BIBLIOTHERAPY FOR HELP WITH CLASSROOM
BULLYING
Misty Nelson
Bullying is a very real problem faced by many educators in today’s classrooms. How can we as
teachers create a way to help solve the bullying dilemmas in our school? One suggestion is the use of
bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is the practice of using books or other literature to reach out to students and help
them work through problems to find a solution. The use of books to relate to students’ personal lives is not a
new concept. However, in order to be effective, the teacher must not simply read the book to the students
and hope that they will find meaning and insight in the story, the teacher must explore the concept of bullying
within the context of the story and provide ways for the students to internalize the lessons the story teaches;
lessons such as tolerance, empathy, and kindness. In order to effectively address the bullying situation, it is
important that the teacher be knowledgeable about bullying.
Causes of School Bullying
There are many reasons that a child might exhibit bullying behavior in the school setting. Children
who show signs of bullying behavior may have feelings of over-confidence and possess a sense of superiority
over fellow classmates (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998). Bullies show a desire to feel power over their
classmates and do not see their actions as inappropriate (Bullock, 2002). Bullies may also feel a need for
attention (Ziegler & Rosenstein-Manner, 1991).
There are also environmental factors that may
influence bullies. Children who bully are more likely to come
from homes where physical violence is tolerated and have
parents who are overly authoritative or overly passive
(Duncan, 1999). There is also research that suggests that
students who come from homes experiencing such factors as
divorce, financial instability, and difficulty with parent-child
relationships may be more likely to become bullies
(Kumpulainen, Rasanen, & Henttonen, 1998).
Misty Nelson has a B.S. in Elementary
Education from MSSU in Joplin, MO. She is
finishing her Master's degree in Elementary
Education at MSU in Springfield, MO and will
graduate in the spring. She is currently in her
sixth year of teaching at East Newton School
District in Granby, MO. She lives in Cassville,
MO with her husband Jonathan and her three
children.
Children may also become bullies after witnessing violent behavior in the media. This gives children
the idea that violence is an appropriate outlet for aggression and is acceptable as a societal norm. Children see
that this type of violent behavior is often rewarded, and the perpetrator suffers no negative consequences,
giving them the impression that this is an acceptable form of social interaction (Bushman & Anderson, 2002).
There are also many reasons that certain children find themselves as the victims of bullies. Whitney,
Nabuzoka, and Smith (1992), performed research that suggests that students with special needs are often the
victims of bullies. According to their research, 25% of mainstream kids were bullied while 67% of students with
special needs experienced being bullied. Students with mild disabilities were more often the target of bullies
than students with severe disabilities.
Victims of bullies are often characterized as being physically smaller than their classmates, passive,
shy, or socially awkward. These students often react to bullies by withdrawing or becoming visibly upset and
anxious. Victims of bullies also tend to be the students who do not fit in with the mainstream group due to
physical, emotional or social immaturity (Olweus, 1991).
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