Page 11 - Mini-Module 6

● focusing on getting rid of bullies from your school through
exclusion or other discipline procedures, may simply create a
‘position vacant’ within a culture that is tolerant of bullying.

● punishing bullies without full support of parents may have the
opposite affect than intended. Parents may decide to side
with their child in opposing the school’s decision. This may
lead to a ‘rewarding’ effect that reinforces the child’s bullying
behaviour, especially if the child witnesses the parent coming
into the school to complain and verbally abuse the teacher or
principal.

● if a student is caught bullying a victim, the bully will be
disciplined and made to apologise to the victim. “Now I want
you to shake hands and apologize and its over." But it’s not
over for either the bully or the victim. A cycle of power
imbalance establishes itself, and the harsher the punishment
to the bully, the more vicious the cycle.

● the difference between bully and victim can be blurred. While
it is a safe bet that all children at some stage experience being
bullied, it is also true that many children at some time or
another will bully someone else either purposefully or
inadvertently.

● harsher discipline may lead to some students being labelled as
bullies (and other children as victims). Such labelling may
polarise children which can make matters worse in the school.
For instance, a ‘bully’ may become an anti-hero in the school
and he or she may gain kudos from the role.

For all of the above reasons, school leadership in dealing with
bullying is not as simple as introducing harsher penalties or ‘zero
tolerance’ discipline policies.

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