What To Do About Bullying In The Schools: Exploring Possible Options the Schools Can Take
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As we have seen, bullying in the schools is a prevalent problem. It can be in any grade level, however, there seems to be more reports of bullying in the middle school and high school realms. We have also seen the long term & permanent effects that bullying can have on the victims and those who have been exposed to it as witnesses, family members and school staff. It is a problem we no longer can ignore or turn our backs on. Every child is important and we need to take measures to help them, including the victim and the bully.
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So what can schools and parents do to help tamp down the incidents of bullying in the school? I’ve read many posts and learned of various ways that schools have implemented anti-bullying measures which I will share here. In the post Reolink (https://reolink.com/how-to-stop-bullying-in-schools), they suggest that in order to reduce or stop bullying, schools should:
Take Bullying in Schools Seriously: In the article they found out that 38% of the students believed that their school or college didn’t take bullying as a serious issue. In many bullying cases, the victim tended to hide the fact that they were bullied, partly because of the schools stance. It was suggested that teachers and principals should engage students daily and initiate open conversations with them.
See Bullying, Stop Bullying: This article felt that if bullying is witnessed, staff should intervene. It was felt that they should not take the attitude that “kids will be kids” or “it is not a big deal”. But it is unfortunate that 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and only about 4% intervene. This is unfortunate because most bullies will stop when someone intervenes.
Make Strict Anti-Bullying Policy in Schools: It is felt that schools and local government should make strict anti-bullying school policies/laws. If such laws were implemented, it is felt that the bullying would decrease because of the fear of punishment. The article went on to say that posting anti-bullying posters/pictures/slogans around the school campus to increase student awareness of the stop-bullying campaign may also help.
Install Security Camera Systems to Monitor Bullying in Schools: With security cameras placed around the schools, administrators would no longer have to rely on student reports of bullying problems. Just the knowledge of surveillance will help to deter attempts at bullying.
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In another article at Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-raise-happy-cooperative-child/201212/7-ways-schools-can-prevent-bullying) written by Meri Wallace, LCSW, it was believed that schools need to take a greater role in dealing with bullying issues. She went on to say that schools were in a better position to provide more protection and support to both student and parents. Ms. Wallace gave seven ways school can prevent bullying:
The school should provide as part of its curriculum, education about identifying bullying language and actions, to the students and also at the same time teach positive communication skills. This would facilitate a more positive school environment.
The school should have an established system for students to report cases of being bullied, anonymously, if necessary and get help immediately. She felt that a counselor and other professionals should meet with the children involved with their families to find a solution.
A classroom discussion about the motivation and effects of bullying should be carried out to sensitize students to bullying and to promote self-awareness. They need to understand the nature of bullying and its impact. Ms. Wallace went on to say that with this education, children can be helped to make better, more positive choices and to become partners with the school in eliminating bullying.
Professionals should teach children skills for handling bullies through role-playing or other effective techniques like writing a play about different scenarios of bullying. Children should act out both parts of victim and bully. This gives the children more tangible understanding of bullying.
A school wide event should take place that focuses on bullying with the whole student body. Things like “Bully Awareness Tuesdays” can take place which involve activities in the classroom doing slogans to place on the wall. She also felt that a child reporting bullying should be rewarded.
There should be strong repercussions for bullying in the school and a zero tolerance for any bullying behavior. Bullying is now an illegal offense. Ms. Wallace felt that there should be an official investigation to get to the bottom of the cause, discussions with involved families and determine if there are any family problems to ensure that no bullying is going on at home.
If the school has no support system in place, the parent’s association should lobby for the development of one.
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Finally in another article by Babble (https://www.babble.com/kid/stop-bullying-prevent-facts-back-to-school-guide), written by Jillian Capewell, stated that because there has been a rise in media coverage on school bullying and its unfortunate consequences, she felt that the nation has changed its tune about bullying. There are now no-tolerance policies on continued harassment at schools, workplaces and online social networks. Due to an increase in suicides of victims of bullying, there has been a spike in anti-bullying legislation. Even the Health Resources and Services Administration now runs a child-friendly interactive website called “Stop Bullying Now!“ in an effort to restrain peer-to-peer harassment. Even the government has devoted funds to the National Center for Bullying Prevention which runs awareness programs aimed at students to prevent and stop the practice of bullying.
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Even with all these efforts, bullying continues. We still need to strive to decrease the number of bullying cases and provide the necessary help to all victims and perpetrators. Every child is important and hopefully we can get to the root of what causes all these situations. We need to continue to educate the children, teachers, school staff and parents. Awareness of what bullying is should be instilled in everyone so that everyone can play a role in stopping bullying. We all need to work together and especially we need to maintain all channels of communication open. Increasing awareness and focus on this situation can help tamp down this disturbing trend of intimidation and fear. Let’s work together to stamp out bullying!
by labeling it a 'rite of passage' and by asking students to simply 'get over it.'
Those attitudes need to change.
Every day, students are bullied into silence
and are afraid to speak up.
Let's break this silence and end school bullying."
-Linda Sanchez
I was planning to let this be the final article in this bullying series but I decided it was very important to do a final one that addresses the parents. So my next article will be about what parents must do to help their children. I hope you will join me for the final post on Bullying.
Thank-you for reading my post. It is much appreciated! If you would like to follow me, please check HERE
Beautiful post @cabbagepatch, enjoyed reading it from begin to end, thanks
Dear @bubke, I deeply appreciate your comments and support. I also am grateful that you read my post. Bullying in the schools need to be stopped because I truly believe that all children's lives matter. My wish is to have a more peaceful and loving world where people can be free and live in harmony. Children need to grow up in a safe and happy environment.
You have always had such sage and wise advice and comments. You are a person of deeply rooted values and very grounded. From the very start I always appreciated your point of view. I wish you well and send very positive energy to you and the eco-Train group. Thank-you again, Bubke, for your support and kindness! :D
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Very good information you have there @cabbagepatch Steemit teachers must be aware of this.
I will feature this to my blog. Thank you!
Thank-you so much @steemitdigest for your support, comments and being featured on your blog. I feel very passionate about bullying because of a close friend. Children of bullying suffer into adulthood and I want there to be more awareness of this horrible crime against all children. Thank-you so much for helping me to spread the word about bullying. It is deeply appreciated!!! :D
This post has received a 1.56 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @banjo.
cabbagepatch you have really touched a spot here that is so important. We are really inclined to forget about this, my husband says this is really a problem in schools. He use to give everyone that was involved to tell their side of the story and I still think it funny as he then left them in his office with a tape recorder on. The kids then would talk among each other with no grownup present. This will always bring the true story out. They never knew but he said it helped him so much to get to the truth.
Dear @bigbear, thank-you so much for your deeply felt comments! Your husband is such a very wise man. Doing what he did with the tape recorder and leaving the children to talk was a wonderful idea. Finding out the truth is so important and getting both sides is even more important. I think you should tap in on your husband's wonderful experiences and write about it on Steemit. Having so much interaction with children in his position would really help others. We learn from history.
I also am writing this series because I had a friend who was bullied and feel that we all need to face the reality that children's lives are impacted so negatively from their experiences of being a victim or the bully and we need to stop this cycle of fear and intimidation. Again, thank-you for your wonderful comments and support! It is humbly appreciated!...... Cabbagepatch :D
Excellent post - I just cannot understand that people can stand by and watch or ignore bullying - is it not a logical thing to stop it? Resteeming
Dear @anneke, I can't understand that either. My daughter had said that, unfortunately, here in the US, there is an attitude among many of exceptionalism. In certain parts of the US, the traditions are old and so the cycle keeps going on. But with increased awareness, hopefully things will eventually get better.
Thank-you so much for your very insightful words. I truly appreciate it! Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! ...... Cabbagepatch! :D