Taking The Bully By The Horns (Supplementary)

Taking the Bully by the Horns

Class 7 | English

Meena, Anu, and Ajay are in Class 7. Anu is the shortest in their class and Ajay is always making fun of her height. He calls her by nick-names which draw attention to her size, and is constantly patting her on the head to show how short she is. Anu, already self-conscious, feels hurt but she doesn’t say anything. Meena sometimes laughs with Ajay when he is mocking Anu but she also feels sorry for her.

Have you or someone you know ever been in a similar situation?

While growing up, it is common for children to tease each other. But when someone purposely makes fun of another or forces them to do things even if they make it clear they don’t want to, it is called bullying.

We like to have fun together with friends. Sometimes, we may even want to do something only because our friends are doing them, even if we know it will get us into trouble or is wrong. For example, Meena knows that Anu feels hurt when Ajay teases her. But she does not want to say anything because she is Ajay’s friend and does not want to upset him. Ajay knows that Anu is upset, but continues to bully her because it gives him a feeling of control. Also he enjoys the attention he is getting from others who laugh instead of telling him to stop.

But is making someone feel unhappy about themselves a sign of strength? Actually, children who bully others tend to have a low opinion about themselves. This means that there maybe things about themselves that they don’t like or feel ashamed about. They therefore want to humiliate or put another person down in order to feel better about who they are. They think they will fit in with the crowd if they show up another’s difference, even if it means picking on the other person.

Maybe Ajay is unhappy with his performance in the exams; maybe Meena doesn’t like her big ears and doesn’t want anyone to notice them. So, they turn their attention to Anu, who is quiet and doesn’t respond. Seeing her reactions to the way they treat her makes them feel better about their own problems.

Bullying needn’t always be violent like hitting someone or verbally abusing them. If a group of children always refuse to include a particular child in their games, that’s bullying too! Or if you spread stories about someone and it is causing them sadness. It’s quite simple – if, through your actions, you target someone repeatedly to hurt them, it is bullying.

Ragging is another word for bullying.

Everyone usually knows who the bullies in a school, class, or neighbourhood are. They either avoid them out of fear or silently support them because they want to be part of the group. But it is important to know that our actions always have consequences.

Have you heard of the term ‘peer pressure’? Our peers are people like ourselves, usually by age or common interest. Your classmates and friends are your peers. Sometimes, you can find yourself disagreeing with something that everyone is doing but you also end up doing it because you don’t want to be the odd one out. It can be something silly like praising a movie everyone’s excited about but you’re not. Or it can be something more serious, like ragging another child as a group even if you don’t want to. There’s huge pressure to act like everyone else and you give in.

Have you ever bullied anyone? Has anyone bullied you?

Children who are bullied feel dejected and it’s easy to see why. Nobody likes to be singled out and insulted in front of others. They can lose their confidence, feel lonely and isolated.

Bullies often focus on their target’s appearance (“Why are you so fat?”), clothes (“Your clothes are always so loose!”), abilities (“You can’t even throw a ball!”), and family or social circle (“Why do you spend so much time with those show-offs?”).

Sometimes, such comments can affect the bullied person so much that it can even have an effect on their health and their routine. They may not feel like eating, fall sick more often, get nightmares or find it difficult to fall asleep. Concentrating on their studies can be difficult. They can even get injured if the bully uses physical force on them.

Being bullied can also make them develop other problems with their own behaviour. They could become very withdrawn – stop talking with people around them or they could display extreme anger suddenly. Sometimes, a child who is bullied can end up bullying someone else just to feel better.

Is there something you can do to stop bullying?

If you are being bullied or if you know someone who is getting bullied, the best way to stop it is to inform a responsible adult. This can be a parent, a teacher, or anyone who is in a position to do something about the problem. The adult can intervene and help the child who is bullying to reflect and understand his or her inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.

Taking a stand is difficult and not all of us can do it. But you can speak to your peers about not supporting a bully. Because not participating in doing something wrong also matters. You can also show your support for the targeted persons in small ways – include them in your games, share things with them, speak to them more, make them feel included.

The keyword to stopping bullying is empathy. Empathy means the ability to experience the feelings of a person in a situation, not as an onlooker, but as someone who is also experiencing the situation. The more you feel for others, the less you will want to bully.

Sometimes, children hesitate to speak up because of a sense of loyalty. Will complaining to an adult about peers who are bullying get them into trouble? For example, if Meena were to tell their teacher about what Ajay does to Anu, would it be wrong? Meena may feel that she will lose Ajay’s friendship but she will feel better by doing the right thing of standing up for Anu. It’s important to learn to distinguish between situations which require intervention and those that don’t. And remember, she will also be helping Ajay! It is not healthy growing up being a bully and Ajay, too, needs help.

Many schools and colleges and even work places have strict rules to prevent bullying but it can still happen. If you notice it taking place around you, make sure you report it so it is stopped. You would have then contributed to a safer and more peaceful world.

This story is by Tulir – Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse, Chennai.

GLOSSARY

• bullying – teasing others
• humiliate – make others feel ashamed
• consequences – result or effect
• peer pressure – influence from members of the same group
• dejected – sad and depressed
• nightmares – frightening dreams
• empathy – understand and share other’s feelings
• loyalty – strong support or being loyal

A. Choose the correct answer.

1. What is bullying?
   a) When you and a friend get into a fight.
   b) When someone accidentally bumps into you on the playground.
   c) When someone is hurt by others either by words or actions, feels bad because of it, and finds it hard to stop what’s happening to them.
   d) Rolling a ball to knock over pins.

2. What should you do if you are being bullied?
   a) Speak up.
   b) Tell an adult.
   c) Know that you have the right to be safe.
   d) All of the above.

3. How do you recognise someone who bullies?
   a) Size – The person bullying is bigger than the person being bullied.
   b) Gender – Girls don’t bully, only boys do.
   c) Behaviour – They do something that hurts or harms another person.
   d) Age – It is always the older kids picking on the younger ones.

4. What should you do if you see bullying?
   a) Help them get away from the situation.
   b) Tell an adult.
   c) Let them know that no one deserves to be bullied.
   d) All of the above.

B. Answer the following questions.

1. What could be the reasons for bullying?
2. Why do some children bully others?
3. What does Ajay enjoy about bullying?
4. What is empathy?
5. How does bullying affect one?

C. Think and answer

Suppose the person bullying is one of your friends,

1. Would you keep quiet?
2. At what point would you do something?
3. What would you do?

D. Take the Pledge

I am a kid against bullying!
And I will
- Speak up
- When I see bullying
- Reach out
- To others who are bullied
- Be a friend
- Whenever I see bullying

PROJECT

Here is a list of classroom rules that you can follow. Create posters for each rule as shown in the images. Collect all posters and paste it in your classroom.

Classroom rules

• We all belong to same world.
• We love each and every creature.
• We don’t give up.
• We forgive others.
• We try our best.
• We say ‘please’ to request.
• We encourage others.
• We say ‘thank you’ for help.
• We take turns.
• We listen to each other.
• We work as a team.
• We listen to our teacher.
• We learn together.
• We respect each other.
• We smile always.
• We respect our school.

CONNECTING TO SELF

Paste the photographs and write down the values which you learn from them.

Father’s photograph	Mother’s photograph
Values	Values

Brother/Sister’s photograph	Your friend’s photograph
Values	Values

STEP TO SUCCESS

Change the codes into letters with the sign codes given below and tell the sentence to your friend.

CODE
a b c d e f g h i
j k l m n o p q r
s t u v w x y z

LEARNING LINKS AND REFERENCES

e-links
- http://www.english-for-students.com/Moral-Stories.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mhtXPVAI0

Books
- Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are by: Dr. Seuss
- An Awesome Book of Thanks by: Dallas Clayton

ICT Corner

Grammar – Prepositions

To learn the usage of Prepositions by playing an interactive game.

Steps to Play the Game
1. Type the URL link given below in the browser or scan the QR code.
2. Read the Instructions which are given below the box.
3. Click start to play the game.
4. Drag and put the objects as per the instructions given below.
5. You can learn and review the prepositions of place by clicking ‘Review’ button before starting to play the game.

Website URL
https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/prepositions-game/
Images are indicative only.

Listening Passages

Unit 1

Gopal, Varun and Muthu would go swimming in the sea in summer. They would sit down and watch the waves tumbling towards the shore. They’d chase the gulls whenever they saw them flying over the oyster catchers. They’d skim stones if the sea was calm enough – twenty six bounces was Gopal’s record – Varun had only ever managed two! Whatever they did, wherever they went, the three of them were always together.

Unit 2

In English we say it is raining cats and dogs when it rains heavily. For the people of Gollamudi in Andhra Pradesh, however, it rained fish!
In the early hours of the morning yesterday, people were woken up to a ‘rain of fish’. Four to six inches-long fish were found on the roads and in the waterlogged fields of this village. Some of the fish were still alive. News spread rapidly and soon, people were out collecting the fish. Locals said it was a fish not usually found there.
Environmentalists say that very strong winds and gales sometimes carry fish and sea animals along with the water from rivers and canals. They then can come down with the rain many miles away. This is what happened in Gollamudi.

Unit 3

The Tale of The Pencil
Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his English test. His grandmother sat with him and gave him a pencil. A puzzled Raj looked at his grandma and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his performance in the test. His grandma explained,

“You can learn a great many things from this pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just the way you have experienced the pain of not doing well in your test. However, it will help you be a better student. Just as all the good that comes from the pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome this hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to.”

Raj was immediately consoled and promised himself that he would do better in future.

Moral of The Story
We all have the strength to be who we wish to be.

Practice Practice Exercises

a). When you and a friend get into a fight

b). When someone accidently bumps into you on the playground

c). When someone is hurt by others either by words or actions, feels bad because of it, and finds it hard to stop what’s happening to them

d). Rolling a ball to knock over pins

a). Speak up

b). Tell an adult

c). Know that you have the right to be safe

d). All of the above

a). Size – The person bullying is bigger than the person being bullied

b). Gender – Girls don’t bully, only boys do

c). Behaviour – They do something that hurts or harms another person

d). Age – It is always the older kids picking on the younger ones

a). Help them get away from the situation

b). Tell an adult

c) .Let them know that no one deserves to be bullied

d). All of the above

1. What could be the reasons for bullying?

2. Why do some children bully others?

3. What does Ajay enjoy about bullying?

4. What is empathy?

5. How does bullying affect one?

1. Would you keep quiet?

2. At what point would you do something?

3. What would you do?

Father’s Photograph -

Mother’s Photograph -

Your friend’s Photograph -

Brother/Sister’s Photograph -