Bullying always has been a terrible problem plaguing schools inAmerica and beyond, but it took a tragic epidemic of high-profile victimsuicides for anyone to actually care about curbing the issue. Now that peopleare finally beginning to realize that treating one another like garbage overpetty details might not be the best thing for students, parents and schooldistricts alike are formulating various strategies to put an end to themadness. Some are actually incredibly innovative, although some of the moretraditional methods boast their own benefits as well.
Infants, come to find out, can be useful for reasons other thanproducing poo and barf seemingly on command. Toronto-based Roots of Empathy andsimilar organizations have started introducing babies into classroom settingswith the hopes of encouraging students to build compassion. And so far, it'sactually yielded results — participants tend to loosen up and pay closerattention to lessons and each other, lessening bullying instances in theprocess.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Stop Bullyinginitiative printed up comic books to distribute to kids with the hopes ofshedding light on a serious issue. Other schools have run with the concept byasking students to write and draw scenes or stories of their own. Visualizingthe realities makes it easier for younger kids to recognize the problem andeither intervene or fetch a caring adult.
Similar to the comic book example, some schools have opted to showmovies such as The Bullying Project and foster discussionsbetween students, faculty, staff, and parents about the roots and solutions.More resourceful institutions might want to challenge kids — especially teens —to shoot short films of their own. Doing so will not only help bring forwardreal experiences and perceptions, but offer a sort of creative solace tobullying victims as well.
If babies are unavailable, try establishing (monitored!) programs wherestudents sit down with one another and simply talk. Areas with very diversedemographics could especially benefit from such exchanges, because culturalmisunderstandings and stereotypes do often feed into bullying situations. Inaddition, this structure can also be adapted into a peer counseling service,nurturing a sense of connection and community dissuading brutality.
Younger children with a preference for bright colors and engagingvisuals might benefit greatly from learning about the bullying problem viabulletin boards. Kits are available through various vendors, or teachers canput their design skills to good use with something more original. Involving thestudents themselves in the creation process will only add to the educationfactor, encouraging them to speak up while speaking out.
iPhone users suffering beneath a bully's grip now have the free A ThinLine app at their disposal — and those who do not own the smartphone enjoy thesame perks on the accompanying website. MTV sponsors this digital discussion byallowing kids and teens to share their own experiences with unwanted advancesand harassment. For the adults, they post numerous resources and questions tohelp them combat the serious issue at the authority level.
Pacer's KIDS AGAINST BULLYING program hosts puppet shows in schools asa means of teaching the younger set why bullying is unacceptable. Schoolswithout the funding or resources to bring the initiative to their students canstage their very own performances using what's on hand — or task students withwriting their own. Beyond puppetry, the same concept also works when presentedas a skit or short play.
Training students to serve as peer counselors and advocates bridgesgaps with the faculty and promotes greater understanding in the classroom.Pacer and other anti-bullying organizations burst with excellent suggestionsabout the best ways to nurture leadership and empathy skills needed to reachout the bullies and the bullied alike. After all, as the next innovationreveals, sometimes the perpetrators need intervention for more than just theirbehavior problems.
Many — not all — bullies lash out at their peers because of issues athome or within themselves, and the most effective schools realize they need asmuch (if not more) counseling than their victims. In Charleston, a partnershipbetween Alice Birney Middle School and Medical University of South Carolina hasstarted providing various psychological services for ill-behaved kids. Whencombined with a rigorous education regimen, their bullying rate decreased asmore and more students received the mental help needed to be a more productivecitizen.
Another fruitful partnership that quelled the bullying issueunderstandably involves anti-violence shelters and schools themselves. InAustin, SafePlace, which serves as a shelter for victims of rape, sexualassault, and domestic abuse, and a half-dozen public elementary schools teamedup for a CDC- and University of Texas-sponsored program dubbed Expect Respect.Unlike many other initiatives, it focuses on bullying in its myriad forms,comparing and contrasting instances on and off campus.
No matter how many peers end up with counseling and advocacy training,it's up to adults to properly discipline kids who bully. Any school hoping tocurb instances of harassment, even assault, must absolutely ensure thatparents, faculty, and staff all understand the signs of a perpetrator and avictim as well as proper intervention techniques. They also must make sure toalways be available when witnesses and the bullied both need immediateassistance.
In order to ensure the best possible peer and adult interventionstrategies, the best place to turn for advice is the student body itself. Notonly will this foster a closer school community by making kids feel appreciatedand important, it also means updated information regarding their most pressingconcerns. Adults are always inevitably a step or two behind youth culture;putting forth the effort to "get it" will make a world of difference.
The best educations blend the usual academic subjects with lessons indisplaying a strong ethical fiber. Unfortunately, that's not found in many schools.Your Environment Inc., one of many programs addressing this disparity,succeeded by incorporating parents and the surrounding community into the mix.Bullying impacts far, far more than just the kids involved, so making sure theneighborhood understands the details ensures a safer space.
Asking students to regularly journal their thoughts and experienceswill not make bullying disappear, but it can supplement other activities quiteadroitly. Ones not meant for peer editing or sharing will especially grant thema relatively comfortable venue through which they can channel their anxieties.Accomplishing this, however, requires a comfortable classroom where studentsknow they might express themselves without negative repercussions.
Since so many education experts and parents point their fingers atviolence on television as one of the many pop culture phenomena responsible forbullying, it seems almost counterintuitive that they'd voluntarily pair offwith an organization they often decry. Creative Coalition, National EducationAssociation, and Health Information hooked up with World WrestlingEntertainment for the Be a STAR program, meant to encourage positivity in theclassroom and beyond. Developers believe that delineating between the real andthe staged will provide a better point of reference for students hoping to usefists over discussions when solving differences.
Not only are creative pursuits excellent strategies for preventingbullying from the top down, it also empowers students to feel more confidentand expressive — tools needed to combat verbal, physical, and sexual violence.In Montgomery County, Maryland, in-school and after-school arts programs areintended to nurture positive traits and, in turn, healthier, happier campuses.Because they launched in the 2011-2012 school year, the actual results have yetto start trickling their way through.
Old-fashioned, yes, but still an effective strategy for facilitatingdiscussions about bullying and other serious campus issues. Depending on theirneeds and resources, schools can either bring in outside presenters or stagetheir own addressing specific student needs. Just make sure programming doesn'ttalk down to kids or focus more on "edginess" over education.
Middle schoolers, for better or worse, do look up to high schoolers foradvice and insight about trends and attitudes. Some districts have takenadvantage of this natural phenomenon by asking older kids to either mentor orproduce materials (such as PSAs) for their eventual successors. Instead ofturning toward outside sources, they reinforce their own communities byaddressing specific problems and channeling any unique cultural quirks.
Start teaching students about the dangers of bullying earlier throughcatchy tunes, such as this Pacer Center album with contributions by BlueOctober and other musicians and poets. Music serves as an excellent mnemonicwhen learning about the alphabet, shapes, numbers, and other subjects, so itmakes perfect sense that elementary school students could soak up sociallessons the exact same way. Consider this or other compilations or stokecreativity by challenging kids to pen their own jaunty songs about how to notbe horrible to one another.
The whole "babies in the classroom" strategy is only oneelement in a broader movement toward "empathy education." Similar tocharacter education, these lessons emphasize compassion with the goal oflessening bullying through love and mutual understanding. Such teachings eitherhappen in the classroom, through special sessions, or via after-schoolprograms.
Contacts and sources:
Rosa Ray
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