Jack was nervous about going to school. He knew that Victor was going to use his new hair cut as another opportunity to tear him down. Yesterday it had been his Toy Story lunch box, today it would be his haircut and tomorrow would be something else out of his control. Jack had already told his mum he was feeling sick and didn’t want to go to school. But after reading his temperature Jack’s mum insisted that he was fine and they were on their way to school. Another day of suffering to get through, Jack hated school.’ Perhaps you can picture a scenario like this? What should be our response? As teachers and parents how can we work towards creating a safe and positive environment within our schools and reduce the impacts of bullying.
Schools must provide a safe and secure environment for all students. This means that teachers must actively address any types of bullying within a school community. All students have the right to feel safe, respected and included within a school. A whole school approach which engenders collective responsibility is important for effective management in preventing and reducing bullying. Promotion of a positive school environment supports student wellbeing whilst also encouraging positive relationships between students. ‘Bullying No Way’ is a website is a fantastic resource for teachers, students and parents with lots of resources and strategies which can be used in schools. Below are six steps towards creating a positive school culture by minimising bulling within a school.
1. Accept: No school is exempt from the effects of bullying. It is important to accept the presence of bulling rather than having a ‘zero tolerance’ approach as it is unrealistic to ‘stamp out’ bullying in any school environment.
2. Define: The definition of bullying is repeated, intentional behaviour that causes physical hurt or emotional pain. Bullying will often reflect a real or perceived power imbalance. There are many forms of bullying including physical and emotional, face to face and online. Bulling also extends beyond the classroom and immediate grounds of the school.
3. Equip: Provide students with strategies to deal with bullying behaviour. For example:
All students will benefit from education about bullying behaviour, so they are able to identify if and when they are being bullied. This is particularly important for cyber bullying as it is often conceal and extends outside of school.
4. Intervene: Consequences for students engaging in bullying behaviour should be clearly communicated and followed through in a timely fashion. The focus should be on restoration of relationship and understanding the impact of actions and words which are deliberately hurtful. Students should be educated on the ongoing sense of responsibility to treat others fairly and with kindness. When necessary stronger consequences should be pursued to protect the safety of the victim.
5. Document: Accurate and thorough documentation of events is critical to identify patterns and have an adequate history of bullying behaviour or victim experience. This must include email correspondence, anecdotal records from observation, parent teacher interviews and alike.
6. Educate: Student, staff and parent education is so important. Parents and students need to know that bullying is not a natural part of growing up and is not something to be endured in order to develop character. However, it is important to acknowledge that bullying ongoing, repeated behaviour causing physical and emotional pain, rather than a one off event. School wide slogans or catchphrases can be helpful in creating a whole school approach. For example ‘Be a buddy not a bully’ ‘Bullying stops with me’ and ‘Stop bullying now, stand up and speak up’.
Question for you: What tips do you use to manage bullying?
