10 Ways to Prevent Bullying

Public awareness groups, the media, parents and teachers have made significant strides in bringing attention to the harmful effects of bullying. As an educator, there are practical steps that can be taken to prevent such incidences from occurring at your school site.

1.      Teach anti-bullying. Most school districts have purchased character building materials to supplement the main curriculum for all grade levels. Unfortunately, with the pressures of producing better test scores, these materials tend to be set aside to concentrate on more academic subjects. Don’t! Find 15 minutes every day to foster an emotionally safe community.

2.      Switch up working groups in the classroom, allowing students to work with different personalities. Sometimes students just need a break from each other. Allowing students to learn how to deal with personalities that may not match their own is another benefit of rotating group partners.

3.      Give everyone a chance to be the lead of different projects, assignments and groups. Some students show natural leadership skills. Some children may just have dominant personalities. These students are often called upon by adults to hold positions of responsibility in group settings. Although these students can usually “get the job done”, it gives them the position of authority over the other students. When these students hold these positions more often than others, they have the tendency to assume an authoritative position at other times of the school day. Allowing other students, who may not be as trustworthy or competent, an opportunity to “be in charge” will not only build their self-confidence and acceptance, but allows the one with natural leadership skills to be “just one of the crowd”.

4.      Be vigilant; be aware. At times, educators can be so focused on teaching the curriculum they become oblivious to the classroom’s environment.

5.      Stop the bullying. Let’s face it; parents and teachers get tired of the name calling and tattle-telling children are prone to do. There is the temptation to ignore, and to turn a deaf ear to, the complaints. Every incident does not require a conference or a discipline report to be written. Every incident does require, however, an acknowledgement from the parent or teacher and appropriate action to be taken.

6.      Careful with siding with bullies. Remarks such as “He/she needs to toughen up”, or “Develop thicker skin” leaves the victim abandoned and the bully empowered.

7.      Conference with the offender and the offended. Instead of sending the students to the principal’s or counselor’s office to be dealt with, take time to talk with them. More often than not, the classroom teacher knows the students better than other school personnel. Often, the teacher is aware of other factors that may have caused the conflict to ensue. Set up a time to meet with the students at a time that would not interfere with instruction, let the students discuss their sides of the issue and help them find a resolution.

8.      Contact the parents to prevent any further incidences. It is important that the bully realize that no bullying will be tolerated. If they realize that such serious measures will be taken with the first offense, they may feel less inclined to perpetrate any other actions.

9.      Encourage the bully, the victim, and witness and/or instigators, to come together as a group to discuss issues that concern all of them, thus creating a safe environment for students to discuss the situation and other problems they might be facing.

10.  Be consistent with consequences. The worst thing you can do is send conflicting messages to students. If you say there is zero tolerance for bullying; enforce your policy with effect consequences that mitigates future acts of bullying.

Creating an environment that fosters emotional and physical safety is the responsibility of the educator and the parents. It is a task that we should not leave for the children to resolve. Without our vigilance and proactive stance against acts of bullying, children are left with the examples they see and learn in their urban communities. However, fostering an environment of safety and support can set in motion a movement that can revitalize the urban communities for the next generation.

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