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12/17/2017 0 Comments

Talking to Kids About Bullying - Education News

Talk About Bullying - Education News - A. Masterton

Zombie Squirts Were Lucky Enough To Get Featured in an Article Today!

Don't Wait...Talk to your kids about bullying

Parent's Against Bullying

Most people remember getting bullied at some point in their childhood. It could have been the scary girl at the back of the school bus who kept threatening to beat you up, or it could have been a gang of jocks who kept stuffing you in the locker during middle school.

They used their words, their fists, or sometimes both. Kids can be mean to each other for a lot of reasons, or sometimes seemingly no reason at all. Either way, it’s a relief to leave that period of our life behind, usually around the time we leave high school and go to college. Sure, people can be mean to you in college, but you usually have more options for avoiding them at that level.

When we have kids, though, we start seeing bullying through a completely different set of eyes, and the pain can be visceral.

It’s hard to know what to say to a kid who comes from school upset every day, but you have to say something.

Avoid empty platitudes

Think about your childhood bullying experiences. Did your parents tell you things like “Oh, she’s just jealous?” If so, was that a very helpful thing to hear? Probably not. Looking back, maybe the girl who called you “barfbreath” was jealous of something, but maybe she wasn’t. It can be really hard to know, and even if you’re 100 percent sure about someone’s motivation, it doesn’t mean you’re any closer to solving the problem.

Be especially careful with your daughters. If a boy is throwing dirt in her face or pulling on her pigtails, don’t tell her “That just means he likes you.” Maybe some boys are trying to show affection that way, but you don’t want your daughter to associate mean, cruel behavior with love.

You don’t want your son to do that either, but it seems like boys are given a pass for this behavior more often than girls. If someone is trying to flirt with you, they can tease you, but it shouldn’t be done in a hostile or abusive manner. You probably wouldn’t tell a 30-year-old woman that her boyfriend’s uncontrollable jealousy “is only because he cares,” so don’t tell a 10-year-old girl that either.

The value of positive media

Movies, music, TV, and books can show us a lot about who we are, as well as who we’d like to be. For example, the Pixar movie “Inside Out” resonated strongly with a lot of depression sufferers because there was literally a character called Sadness.

We feel less alone when we see characters dealing with the same stuff we encounter in our everyday lives. So if your child is dealing with persistent bullying, consider investing in some anti-bullying books for kids. You can read the books together and talk about the message behind them.

Kids and Their Questions About Bullying

Kids ask a lot of questions. It’s their trademark. Some questions are easy to answer, like “Why do I have to go to the dentist?” Questions about things like bullies and divorce and death are harder to answer. The good news is that your child probably isn’t expecting perfect answers. Engage with the topics in a way that’s both age-appropriate and honest, and you’ll be doing a lot better than most parents.

Zombie Squirts are the ONLY Anti-Bullying Zombie Kids "Alive!" These fun characters show the importance of accepting everyone for who they are. These Children's books are a perfect Gift! Get Your Copy TODAY!

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12/16/2017 0 Comments

How can you Help your kid Take a Stand Against Bullying?

Here’s how you can help your kid take a stand against bullying.

We all know what it was like being a kid. Managing play and homework along with classes at school. Many of us that were unfortunate enough to be bullied in school or after may remember that very well. What if your kid is going through the same? It can get worse if you do not take a stand against bullying, even if your child won’t.

Why is Standing up Important?

It isn't a surprise to find out that bullying has become almost an epidemic in today's world. It has become so much easier to become a bully because of the ease of access to people's weaknesses or differences through social media.

If you read this and you do not fully understand the effects of bullying you might want to check out those first, so that way you have a fully grasp on why this topic of Taking a Stand Against Bullying is so important.

I want to take the time to break down a few things you should keep in mind when trying to stand up to bullying and the importance of each one. Being a bystander and just "accepting" that bullying is "normal" is not going to cut it, and you should know that being a bystander can be just as harmful as being the bully themselves...it is your and our responsibly to inform our kids about the different Types Of Bullying and how we can Take a Stand!

Group Up

It is important that your kid understands the environment that they are in and are well prepared for bullying. One of the best things that you can do is to explain to them why it is important to have a group of friends and what it does to prevent bullying.

Motivate them to make the right friends in school and travel in that group especially when going through “bully territory.” Work on them collaboratively to develop how they can make the right friends. This is a good way to take a stand against bullying.

Stronger Voices

Watch Lion King with them once. Get to the part where Simba tries to roar as a cub in front of the three hyenas. After that scene is done, pause the movie and have a short discussion to explain to them how those hyenas represented bullies and what a strong voice can do and that violence isn’t the answer. Also assure them that if things get out of hand, adults that you know are always there to help.
When your kids take a stand against bullying it usually involves standing up for themselves and being assertive. Bullies will back off when your kid is assertive and shows that he is not the easy target that they are searching for. Help them practice their “roar” and when it really matters, they’ll be able to do it in front of those bullies.

Ditch the Phone to be Aware

Awareness of the surroundings is an important part of evading a potential bullying situation. Tell them to lose their phones when walking in and around school, home or elsewhere. Do they see a rough group of boys around the school? Is the guy in the car near the Carl’s Jr. keeping an eye on them? Is there a car near the bus stop that shouldn’t be there?
If the kids know that have to steer clear from these areas when they can, and trust that uneasy feeling in their stomach, they can avoid bullies as well as potential mugging or assault attempts in their adult life.

Know When to Back Out

Lastly, tell them that they can take a stand against bullying when they step away from a bad situation going worse. They often don’t realize that stepping away from a fight is the right thing to do most of the times. They think it is cowardice to turn away, so remind them that it takes a lot of courage just to step out of a bullying situation when it’s becoming worse.

The Anti- Bullying - Zombie Squirts books are a fun way to open up the conversation of bullying with your child!

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12/15/2017 0 Comments

The 4 Types of Bullying

There are Many Types of Bullying

Bullying isn't just a blanket term...

The term "bullying" can wear many different hats. It isn't just a blanket statement that covers every aspect of the word. There are multiple forms of Bullying and different levels that they can each be taken to.
However, it works very simply in our minds if we can group things together to gain a much better understanding about it.
So, I have taken the liberty to break down the different types of Bullying into simple-to-understand bullet points that list them into four categories:

Physical
Emotional
Cyber
Social

Keep in mind we will not being going into the individual effects each of these have on the victim, but just explaining what they are so you can better see these things happening around you in a clearer light.
Sometimes once you can identify the monster for exactly what it is and break it apart piece by piece, that is when you are able to learn its weaknesses and hopefully eliminate it

"It's important to stand up to all forms of bullying, and it's even more important for those who are around you to be just as courageous and stand with you!" — Normani Kordei

Social Bullying

This one can be hard to pin point...

Social bullying is sort of a hard one to identify. It really is unlike all the other forms of bullying. As you dive into the other forms, your will find that the other 3 are mainly directed towards someone right to them specifically.
With social bullying, it is technically an act that involves talking petty behind someone's back. This could be through:

Hurtful Rumors
Awful Jokes about the victim to other people
Laughing at the Victims Expense
Getting Others Involved to Bash or Bad Mouth the Victim

When this form of bullying is presented, it may be easier to overlook due to the non-confrontational aspect. However, it needs to be taken just as serious as any other form of bullying and stopped immediately. This type of behavior should never be acceptable because once it begins, it is a difficult monster to stop.
Social bullying is like a gateway bullying system. They try it and get away with it, or are never held accountable for their actions. This can lead to a life-long pattern of terrible behaviors that could get others or even themselves hurt.

"Not everyone has been a bully or the victim of bullies, but everyone has seen bullying, and seeing it, has responded to it by joining in or objecting, by laughing or keeping silent, by feeling disgusted or feeling interested."
— Octavia E. Butler

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying is Serious

Cyber bullying has really taken force in the last few years. Ever since the ability to contact anything at virtually anytime for any reason, people have found a way to take an amazing form of technology and use it for evil. Cyber-bullying can be broken into two main categories:

Hardware
Software

Hardware

Hardware is anything physically tangible to a human being. There are multiple ways that bullying has been channeled through a form of hardware. Some examples are:

Computer
Tablets
Smart phones

Software

Of course, being able to use a smart phone, tablet or computer is one thing, but how are people most likely connected through these devices? That's right, through the Software that enables direct communication from one person/party to another. Some examples are

Facebook
Instagram
Email
Instant messaging

There has been a small debate on whether or not cyber-bullying really is a form of true "bullying" or not. When it comes right down to it, if you are involved in something that is actively meant to diminish, hurt or cause physical/mental damage to another human being... You are a bully. It does not matter how or where you perform the action.

Period. End of story

Verbal Bullying

Words carry weight...

Verbal bullying is by far the most common form of bullying that presents itself. This is such a subtle way of bullying that at the moment may seem harmless, but it is far from it

Verbal bullying is when something is spoken out towards a victim by the bully themselves. The main direction the bully is shooting for is to try and cut down the victim using words.

We have all heard the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
This is a nice phrase used to show kids and adults that we don't need to take what other people say about us to heart.

It promotes us to take more action for ourselves and not let others get the best of us. But, let's be honest, WORDS DO HURT. In fact, they hurt quite a bit depending on context and the situational instance.

Forms of verbal bullying include:

Name Calling
Teasing
Racist Comments
General Insults

Get Your hands OFF!

So, last but not least, we get to the end of the Bullying Saga. We have so far discussed three forms of bullying:

Social
Cyber
Verbal

The one that I wanted to save for last is extremely important because it is the one that can get out of hand the quickest, which means it needs to be acted upon

Physical Bullying

Physical Bullying...the worst one?

Physical Bullying is when someone has broken the boundaries of the internet, their social status and even gone further than saying hurtful things to someone. They have now decided that physical violence is the "answer."

Physical Bullying is any of the following, but not limited to:

Kicking
Hitting
Grabbing
Pushing
Attacks

If you are a victim of bullying and you have had any of these (or others) happen to you... You need to SPEAK UP! If you are a witness to these actions and you aren't sure what you should do, follow these steps. They will get you at least on the right track.

Do not brush off these signs of attacks, whether you are a victim or a bystander. Remember, if you do NOTHING to help the victim, you are no better than the bully.

Speak up.

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12/15/2017 0 Comments

Beating Bullying - The Daily Universe

Beating Bullying - The Daily Universe - Scholarship Media

The Zombie Squirts were lucky enough to be featured in an Article Today!

My Nephew is being bullied...

My little nephew means the world to me, and he’s at what should be a really exciting and innocent time in his life. He’s just starting kindergarten. Unfortunately, some kids in his class have been really mean to him.

have no idea why, or why his kindergarten teacher can’t see to control a group of kids that is so young, but my brother and his wife say my nephew has no friends and sometimes cries and asks them not to send him to school anymore. He’s all alone (he has no brothers or sisters), and it makes me so sad. I know it’s not my place, but what can I do to help?

How Common is Bullying?

Bullying is a serious issue at all ages, and while it can be shocking to see such young children embrace such cruel behavior, it’s tragically common. A full 25% of kids are bullied, and while the problem is particularly severe in certain age groups (like the middle school years), it happens at all ages–even, as you are finding out, in kindergarten. There are many types of bullying.

Who Should We Turn to as a Defense Against Bullying?

The first line of defense against bullying in the school environment should be the teacher, and it’s unfortunate that that’s not sufficient or effective in this case. Your brother and his wife could try contacting the principal or another higher school authority in the hopes of getting better results, or they could attempt to reach out to the parents of the children directly.

The parents may even be grateful–identifying this sort of behavior at a young age can be key to correcting it, and may lead to the discovery of other issues that might otherwise have avoided detection.

Why is Bullying Harmful?

Bullying is harmful in part because it’s difficult to properly process. Hatred is never easy to handle, but bullying isn’t always about hatred: it can be about the insecurities of the bully, for instance. Teaching children how to deal with bullying is important, because it can help protect their self esteem, give them strategies to defend themselves, and encourage them to stand up for others. You could gift your brother and his wife educational resources like the many videos, games, and children’s books on bullying.

It’s terrible to hear about children without companions. Your brother and his wife may want to consider joining a playgroup or some other kind of club so that your nephew can meet children from outside of his school. The breed curators at MDpuppiesonline.com say a pet can also help–and studies back them up by showing that pets can increase kids’ self-esteem

Last Words on Bullying?

Neither you nor your brother’s family can force your nephew’s bullies to be friends with him, but there are a lot of ways to help build your nephew’s self-esteem and educate him about the nature of the bullying he’s facing. With the right support, he’ll be able to preserve the things that make him wonderful and unique, even in the face of this (hopefully short-lived) rash of bullying.

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12/9/2017 2 Comments

Stop Bullying in Schools: Follow these 5 Simple Steps

Why Should I Say Anything at All?

We all have seen bullying in the hallways of our schools, both grade school and high school. A lot of the time, it can seem overwhelming to know what actions you need to take when you see something like this.
You may be thinking things like:

"If I ignore the problem, maybe it will go away..."
"if I say something, maybe they will come after me"
"I don't know who I'm suppose to go to, or if anyone will even listen"

It is important to remember that NOT taking action is just as bad as the bullying itself. If you don't take action, who will? Taking these situations seriously and making sure that something is done to prevent it in the future is the most important thing we can do.

Teaching our children at a young age about the effects of bullying, can help us save thousands of lives per year!

5. Do NOT Ignore it...

If you ignore it, are you any better than the bully?

Ignoring problems and hoping they go away will never end in peace and resolution. You should never assume that any form of bullying is just innocent "teasing".

Take this SERIOUSLY...never let it get out of hand.
Make sure the student being bullied doesn't feel alone in this situation.
Just because you think it may be harmless, doesn't mean the bullied student doesn't feel embarrassed or terrified.

Ignoring the problem and allowing this behavior to continue, is just as bad as being a bully yourself. If you don't stand up for people in need...who will?

4. Stay Calm and Collected...

Do not let your emotions get away from you...

Do not let your emotions get away from you...When you witness someone being bullied it can be an emotional roller coaster. You may want to react right away in a fit of fury. Anger is a natural human emotion, but it is best to remain calm and make sure that you do not add fuel to the fire.

Take a deep breath.
Assess the situation.
Do not engage in the negativity, just be calm and assertive and stop the situation as quickly as possible

3. Make Mental Notes About the Situation...

Do not overlook all the details...

In a heated moment of bullying, it can be easy to lose sight of the important details of the situation. Make sure that after you follow step 4 of "remain calm and collected", you take a look at your surroundings.

When did it take place?
Who was there?
Who was the Bully?
Who was the Victim?
What time of day was it?

All of these things are important in order to make sure you can explain every detail later on. The worst thing you can do in this situation is forget the important details and the "when, where, and whys" of it happening. If you forget all of these details, later on your input will become invalid and you will not be a very trusted form of information.
So, make sure that you pay close attention and keep mental notes about everything going on. This information will become very important later on

2. Talk to the Victim About It

Ask these simple questions to get the whole story...

Once you have taken in all of the surroundings of the situation, make sure you speak to the victim about what happened.
Some questions that you should ask him/her:

Have you been bullied by this person before?
If yes, how often does this happen?
Have you ever talked to anyone about it?
What is the worst thing they have done?

Asking some of these simple questions and getting the answers is the best thing you can do.
If the student tells you that they have spoken up about the situation before, but nothing proactive has been done to fix it, then you will have to make sure you speak passionately about it in the next step

1. Tell Someone!

The final step in the process...

Now that you have followed the other 4 steps it is time to tell someone. Make sure you get a teacher, vice principal, superintendent or parent involved.
You have already decided that you were not going to ignore the problem, you are calm and collected, you have gathered all the mental notes you need about the situation and you have talked to the victim and know exactly what he/she is going through.

It is time to take all of this information to somebody with authority. Do not take no for an answer, especially if this is an ongoing thing. This needs to be stopped, and if you don't make it a big deal, nobody else will either. This is not the time to be afraid, it is the time to take actions and make sure you help someone in need. Never let anyone discourage you from helping others, that person's life could be on the line

Taking the time...

As a parent, teacher or by-stander, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what to do, but if you follow these 5 steps, you will have the confidence to take action!
Taking the time to care about others and finding something valuable to you is very important. Anytime you can learn something new and educate yourself on the importance of bullying, we are all making one step closer to a more kind and loving world!

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12/9/2017 1 Comment

Top 5 Negative Effects of Bullying

Why Is it Important to Identify the Negative Effects of Bullying?
When we think about bullying, sometimes the first thing that comes to mind is that maybe a child/teen is just getting picked on at school, and we all hope that it will resolve itself and no further actions should be taken. In some cases, being "picked on" at school is fairly normal.

Some younger children haven't developed the skills yet to communicate what is going on in their head, especially when they are trying to explain what they "like" or "don't like" about somebody else. They might look at another student who is different than themselves and not know how to express the differences, so they tend to point out these differences in a harsh way.

This is not a terrible situation, and most children after they develop the correct vocabulary and phrasing, can identify these differences and not sound so "mean" while trying to explain what they are seeing as differences in another person. It is up to the parents and teachers in our community to explain to the children that just because someone is "different" does not mean that they deserve to be treated poorly.

Do not let this simple "teasing" fool you though. Because it is when
"teasing" or "misunderstanding differences" towards another person gets taken too far and becomes a serious problem. A problem that can have long term negative effects on people, some that even last an entire lifetime.

There are many negative effects that bullying causes in people: children/teens and even adults. The first step to solving a problem is to understand the problem and the results or consequences of that problem. If we are going to eliminate bullying we must first look at its negative effects and take action to prevent it!

Top 5 Negative Effects of Bullying

5. School Drop Outs

It might be surprising to you to find out that 1 in 10 Students that drop out of school dropped out due to being bullied. If someone feels as though they can't be accepted for who they are in the ONE PLACE that they are suppose to feel safe, why would they want to stay? This is a problem because these children lose out on the opportunity to advance their education and possibly make a more successful life for themselves.

High School Dropouts will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate over his/her lifetime.
In the United States, high school dropouts commit roughly 70-75% of crimes.

Millions of Students Drop Out Each Year

Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone.
1 student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day. About 25% of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time

4. Bullying Affects The Child's Ability to Learn

Children that are bullied have a harder time retaining information throughout the day. When they are constantly worried about when and where they could be bullied next, this takes away from their time spent on learning. Not only are they distracted by wondering when or where the bullying will come next, but when someone is bullied, it affects their brain's receptors negatively. This leads to a lack of concentration and depression.

Nearly 24% of children suffer chronic levels of bullying at school. These kids had a "lower academic achievement" and a "greater dislike of school."
Roughly 18% experience moderate bullying at school. The results of lower academic achievement and dislike for school was similar to those who suffered chronic levels of bullying.

3. Bullying Affects the Child's Ability to Trust Others

Anytime someone gets bullied, they develop a strong mistrust for people. This might not show in younger years with the child, but as they grow and mature and start to build relationships with others, this deep seeded mistrust for people starts to surface. This can cause failed friendships, and even future relationships with their significant others

2. School Shootings

Students that have been harassed and/or bullied in schools have been linked to almost 75% of School Shootings in the USA. When these kids feel as though nobody cares for them and gets to the point where rage takes control of them, this is when school shootings take place. We could prevent unnecessary deaths by teaching children the importance of respect and acceptance.

Bullying Victims are twice as likely to bring a weapon to schoo

1. Bullying Can Lead to Depression and Suicide

The worst case outcome from bullying is, of course, depression and suicide. This does not only pertain to children, but teens and adults as well. Depression is a very serious illness that over 350 Million people worldwide suffer from. We could prevent some of these suicide cases by eliminating bullying and teaching our children to accept others for their differences.

Bullying is the 3rd LEADING CAUSE of death among our youth.
Bully victims are up to 9 times MORE likely to consider suicide.
Nearly 30% of students claim to be victims of bullying.

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Talk About Bullying - Education News - A. Masterton

Don't Wait...Talk to your kids about bullying

Parent's Against Bullying

Avoid empty platitudes

The value of positive media

Kids and Their Questions About Bullying

Here’s how you can help your kid take a stand against bullying.

Why is Standing up Important?

Group Up

Stronger Voices

Ditch the Phone to be Aware

Know When to Back Out

There are Many Types of Bullying

Bullying isn't just a blanket term...

​Social Bullying

This one can be hard to pin point...

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying is Serious

Hardware

Software​

Verbal Bullying

Words carry weight...

Get Your hands OFF!

Physical Bullying

Physical Bullying...the worst one?

Beating Bullying - The Daily Universe - Scholarship Media

​The Zombie Squirts were lucky enough to be featured in an Article Today!

My Nephew is being bullied...

How Common is Bullying?

Who Should We Turn to as a Defense Against Bullying?

Why is Bullying Harmful?

Last Words on Bullying?

​Why Should I Say Anything at All?

Taking the time...

2. School Shootings

"Mamma Z"

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The Zombie Squirts were lucky enough to be featured in an Article Today!

Why Should I Say Anything at All?