>So, what do you tell your 11 year old, or otherwise do, when / if they get teased at school by several other kids?

Is your kid a boy or a girl? Are the other kids bigger/older?

Is the teasing mean-spirited or just fun?

If they can get away with it, ignore it or come up with good verbal responses.

If that doesn't or won't work, they need to get friends to help, teachers/parents to intervene, or take it out back.

Getting teachers/parents involved likely will create future problems. If friends can help, all the better.

If take it out back is the only realistic solution, then the kid needs to be able to handle himself (I don't have girls - probably not as viable a solution for them)..

My boys (one is 22, one is 9) both have learned to defend themselves physically. Taekwondo lessons plus less formal boxing.

My 9 yr old hasn't had to physically defend himself. The 22 yr old has (quite well, to the displeasure of at least one kid who was 3 years older and much bigger than him - we heard from his parents after he got home from the ER).

It stinks that kids have to go through teasing/bullying. It's just a fact of life though.