Unfortunately, this (massacre) is the bitter memory that will stay with me after so many
years of the struggle for education," the 51-year-old teacher told O Dia daily.
Bangladesh police don school uniforms to stop bullies
Edward Finenan, May 20, 2010 (AFP)
Female police officers in Bangladesh are donning school uniforms and going undercover in
playgrounds in the country's northeast, police said Thursday, as part of a nationwide
crackdown on bullying.
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Research Pack - Bullying
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General English 3 | Summary Vocabulary teaching: Explicit vs Implicit Instruction

The move follows reports that at least 14 teenage girls, most of them students, have
committed suicide this year as a result of bullying.
"We have assigned eight new recruit female officers to pretend they are real students -
wearing school uniform and carrying school bags," the local police chief in northeastern
Kishorganj district, Mir Mosharraf Hossain, told AFP.
"The female officers have back-up from other plain-clothed officers so that if any boys harass
them, they can easily arrest the young men in question," Hossain said.
The authorities have decided to employ the novel tactic after a drive to convince young
female students to report bullies foundered as many victims were too scared to lodge formal
complaints, he added.
"This new method works well -- we've arrested seven male teenagers in two days alone,"
Hossain said.
Police commence program to stop bullying in schools
Ahmed Saail, Feb 10, 2009, Haveeru Daily
A program aimed at stopping bullying of students by other students has begun at
Dharumavantha School on Sunday.
A Police official said that the program had been planned due to the alarming rise of reports
of such incidents occurring in schools and to address the problem at the source. The official
said that fighting, bullying, and extortion was becoming commonplace in some schools.
The official said that during the program the Police had shared some of the incidents that
had been reported to and investigated by the Police with the students. Students from
Dharumavantha and teachers also attended the program, the official said.
The Maldives Police Service plans to commence similar program at other schools during the
course of the year. However, the main target of the program would be boys schools, the
official said.
Police said that they had run similar programs in Aminiya School and Galolhu Madhrasa last
year. However those programs had been aimed at stopping sexual harassment and were
mainly concerned with teaching students how to handle themselves if faced with such
situations, Police said.
Extorting money from weaker and smaller students and bullying them is now common in
most schools. A case where a group of boys had extorted Rf90, 000 from another student is
being investigated by the Police currently.

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Research Pack - Bullying
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General English 3 | Summary Vocabulary teaching: Explicit vs Implicit Instruction

Lets Beat Bullying!
Maryam Mujahid, June 17, 2013, Islamic Online University.
Ones dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it
can never be taken away unless it is surrendered. [Michael J. Fox]
Talking about bullying is not easy. The thought of someone innocent
being mocked, ridiculed and belittled, a friend or classmate, a
sibling, maybe yourself, fills our hearts with rage and indignation,
and makes it hard to distinguish facts from emotions. Above all,
we want bullying to stop, but despite decades of anti-bullying programs
and laws, the phenomenon has only increased, up to a point that one in four school children
now report being bullied regularly.
The reality is that bullying has always been around, and will continue to do so. The early
history of Islam has witnessed some of the toughest and most cruel bullies! Remember Abu
Jahl, Abu Lahab and their wives? What the believers had in common is that they stayed calm
and patient, didnt lose their courage and repelled evil deeds with good ones and
forgiveness. The dunya will never see perfection and people will continue to hurt one another
as long as theyre in this world. At the same time, people who have hurt one another at some
point, can end up becoming friends:
The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel evil with which is better, then verily
he, between whom and you there was enmity, will become as though he was a close friend. But
none is granted this, except those who are patient, and none is granted it except the owner of
the great portion. [Qur'an: Chapter 41, Verses 34-35]
This eternal wisdom should be our first clue in looking for solutions to bullying. Real
empowerment comes with patiently doing whats right. Finding solutions to bullying is not a
matter of one-size-fits-all , but In sha Allah, the tips and advice below may help you to deal
with bullying wisely:

a) Power to You!
Even when others try to assault your dignity, you should know that you are the one who
owns it and it cannot be surrendered unless you give it away. Know that you have choices.
Know that you have the power and courage to deal with bullying wisely and do whats right.
1. Cool is Not Enough
Stay ice-cold! A bully tries to establish a superior position by putting others down. Boys and
girls may bully in different ways, but the goal is the same: making you feel inferior. Now how
does a bully know that he or she was even a little bit successful in putting you down? Right:
anger, tears, frustration, defensiveness, and many other things, big or small, that show your
emotions are triggered. You are upset, and theyre having fun. Stay ice-cold, ignore the
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Research Pack - Bullying
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General English 3 | Summary Vocabulary teaching: Explicit vs Implicit Instruction

bullying and shrug it off by realizing that people can say what they want and this doesnt
affect the truth one bit. You cant control their words and actions, but you can refuse to give
them an audience. This sounds very straight-forward, but putting it into practice
consistently requires a lot of patience and self-control. What can help you to keep your
cool and stay empowered?
No JADE-ing! Do you remember this one from the previous part? JADE-ing (justify, argue,
defend, explain), even when done in a calm way, lets the bully know that he/she has
triggered something, which is exactly what theyre looking for. For example, when people
mock you, call you gay because you dont date girls, it sounds much more powerful to say:
You can believe what you want about me, than: Thats not true, you know Im Muslim and
so I dont date, even when you say it in a calm way.
Throw in some humor. Learn to look at yourself and lifes circumstances with humor. Its a
big stress-reliever and can work well in tense situations. Seeing the humor in things doesnt
mean that you belittle yourself or your problems, but rather it enables you to diffuse the
stress and hurt that come with bullying. Say something funny when others insult you, not in
a mocking way, but in a playful, jesting way, it also lets bullies know that they havent upset
you and will take the wind out of their sails.
Use kindness as a weapon. Maybe the last thing you want to do is be nice to someone who
torments and harasses you, but, like in the Quranic verse above, kindness may change the
bullys attitude and take the enmity out of your relationship. And it shows them that you are
not brought down by their words and actions. Also remember here to stay cool, dont be
enthusiastic in trying to please a bully, but calmly and coolly return their bad words or
actions with something good. Tell your classmate that you like her new hair style when she
calls you a rag head. Warning: Using kindness as a weapon does not mean that you should
give in to the bullys demands, like giving them money. Never do this!
2. Connect with People and Protect Your Vulnerability
The ones who are most vulnerable to the effects of bullying are the ones who care the most
about relationships with their peers. Try to establish meaningful, healthy connections with a
variety of people, including adults. The more positive relationships you have, the less you will
be affected by bullying.
3. Snitches and Tattletales: When to Call for Adult Intervention?
As a general rule, dont tell on a bully when theres no serious harm or threat. It will get the
bully into trouble, and although that may seem just what he or she deserves, it will continue
the cycle of bullying because it will feed the bullys anger and frustrations and make him/her
more determined to get back at you. But, make no mistake about it, when someone seriously
wants to harm you, you should get adult authorities involved right away. No one has the
right to harm you and this should be reported immediately. When bullies threaten to harm
you, make a safety plan together with an adult you trust.
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Research Pack - Bullying
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General English 3 | Summary Vocabulary teaching: Explicit vs Implicit Instruction

b) The Bystander: How Can You Help?
Just like the one being bullied, bystanders shouldnt give bullies any audience at all. Dont
become angry or upset. Does that mean that you shouldnt do anything? No, but your focus
should be on the victim. You can help by talking to the one being bullied, keep him/her
company or help them to calmly walk away from the scene. Dont be afraid that by doing this
you will be the bullys next victim, its exactly this fear that keeps the bully in the dominant
position.

c) No Escape from Cyber Bullying?
An increasing portion of bullying takes place online, perhaps making you feel that theres no
escape from the harassment. But just as with other forms of bullying, you have choices and
you have power. The tips for the ice-cold approach will go a long way here too. Other than
that, there are a couple of things to keep in mind for your safety:
Never give out any information that might lead to stealing your online identity
Never, ever agree to meet a person who contacted you over the internet!