7 Ways to Curtail Bullying at Schools

7 Ways to Curtail Bullying at Schools because over the last few years, bullying has become a major issue in schools across the US, and it needs to be dealt with promptly. However, it’s not as easy as it seems. It requires the school authorities, teachers, parents, and students themselves to band against this issue. Did you know? More than one out of five students have faced bullying in their lives, and as a result of being a victim of bullying, some of these students may carry scars for the rest of their lives. They may get depressed, suffer from PTSD or even commit suicide which is also known as bullycide.

The act of bullying has often been carried out solely based on hatred or dislike against an individual’s ethnicity or physical appearance, and religion. One such act of horrifying bullying was depicted in the American TV series 13 Reasons Why. As a result, most schools have now opted to issue laws that severely punish bullies.

Here’s how you can contribute to making the school a safe environment:

School Climate

starting with the school environment. Teachers and school authorities play an important role in this. Teachers must emphasize from early on classes that every student much opts for a positive attitude towards the rest of their classmates. Encourage them to greet each other warmly first thing in the morning. Teach them to be empathic towards one another’s issues and lend them an ear in stressful times. Furthermore, teach them to be inclusive and be mindful of other people and not just their classmates. The more you focus on building a positive environment where everyone is treated kindly and with respect, they’re likelier to pick up on it quickly.

Identify Gateway Behaviors and Warning Signs

Look, we know being a teacher is not easy, and you have a lot on your plate; however, it is your first and foremost duty to look after each student. Therefore, it is up to you to keep an eye on them discreetly and notice any changes in their behaviors. For instance, the tell-tale signs of bullies would include eye-rolling, name-calling, ridiculing a classmate; if you happen to be on the scene, you must intervene. But, on the other hand, if any of your students behave strangely, such as flinching upon touch or exhibit the slightest signs of bullying, you must take them aside and assure them that they can confide in you and talk to you.

Create awareness about bullying

Let your students know that help will be provided to them to those who asked for it, much like how Dumbledore says in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. essay writers UK suggest that you ought to hold seminars with the students to tell them how much they’d be wasting their life and time by indulging in such activities. Make it known to the bullies the consequences of their actions and how they will be punished by Law to the point of them rotting in jail for years. Let the victims know it’s never their fault, and they must find the courage to speak to someone about it; otherwise, bearing the torture alone can impact them psychologically and mentally.

Use creative ways to aware them

You can single out movies or dramas that deal with bullying appropriately and show it to your students. For example, highlight the wrong actions and how to react properly if a student does them wrong. Then, make them sit in a circle and share their thoughts on the watched movie. You can even assign them books to read and write a summary based on their understanding. Furthermore, another creative way could be to hold one-day events where they all participate in promoting “anti-bullying” by making posters and hanging them around the school.

Participate in Simulations

This might seem like too much trouble, but if proceeded with caution, this can be a fun-filled interactive idea. Have your class act out a bullying situation and guide them on what they need to do to escape. Perhaps, teach them a few beginner martial arts steps and how to protect themselves against bullies. Then, tell them about the alternative ways through which they can handle the conflict. However, make sure none of the students takes the “enacting” too far; otherwise, you’d have to deal with another problem. In fact, at the end of the activity, group them and assign them a task on how they’d get away from bullies.

Reward positive behavior, punish negative behavior

Make a chart that records the positive and negative behaviors of students. For a week of stars consisting of positive behavior reward them. If their negative behavior takes place in front of you, call them out on it politely and let them know what they did was wrong. Explain to them the importance of apologizing for their mistake. However, make sure you treat each student equally. If you show favoritism to one student, it can spark envy in other students and create problems for that one kid.

Due course of action

Now that you’ve made sure that your students can rely on you, it’s your job to hear out their concerns and insecurities. If they feel threatened or are bullied by a student, you must take due course of action and inform the school authorities. The bullies should know that this sort of treatment will not be tolerated on the school grounds and action must be taken against the instigators. School security should be upgraded to install cameras at the hotspots where most bullying incidents are reported. Not only that, but guards should also keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around the school premises.

So, these are the ways through which the school and teachers can play a hand at curbing bullying to a certain extent. Any assignment writing service uk would tell you that for a parent to entrust your precious kid to the school can be a huge responsibility, so it’s up to the school to keep their trust.