I am always looking for books with really good bullies. Why? Because bullies are part of growing up and the more exposure children have to stories where bullies play a role, the more children will have an opportunity to think and talk about how to cope with the bullies they will meet in real life. The NYT recently did an article on “Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/style/28bully.html? _r=1&ref=education
Social networking now give bullies another venue to bully and the results are harmful and dangerous. Giving children the opportunity to talk about bullies can help them understand and better deal with bullies. Here are a few questions to begin a conversation:
~ Are you born a bully?
~ Do boys and girls bully in the same way?
~ Why does a person become a bully?
~ Did you ever meet a happy bully? Do bullies have “genuine” friends?
~ Do you know a bully? Can you stand up to this bully? Can you ignore this bully?
~ Can you change this bully? Do you understand why they bully?
~ Could you make this bully a friend?
