It’s impossible for a teacher to know for sure whether someone is getting bullied. But there are signs that might suggest a person’s being bullied. These include when someone:
•becomes aggressive and unreasonable
•starts getting into fights
•refuses to talk about what is wrong
•school grades begin to fall.
Sometimes signs of bullying can be less obvious. These include when:
•a student is often alone or excluded from friendship groups at school
•a student is a frequent target for teasing, mimicking or ridicule at school
•there’s a change in the student's ability or willingness to speak up in class and appears insecure or frightened
Some signs a parent might report include their child:
•not wanting to go to school
•changing their method or route to school or being frightened of walking to school
•changing their sleep patterns
•changing their eating patterns
•crying, being angry and having mood swings
•having unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches
•having missing or damaged belongings or clothes
•arriving home hungry
When confronting the bullying issue, there are do’s and don’ts. We’ve listed some guidelines to help teachers act in the right way and the bully and victim.

THE DO's:

Stop the bullying immediately.
Stand between the bullied student and the bully/ies, blocking eye contact. Don't send any bystanders away. To avoid escalating the tension, it’s important to wait until later to sort out the facts. Talk to both sides of the argument involved separately once they are calm.

Refer to school rules regarding bullying.
Speak clearly when you describe what you heard or saw. Let all students know bullying is always unacceptable.

Support the bullied child.
Make sure you have all the facts before supporting who you think is the victim. Do this in a way that allows him or her dignity and to feel safe from retaliation. Make a point to see the child later in private if he or she is upset. Increase supervision to assure bullying is not repeated.

Offer guidance to bystanders.
Let them know how they should properly intervene or get help. Tell them you noticed their inaction or that you're pleased with the way they tried to help.

Impose immediate consequences.
Wait until all parties have calmed down. Do not force the students involved to apologize or make amends that may be insincere. The consequences should be logical and connect to the offense. A first step could be taking away social privileges i.e. recess or lunch detention.

Notify colleagues and parents.
Let the bully know he or she is being watched.

Follow up and intervene as necessary.
Support the bullied child and the bully, enabling them to vent feelings and recognize their behaviour. The bully may need to learn new methods of using their power and influence in the classroom.

THE DON'Ts:

Do not confuse bullying with conflict.
Bullying is a form of victimization, and addressing it as a "conflict" downplays the seriousness of the effects. Make sure you send the message that "no one deserves to be bullied," and let the bully know the behaviour is completely inappropriate.

Do not use peer mediation.
It can be very upsetting for a child who has been bullied to face his or her tormentor in mediation. Giving both students an equal voice can empower the bully and make the bullied student feel worse. There is no evidence that peer mediation is effective in stopping bullying.

Do not use group treatment for bullies.
Some schools use therapeutic strategies such as anger management, skill-building, empathy-building and self-esteem building to reach the bully. In practice, group members can actually reinforce each-others' bullying and anti-social behaviour.