KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE WARNING SIGNS OF A BULLY IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Student may involve themselves in physical or verbal fights
Student may have friends who bully others
Becomes increasingly aggressive
Frequents the principles office
Blame others for their problems
Will not accept responsibility for
their actions
Have acquired extra money or new belongings
Worry about their reputation or popularity
Imagine, waiting for the bus, minding your own business, and without warning, a perfect stranger walks up and slaps you in the face then posts the incident online. It’s called “happy slapping” and it has become a disturbing new trend.
Definition and origins
Happy slapping happens when an unsuspecting target or victim is physically attacked or provoked, in real life. An accomplice is standing by, photographing or videotaping the entire event. Camera cell phones are normally used in this method of bullying.
The image or video is later shared with friends, posted online or distributed electronically. Often the victim has no idea the incident was videotaped until later. The attacks are can be spontaneous and random, although sometimes the attacker does know his or her victim. This type of bullying is usually carried out by teenagers, targeting other children, although anyone of any age can be victimized.
The happy slapping phenomenon reportedly began in London in 2004. Early happy slapping incidents began as fairly minor pranks, hence the name "happy slapping". However, this bullying method is now rampant in our schools and we must ba aware of the phenomenon.
Did you say "happy slapping"?