PEER CONFLICT:
Conflict between and among peers is a natural part of growing up. There may be times when you disagree with your peers or they disagree with you and you can’t seem to solve the disagreement by yourselves. You may even become so frustrated that you (or they) say mean things or act out physically by hitting, kicking or trying to hurt.
you and your peers usually choose to play or hang out together;
have equal power (similar age, size, social status, etc.);
are equally upset
are both interested in the outcome; and
will be able to work things out (with some adult help) after calming down.
MEAN BEHAVIOUR:
You or your peers may sometimes say mean things, such as making fun of others, using a hurtful name, taking something without permission, leaving someone out, or ‘budging’ in line, as an attempt to assert your(them)selves.
- it is not planned and seems to happen spontaneously or by chance;
- it may be aimed at any child nearby;
- the child being mean may feel badly when an adult points out the harm they’ve caused.
This kind of behaviour needs to be stopped and may need adult help to do so.
BULLYING BEHAVIOUR:
Bullying is a serious behaviour that has three key features – all three must be present for the situation to be considered bullying.
The signs- power imbalance – one child clearly has power over the other(s), which may be due to age, size, social status, and so on;
- intention to harm – the purpose of the bullying behaviour is to harm or hurt other(s) – it’s intended to be mean and is clearly not accidental;
- repeated over time – bullying behaviour continues over time, and gets worse with repetition;
- there is a real or implied threat that the behaviour will not stop, and in fact will become even more serious.
This kind of behaviour must be reported to ensure the safety of the targetted child.
Speak to the teacher, principal, or report the incident anonymously using the ERASE tool.
