Interview with
Bailey Lindgren
PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
For National Bullying Prevention Month, we hope to continue to spread awareness and encourage kindness to everyone. We asked PACER the following questions and are thankful for their time and the great work they are doing to champion children with disabilities, as well as children from all walks of life. Visit them at Pacer.org to learn more about the great work they are doing!
KN: What are the different kinds of bullying?
BL: There are 4 main types of bullying: verbal, physical, emotional and cyber.
- Verbal: This is really common because it’s quick and easy to do. It can include teasing, name calling, mean jokes, rumors, or saying things about someone that aren’t true.
- Physical: This is easy to recognize. It’s when someone pushes, shoves, kicks, or hurts another kid’s body. It can also including taking or damaging someone else’s things.
- Emotional: This type isn’t always obvious, but can hurt a lot. It hurts people on the inside and makes them feel bad about themselves. Examples include leaving someone out on purpose, telling lies about someone, or embarrassing someone publically.
- Cyberbullying: Using technology is the newest way to bullying. It includes sending mean text messages, posting videos, stories, or photos that make fun of someone, or spreading rumors online.
KN: Does it only happen at school?
BL: Bullying can happen anywhere. It can happen at school, such as the cafeteria, classroom or hallways. It could also happen at recess, on the bus, at the bus stop, or online.
KN: Are some people bullied more than other people?
Anyone who has less power in a situation can be bullied. It’s important to remember that bullying doesn’t happen to one kind of student. It can happen to anyone – popular, unpopular, shy, outgoing, etc. It’s important to remember that no one deserves to be bullied, and if you are going through bullying that you’re not alone.
KN: What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is when someone uses technology to send mean, hurtful, or embarrassing message to or about another person. It could be in a text, e-mail, message, or post online.
KN: How can I help end bullying?
If you see someone being bullied, speak up and reach out! When students are willing to say they think something is wrong, they can make a difference. Let others know that you don’t accept bullying at your school, and others will be more willing to speak up, too. If you see bullying, you can tell an adult. Telling is not tattling, it’s okay to tell! You can also tell the kid who is being bullied that he or she doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. Nobody does! You could also invite them to sit with you at lunch, join your friends at recess, or include them in an activity.
The Mom Here! We here at Kidsnewsnyc.com hope that we can help raise awareness about this problem. We are very aware of cyberbullying and that is why I have not enabled comments on this site (just a little fyi…). Let’s all try to be aware of how our words, verbal, texting, and commenting online, can hurt people we don’t even know! Let’s spread kindness, not just in October, but every day of the year. 🙂
Thank you, Bailey and The PACER Center!
