As a teacher, I try to be vigilant for any tell-tale signs of bullying in school. Nowadays we have training on how to handle any situations that arise, and have a ledger to record any offenses. Bullying is taken very seriously in schools nowadays with whole lessons given over to it and assemblies regularly centred around why it's not ok. The difficulty arises when a child says something once as a mean, flippant comment, and a child grasps the 'B' word out of the air. Teaching children why bullying is wrong also involves teaching them what it is.
Bullying is intentional, directed and repeated behaviour. It is not ok!
Obviously for teachers, we get training on how to handle it and have a wealth of tools and procedures at our disposal to help our pupils. But for parents, it can be just as desperate time as for their children. They can feel just as trapped and helpless.
