• Rude

    • Definition: Inadvertently saying or doing something that hurts someone else.
    • Example: Burping in someone's face, jumping ahead in line, bragging without thinking.
    • Characteristics: Usually spontaneous, not meant to hurt someone, based on thoughtlessness or poor manners.


    Appropriate Response    : Encourage students to use their words to tell the person to stop.

    Mean

    • Definition: Purposefully saying or doing something to hurt someone, usually once or twice.
    • Example: Criticizing appearance, intelligence, or anything to put someone down.
    • Characteristics: Intentional, often motivated by anger, impulsive cruelty, can be regretted later, could be a response to a spontaneous event.

    Appropriate Response: Share with an adult at school to get additional support with addressing/stopping this behavior. 

    Students need to be held accountable for being mean.

    Bullying

    • Definition: Intentionally aggressive behavior, repeated over time, involving an imbalance of power.
    • Example: Repeatedly saying or doing hurtful things with no remorse, often with a power imbalance.
    • Characteristics: Intentional, repeated, no regret, can be physical, verbal, relational, or through technology.
    • Bullying is done with a goal to hurt, harm or humiliate.
    • Bullying is wrong, and the focus should be on stopping it, not finding a middle ground.

    Appropriate Response: Share with an adult at school to get additional support with addressing/stopping this behavior. 

    There are many ways to report bullying. 

    Conflict

    • Definition: Disagreement or argument in which both sides express their views.
    • Example: A disagreement where both parties share their opinions or a situation where it was found that both parties participated in the incident.
    • Characteristics: Normal part of everyday experience, doesn't necessarily make someone feel unsafe.