43
Beating the bully
Photo
Gallo (center) gave the children advice in how to diffuse a situation with friends. He reminded the children, however, to try and include the bully in their activities, as to not be bullies themselves.
Photo
Breaking the cycle of bullying is all about supporting each other. Here, half of the third-graders followed Gallo doing karate motions, while the other half cheered them along.
Photo
In a blink, Isabella Loew (right) had broken a board into three pieces with only her fist.
By SARAH FOOR
“What is a bully?” Matthew Gallo asked pointedly to Watson Elementary third-graders on Nov. 12.
After a thoughtful pause, Gallo continued, “Sure, pushing and shoving can be considered bullying, but did you know that meanly laughing at someone or ignoring someone is bullying too? Surprising, isn’t it?”
Gallo, a black belt karate instructor at Northeast Martial Arts Academy, focused his presentation not on fighting, but instead on how to break the circle of bullying.
To properly understand the process of bullying, Gallo focused his talk on types of bullying, why boys or girls bully, and why someone gets picked on, and taught the students how to protect themselves by using focus, respect and self-control.
“When I was picked on in school, I started taking karate,” Gallo explained. “The bullying stopped, but it had nothing to do with kicking or punching. It was me projecting confidence and stopping the cycle.”
During his talk, Gallo included many demonstrations and activities, including examples of non-combative stances for the children to use. As a treat, he allowed three students who were respectful and quiet during his presentation to break a board.
Isabella Loew broke her’s into three pieces.
“I can’t believe I actually did it,” she said afterward.