What should I do if my son is being bullied by one of his classmates?

Question

I've told the teacher, but she seems to think that he is as much an trouble-maker as the other kid. She doesn't take it at all seriously....

Answer 1

meet love with love and violence with violence...teach the kid to throw a stiff right jab.

Answer 2

get your son into the martial arts...this nonsense will stop at some point if you do, not only because he will be able to defend himself but more importantly they will teach him the self discipline necessary to act APPROPRIATELY when threatened...

Answer 3

Talk to the teacher, talk to the parents, talk to the Principal, talk to the school board, talk to the police, do what ever it takes to stop the bulling. It is not allowed and should be stopped at all costs. If you have to change schools.

Answer 4

speak to the parents of the other kids

Answer 5

go to your local spy store or radio shack and find out how you can install/sew a small battery powered camera into your son's backpack.

Or talk to the principal. You'd be surprised how helpful the teacher may be if her boss says something. Lastly, document everything

Answer 6

Contact the child's parents or the principal.

Answer 7

more than likely the kid doing the bulling is a teachers kid and your child's teacher does not want to deal with it.you just make sure you teach your own child the correct way to act and if it gets to serious you should stop by school and peek in the class room and watch them in the hallways but of course don't let your child know your there or he will be on his best behavior I have done this before and made it a point to show the teacher who the trouble maker was .

Answer 8

It is very frustrating when the teacher does not offer additional support.  They are supposed to be one of the trusted individuals a child can go to for help when they need it.

Explain to your son the different reasons this classmate could be bothering him.  They range from feeling inferior and wanting to look better about themselves, trying to look good by picking on others, wanting extra attention, etc.  The best way to deal with a bully is to ignore them if possible.  The bully will tire of getting no reaction and move on to another person.  If he is able to talk to the kid and feels comfortable about it, have him ask the kid what is wrong (he might feel left out and want friends and not know how to go about it the right way).  If he does confront the boy and the boy doesn't want to talk and tries to give him a hard time, have him explain that he does not want to be around someone if they are going to bully him or act in ___ way.  If he still gets harrassed, go to a teacher immediately.

We have a series of books titled "Help Me Be Good" that address lying, whining, being bullied, tantrums, sharing, and a bunch of other stuff.  They focus on treating others the way you want to be treated and explain why someone may act the way they do, but that you don't have to be a victim of it.  They have helped my kids out a lot.

Good luck to you.  If you still have issues and do not get help and support from his teacher, please contact the principal or school counselor to help back you up.  These situations need a united front where children can feel safe and protected.

Answer 9

Why does the teacher think this? It's only ever possible for a parent to be biased towards their own child but the teacher has an unbiased view of all the children in the class. Ask what, in her opinion, your son is doing to attract this 'trouble' and then see whether you can help your son see other choices as far as behaviour's concerned.

More

If the teacher's been genuinely mean and refuses to help after you've shown that you're open and willing to see all angles THEN you are within your rights to ask for an appointment to see the principal. I've found in around 7 cases out of 10 both bullied and bully tell their own parents they're been bullied as indeed it might be their perception once bullying gets into a cycle of attack and retaliation. As a child, an older pupil tried to bully me and I DID attack back and ended up being the one reported to the principal. Fortunately, due to my good behaviour on every other day, the principal took my side and understood that I'd retaliated instictively. It's really not easy for teachers to know and understand everything but most of them do want to be fair.

Answer 10

talk to the parents

Answer 11

Go to school with your son, find the kid in the hall and put the "fear of a mommy" into him! LOL