A tool to measure the problem
The latest edition of Heads Up – the newsletter of the Association of Public Boys’ Schools in South Africa (APBSA) featured an article on an issue which is a real concern for our boys, staff and parents. (Full article here)
While one can argue that media hype can sometimes provide an emotional or biased account of any incident – the fact remains we must support a zero-tolerance to bullying in our school. According to Reichert in How to Raise a Boy, boys are disproportionately affected as both victims and perpetrators of violence, and bullying has a special place in boys’ lives. It is not something we can simply ignore.
A handbook on bullying in South African schools has just been published; Bully-Proof: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers and South African Schools, by Gail Dore. The publication is said to tackle bullying head on – the culture, the mechanics and the outcomes are all brought into focus. While Reichert‘s book pulls together the international research and perspectives of boy-violence and bullying, the book by Dore brings a local slant to the problem. The second big advantage of Dore’s book is that, with the special permission of the publishers (Struik Lifestyle), Parent24 is publishing a tool featured in the book which parents and schools alike can use to identify the problem and scope of bullying in their own environments. The questionnaire can be adapted to include questions that provide more specific information and brings into focus a clear understanding of what bullying really is about and distinguishes between what probably is bullying, and what isn’t.
An advertorial on the book and entrée to a download of the questionnaire can be accessed via this link: