Signs that a Child May Be a Victim of Bullying
By Dr. Kenneth Shore
While teachers are the school adults who spend the most time with their students, it is unrealistic to expect that they will notice every bullying incident that takes place with their students. Bullying incidents often take place outside the classroom. In addition, victims of bullying often fail to report incidents to teachers because they are not confident teachers will take their concerns seriously or they fear retaliation. As a result, bullying is a problem that sometimes escapes detection by teachers.
This makes it all the more important that teachers be on the lookout for behavioral signs suggesting that a child is being bullied, some of which are listed below. Of course, the more of these behaviors exhibited by a student, the more reason to suspect bullying.
- frequent school absences
- anxiety or fearfulness during class
- difficulty focusing
- unusual sadness
- withdrawal from peers
- decline in academic performance
- not eating lunch
- avoidance of certain school areas
- clingy behavior
- frequent visits to the school nurse
- torn clothing or bruises
