c

c

c c

c c
 c   c c
 cccc
c
‘
 




 




‘
 ‘ 



 





Senior Master Tracy Lee Thomas of
c c c
 is sad to find out that
almost 10% of school age children are the victims of a bully. Bullying is most common
by the second grade and occurs throughout life. Bullying can be both physical and
verbal, and can range from mild teasing to pushing and hitting. Bullying is even done
quite often on the internet.

The team of instructors at
c c


c c
 in Virginia Beach and
Chesapeake, Virginia is trying to make a difference by building strong leaders in the
community throughc c
 cc c. It concerns Tracy Lee Thomas that
children are being victimized by their peers. Being a victim of a bully can lead to a child
avoiding school and developing anxiety about attending class.

c c

c c
 has an
c c c c  and
encourages parents to enroll their children.

Research and various case studies show us that victims of bullies are usually
stereotyped as being loners, passive, quiet, sensitive, anxious, and with low self-esteem
they are often smaller and/or weaker than the other children of the same age and they
may even come from an overprotective home. Being a victim of a bully can cause your
child to feel insecure, lower their self-confidence and have feelings of low self-worth and
poor self-esteem. This may ultimately lead to depression and/or violence, either against
themselves or against the bully.³Awareness is the key for parents, watching for changes
in attitude, behavior and daily actions´ m
m
m  m 
  


m

Unfortunately, victims of bullies often do not seek help or confide in anyone about the
bullying, either because of shame or embarrassment or fear that it will be worse if the
bully finds out. It is important to look for signs in your children. One of these signs could
be, school avoidance behaviors, especially chronic nonspecific complaints, such as
headaches or stomachaches, or they may have trouble sleeping. Also, if your child
seems afraid or anxious about going to school, has a change in his/her personality or
his/her behavior, or a change in his/her grades, you should consider that he/she may be
a victim of a bully at school.
c c

c c
 teaches students and
the youth within the community ³LIFE SKILLS´ that will change a child¶s life and teach
them«´Don¶t Be A Target´ and Don¶t Be A Victim´ in life. ³Quality Life Skills such as;
Self-Respect, Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence and enhanced social skills offer our
students the ability to manage these concerns´ statesc
c c c

Master Instructor.

If you suspect that your child may be a victim of a bully, you can ask them if they are
being teased at school, or ask more open-ended questions, such as ³What do you like
to do at recess?´ or ³Who do you sit with at lunch?´ Be open and listen to your child and
most of all utilize your instinct as a parent.

Children are most often bullied at school, usually on the playground or at lunchtime
when children are more likely to have minimal supervision, or it may occur in the
hallways between classes or on the school bus. In any situation, the better supervised
children are, the less likely that bullying will occur.Role playing on how to deal with
verbal and physical bullying is taught in classes at
c c c
 in
Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Virginia.

Children who are bullies may have problems with low self-esteem, but newer theories
argue that bullies are driven more by a desire to have power over others and to be ³in
control´because they have poor self-esteem and that they have little empathy for their
victims. They may also be aggressive, bossy, controlling, have a low level of self
control, and have difficulty making friends. Bullies are also more likely to develop
criminal behaviors as adults. Characteristics such as these are not accepted or healthy
in any community.
c c c
 teaches how to strategically
recognize, manage and deal with such improper behavior.

While this may help you understand why a bully acts the way they do, this doesn¶t
necessarily help your child deal with the problem when it occurs.
c c
 c
 coffers classes that deal directly with these concerns. Things that you
should avoid include teaching your child to fight back, since they may get hurt and it
may also get him/her in trouble at school. We need to teach our children to be assertive
and to show self-confidence at all times. Interact socially, and become a user of quality
life skills that will protect them from becoming a victim.

Parents often turn to enrolling their children in a martial arts program, and while this can
be helpful to build their self-esteem and help them be more assertive, the goal of taking
the classes should not be so that he/she can fight back but to instill confidence and
enhance their self-esteem.
c c c
 teaches two levels of Anti-
Bullying, Level I is ³Safe Defense´ through quality life skills they learn the « ³Don¶t Be A
Target´ program. First and foremost they need to demonstrate and hold themselves in a
manner that is not one that bullies see as a target. Second, they learn ³Self Defense´
through verbal practice and physical drills and skills students become aware of how a
bully may attack them as an individual.

It may also help to talk with school officials about the problem (so that they can better
supervise your child, observe the bully and intervene when necessary) and teach your
child not to respond too strongly to the bully (either by crying or giving in to demands),
because the bully is more likely to continue bullying your child if he/she knows that they
will get a response.

Schedule a meeting between the parents of the children involved and school officials so
everyone is aware and the potential and harmful threat may be dealt with.

c c c
 can teach your child to walk away (but while staying calm
and not running), tell the bully to stop and leave him/her alone, or to use humor and
come up with a good comeback when a bully teases him/her. It can also help if your
child has high self-esteem and if he/she has some strong friendships, so that he/she is
less of a target. Teaching your child to make eye contact with others (especially the
bully) and to talk with a strong voice may also help. Role playing situations where
he/she is bullied may be helpful in teaching how to respond.

It is also important for the bully to understand that bullying is not acceptable and will not
be tolerated. If the bullying behavior or other aggressive behaviors persist, then he/she
may need to speak with a trusted adult like a family member, friend or even their martial
arts instructor as a mentor.

No one should ever become a Target or Victim in life. CLMA takes bullying serious and
stands to protect the youth within the community. STAND UP & STAND PROUD!

c c

c c
 has 5 locations in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.
For a location near you please call 757-471-9002. ATA Martial Arts offers a 3 Day Anti-
Bullying Confidence Course to help children understand the consequences of bullying
and being bullied. Call an academy near you to enroll now!