Myth: Telling a teacher about bullying is tattling.   Fact: Children need to know the difference between tattling and telling. Tattling is done to get someone in trouble, telling is done to protect someone. The secrecy of bullying only serves to protect the bully and perpetuate the behavior.

  Myth:  It’s only teasing.  Fact:  Most children are occasionally teased. When teasing does not hurt a child, it isn’t considered bullying. Teasing becomes bullying when a child does not understand that he or she is being teased and the intent of the action is to hurt or harm.

  Myth:  Bullied kids need to learn how to deal with bullying on their own. Fact:  Some children have confidence and skills to stop bullying when it happens, but many do not. Moreover, children shouldn’t be expected to deal with bullying on their own. Bullying is a form of victimization and peer abuse. Just as society does not expect victims of other types of abuse to “deal with the situation on their own,” we should not expect this from targets of bullying.

  Myth:  Bullying is easy to recognize.  Fact:  Physical bullying, such as hitting, kicking, and fighting, is easy to recognize since this type of behavior is overt. It is the covert bullying—such as shunning, alienating, and leaving children out on purpose—that is much harder to detect.

  Myth:  Girls don’t bully.  Fact:  Research shows that girls can and do bully. While they do not physically bully targets as often as boys, they will often use verbal and emotional bullying. Bullying for girls escalates during the middle school years.

From Pacer Center, as shared by Stone Soup Group Bullying Prevention Presentation at Soldotna Elementary School October 25, 2012.