If the problem of bullying isn't addressed when children are young, little bullies grow up to be big bullies.
That was the message Dr. Sue Brady, Central High School principal, presented during a workshop at the third annual "Stopping Violence in Our Schools" conference Friday at Salt Lake Community College's South City Campus, 1575 S. State.
The National School Safety Center estimated there are 2.1 million bullies in the United States, said Brady. An estimated 160,000 children miss school everyday because they are afraid of being bullied in school.
Brady said there are four types of bullying: physical, verbal, sexual and emotional bullying. Schools generally see the biggest problem with bullying in grades two through eight, she said.
The reasons children become bullies are as varied as the children themselves, Brady said. But for a lot of them, it's simply their way of getting attention.
"I don't think they just wake up in the morning and say they're going to be bullies," Brady said.
This is where parents and teachers need to intervene, as well as other students. Children need to be taught to be accepting of each other and to be supportive of those who feel isolated, said Brady.
"Kids that are bullied become the Columbine (High School) kids," she said. "They feel powerless, so they come up with these horrible things to say, 'I'll show you.' "
Brady's workshop was one of more than two dozen offered to parents, teachers, students and law enforcers Friday. Other topics included warnings about raves and the increasing use of party drugs such as ecstasy.
The one-day conference was sponsored by the Utah Council for Crime Prevention.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com