In the 1950s a survey of American high school teachers asked what were teachers' greatest concern about their students. The answer given most frequently back then was chewing gum. Today bullying would rank if not at the top, certainly near the top for all grade levels from preschool through high school. It is a major problem plaguing our schools throughout our country.
Bullying is any action to hurt or intimidate someone else deliberately and often repeatedly. These actions can be overt or subtle and even done anonymously over the Internet. I strongly urge every school and each teacher to make this your number one priority in starting off the school year.
The first day of school I ask students to identify any type of bullying behavior. This initial writing assignment is to describe either being the victim of bullying or witnessing someone else being bullied. Students are instructed not to include any names either of the victims or perpetrators. I never had a single student ever at a lost for words, and usually the total list I receive back from my class exceeds 50 separate behaviors, expressing a wide spectrum of unacceptable conduct.
These compositions often reveal one overwhelmingly alarming fact: victims felt that no one cared and no one would take any action to assist them. Victims frequently felt adults would blame them. In addition, the students that identified themselves as bystanders either did not know what to do or believed they too would become a target of bullying.
Although not part of this writing assignment, many students identified as a bully claimed that their actions were not really bullying. They were confronted with the concept that if the other person believes it is bullying, then, in fact, it is an improper act by the perpetrator.
In my classroom experience, I’ve found that often I can turn a bully into a class leader. The metamorphosis occurs when students are taught how to suggest alternative ways to accomplish their immediate goal. Once armed with proper ways of communicating in a situation where all sides have an opportunity to express their thoughts, most incidents of bullying melt away.
A subtler act of bullying is shunning another student or students. The act to isolate an individual can be at times crueler than more overt acts of bullying. During the school years, groups of students work on various school projects. The ostracized student is included in the group of usually four students. The students are judged and graded not only on the results of their efforts but also on how well they work together. I also encourage the student leaders in my class to reach out and include the alienated student.
Beyond using group work to address bullying, I (from day one) put forth a simple set of rules. In addressing my class, it is made clear that the teacher will be consistent and fair. First time offenders (depending on the severity of the deed) will merely be required to offer an apology but are given a warning. Future misbehavior whether similar in action to their “first offense” or something else involving a different victim will results in consequences ranging from making an anti-bullying poster to
My students are taught to avoid people who bully. Walk away from an act of bullying. Seek out friends and most of all tell someone. In my class students are encouraged to inform me. Quickly, they learn that this is not snitching but a way to create a more harmonious classroom environment. Almost always the alleged bully (after a firm but gentle private discussion) is willing to cease any further acts of torment.
By simply having students understand what are the various acts of bullying and that their teacher will not tolerate these actions during a given school year, acts of bullying are almost eradicated. I have had students come back and tell me that they never felt safer, that they truly understand how to work in groups and maybe most importantly of all, how to act like a caring leader. •