A school is a place where children are supposed to learn with and from each other. In reality, however, everyday school life often looks quite different. Children fight in the playground, blackmail each other or throw nasty things at each other.

Violence does not always have to be physical. Psychological violence through scolding, lying, bullying, and exclusion is no less serious. Psychological violence is the term used whenever a person’s feelings are hurt. The victim then feels ashamed because videos of him are posted on the Internet or untruths are spread.

Do you know what bullying means? It refers to teasing against children who are different from the others. Phenomena such as cyberbullying, that is, bullying on the Internet, often cause children to become deeply sad and doubt themselves.

Who Can I Talk To When I’m Being Bullied?

There is no shame in getting help. Don’t worry that you might “tell on” someone if you keep telling them what happened. Your courage to talk to others about it may keep the perpetrator from beating up other kids, too.

Parents – other adults

If you are beaten up at school, you should contact your teachers immediately and without delay. Tell them exactly what happened. By the way, in every school, there are liaison teachers with whom you can talk about such things.

Some schools even have student coaches who can give you information about your rights. If you are very sad and don’t dare to go to school anymore, they can also refer you to a psychotherapist. This is a person with whom you can then talk in detail about your worries. Such conversations usually help very well to overcome fears and worries.

Of course, your parents should also know. They will try to help you in your situation. Together, you can contact the following agencies to take action against violent incidents in your school. Your parents should definitely talk to your teachers about what happened. That way, strategies can be developed and consequences can be set. If you receive mean text messages or emails or are otherwise attacked over the Internet, please talk to your parents about it. Such text messages or other messages can later serve as evidence of bullying. Therefore, it is important to keep or photograph them.

What you should avoid is talking to the parents of the perpetrators or the perpetrators themselves. Even if they are in the wrong, they will likely protect their child. If they do punish the child, the bullying against you will usually get worse.

Crisis intervention at school

If you, i.e. you, your parents, and teachers still want to have a joint discussion with the parents of the perpetrator, mediation can help. It works like this: a trained mediator leads the discussion between you and the offender or his parents. This person is neutral and will try to mediate any disputes that arise. In this way, solutions can be found without spending hours arguing.

In addition, your parents should raise the issue in the parents’ council or at a parents’ evening. It makes sense to discuss the issue with the teachers in advance. In any case, it is up to the teachers to ensure that the situation improves. After all, it is most effective if the school acts as a community and draws appropriate consequences. In bad cases, for example, students can be suspended or have to change schools.

Some schools, by the way, have developed preventive anti-bullying strategies. At such schools, teachers know what to do if someone is being bullied.

Further contact points for you

On our website, we have written a number of articles about bullying. In the text “Mobbing – so you get help” you can see a list of contact points. The local counselors are usually free of charge and anonymous. Anonymous means that you do not have to give your name. On our pages, you will also find links to grief chats and the numbers of the telephone counseling centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The way to the school board

If the bullying does not stop despite discussions, mediation, and consequences on the part of the teacher, then you should make a report to the school authorities. A good lawyer can support you and your parents in this.

In any case, don’t give up. Even if nothing changes in your school situation for a long time, you should never accept bullying. Sometimes it takes a while for perpetrators to realize that it’s not okay to hurt other kids physically and emotionally.

I’m Afraid To Go To School

Do you have frequent stomachaches, headaches, or sleep problems since you’ve been bullied? Then it’s very likely that you suffer from school anxiety. You may even want to avoid being hit or teased again by not going to school. When asked how school was, you answer nothing or tell very little. It hurts you to think back to that day at school. Because you are actually glad to finally be at home.

Children who are affected by school anxiety very often get sick. They miss a lot of classes and don’t feel well when they have to go to school. Sometimes this is because they are afraid of a teacher or a subject at school. But often bullying attacks are also the reason for this fear.

Do you feel addressed by these descriptions? Then it is time for you and your parents to talk to a doctor about it. He will help you further in this matter and, if necessary, refer you to knowledgeable experts.

I Watched Someone Else Get Bullied At My School

Looking the other way is not the answer when you witness teasing at school. Under no circumstances should you participate or get involved in the bullying situation in any way. Otherwise, you could easily become the next victim.

In schools, there is usually at least one teacher supervising at all times. During breaks, in the morning in front of the school building or in the checkroom, it can still happen that no teacher gets wind of the teasing.

In such situations, try to get an adult immediately. Tell him what happened from your point of view. Be honest and factual. Do not exaggerate and ask the adult to see for himself.

It is very likely that the perpetrator will deny everything. It could even be that he claims to be the victim himself. In such a case, you still need to stay calm. Because the main thing is that you got help instead of looking the other way.

Worksheet For The Text

1) Explain the difficult words in the text.
What does…

• Psychotherapist
• Bullying
• School board
• psychological violence
• Cyberbullying
• School anxiety
• anonymous
• Mediation

2) Have you ever witnessed someone being teased in your school (maybe you were even involved yourself)? What did you observe? In a circle, tell your classmates how it made you feel.

3) What should you do if you observe someone being bullied? Write down your answer here.

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