Articles

The majority of teens will be together with hundreds of other teenagers when they come back to school. The bad news is that teasing will also return when they come back to school. Teasing is defined as ridiculing or otherwise harassing another person, with or without intent to humiliate. Teasing can go beyond the merely embarrassing to something truly nasty.

One book that has helped many families with the issues teasing leads to is "Easing the Teasing" by Judy S. Freedman. The book's focus is entirely on how parents can help their children deal with the problems that teasing can bring. Many of the coping mechanisms outlined in this book are effective for teenaged children, so we strongly recommend that parents of teenagers consult this book. Freedman describes her strategies well enough that this article does not need to elaborate on them. This article is instead intended to make it clear to parents that teasing is a real problem that schools need to deal with for their children's sake. From this understanding it is hoped that parents will be are more able to work collaboratively with their teen and school personnel should a problem arise.

Due to the differing sizes of elementary and secondary schools, it can generally be asserted that during the elementary school years there is more of a 'handle' on teasing than in secondary schools. This does not mean that teasing difficulties cannot be dealt with well by secondary schools. Secondary schools may have guest speakers and select teachers impress the required standards of behavior upon their students. Many schools electronically track student misbehavior, especially the more severe breaches of school rules. Many schools have meetings to discuss problems with students at each grade level- including grades, work habits, and behavioral problems. The most serious problem with trying to monitor teasing at secondary schools is the large number of students each teacher interacts with each day, making documenting and tracking all of those students' behavior almost impossible.

If their teenaged child's behavior changes or grades drop, parents should talk to their child's home room teacher and/or school counselor to discuss the problem. It is important to note that even if a student consistently earns good grades, all may not be going well for the young scholar; they may have other challenges at school. Because teens might try to hide a problem with teasing, parents need to be extremely vigilant in their observation, listening and conversation. Teasing is usually annoying, and often worse... sometimes much worse. Teasing is one of bullying's many forms. Teasing can lead to depression, eating disorders, and in extreme cases, self-harm and suicide. Experiencing harassment in this form - whether it is done 'playfully' or maliciously, is clearly a serious problem that must be dealt with.