I am Jack - a book about bullying

Presenter: Eoin Cameron Bullying and Jack

Everyday kids are bullied in schools and playgrounds and their confidence and self esteem suffers as a result. Susanne Gervay is the author of a book called I Am Jack which shows kids how they can win against bullies.

Susanne is an expert in child growth and development. Her book is being trialled in a school in New South Wales. Recently Susanne visited a number of schools in Western Australia to share her experiences.

Susanne says she thought she knew it all - because of her profession - and then she discovered her son was being bullied.

She realised what a secretive thing bullying is. She found out her son was being bullied after another parent told her about it and when she confronted her son he finally broke down and told her.

Susanne says bullying is all about power and it often starts as a stupid joke that gets out of control. The kids don't want to destroy the victim but they can't seem to stop. It's all about isolating the kid.

With boys it can be more physical than girls and the school day becomes an exercise in survival.

The most dangerous times are before school, break times and after school. Her son learnt survival techniques like arriving late for school because even though he knew the teacher would yell at him - he knew that the teacher wouldn't physically hurt him.

One day he came home and said to his mum that he had found the best place in the school - the library. Susanne thought she'd given birth to a genius but her son was just trying to find a place of safety.

Turning it around was the most amazing experience, says Susanne. Once he told her about the bullying he activated his main advocate - his mother. She then told the school which for the child can be the greatest fear - as they are scared of repercussions from the other kids.

It is never one child doing the bullying. It's usually a culture within the school.

The school told Susan to butt out and leave it to the school. Then the teacher would meet with Jack every day before school - building the trust between them. In the meantime, the school instituted an anti-bullying program with her son in the centre.

I Am Jack was written for both kids who bully and who are bullied (in other words most kids) and it helps them understand how bullying happens and the effect it has on the kid being isolated.

Most kids will have been bullied at some stage or may have been the bully - and that doesn't mean that kids are bad, says Susanne - it just means they've been involved in this power struggle.

I Am Jack is published by Angus and Robertson and is available in most bookstores.

Susanne Gervay

(Audio in RealMedia format) | Requires RealPlayer
Duration: 8.13 minutes

As heard on 720 Breakfast.
www.abc.net.au/perth/stories/s1443845.htm