Bullying is a very challenging behaviour for both schools and parents to deal with.  However it is not something that can be ignored because the potential consequences are very serious.  The signs below are taken from a fact sheet produced by 'The Line' website - a government initiative to help teenagers with relationship issues here in Australia (where I am holidaying at the moment :-) )

Signs of bullying

 Unexplained cuts, bruises or scratches

 Damaged or ripped clothing

 Damaged or missing belongings

 Vague headaches or stomach aches

 Refusal to go to school

 Tearfulness or depression

 Lack/Loss of confidence and anxiety

 Negative personality changes

 An unwillingness to leave the house

 Aggressive or bullying behaviour towards other family members

What if your child is the bully?

It can be hard to accept that our child is the bully but if this is the case, know that bullies operate out of a place of low self-esteem, inadequacy and feelings of powerlessness and this can often be changed with help and understanding.

6 indicators that a child might use bullying behaviour

They …

 Are impulsive, hot-headed and dominant

 Can be easily frustrated and have trouble reigning in feelings.

 Show a lack of empathy or compassion

 Have difficulty following rules

 View violence in a positive way

 Show little remorse or refuse to take responsibility for their actions


If you suspect your child is being bullied or that they are bullying others, there is a lot that you can do.  A great start would be to check out this site devoted entirely to addressing bullying.

I'm interested to hear others opinions on swearing.  I've had a couple of e-mails asking me to tone down the swearing after I did so in my post reviewing Nigel Latta.  I'm not really big on swearing and only did so in that post as a bit of a joke because Nigel's presentations include a lot of the big bad  'f' word.  While I don't swear a lot myself,  I am also not greatly offended by others swearing (I grew up on a farm, sheep will drive even the most placid of fathers to expletives!).  I think there are far more concerning behaviours than a bit of bad language.  However, I'm holidaying in Townsville (Northern Queensland, Australia) at the moment and was stunned to  learn that swearing in Queensland is set to become an offence.  Police will issue on the spot fines of $100 for swearing in public from next year.   

And what about swearing in schools?  In my experience teaching at Secondary level, swearing is fairly commonplace in the school grounds and only really disciplined when directed at a teacher or when used with malice against another student.    If a student trips, stubs their toe and yells out a swear word the most common response from a teacher would be a fairly low level reprimand.    I suspect that in times gone by students wouldn't have dared to swear in school.   It is also an issue in New Zealand's primary and intermediate schools and I appreciate that parents have differing views on it.  In some families, for example, "bloody" is a swear word and in others, it's not.    And what about students who have been brought up in families where swearing is commonplace, a natural part of everyday dialogue - is it fair to penalise such kids when they bring this language to school?  Is it being culturally insensitive?  Personally, I believe that children are very good at adapting their behaviour for different settings.  And those that aren't good at this, need to learn the skill - it is part of life that we alter our behaviour depending on social expectations.   A tradesman's language while out on the tools may be quite different to when he is at a parent teacher interview!  I see no problem in a school enforcing a no swearing rule for all students.   But maybe I'm being unrealistic and such a rule may be just too hard and too time consuming to enforce.  What is your school's approach to the issue?