Teachers: We Are the Students' First Line of Defense Against School Bullies

Approximately 1 in 3 students say they are bullied during the school year. Bullying takes many forms, both physical and verbal. Increasingly popular tactics for bullies are social isolation, racial and sexual harassment and cyber-bullying. Passive supporters of these school tormentors add to the problem. Teachers shouldn't be among them.

Victimized students become depressed. Their health and grades often suffer. Tragically, we are seeing a rise in related suicides as well. Even students who are not direct targets of the antagonists feel insecure and fearful at school Students need help in combating bullies, yet they often suffer silently. As teachers, we need to take a proactive role against the intimidating behaviors of school bullies.

Start from Day One

Some teachers believe that we should delve into subject matter immediately and not "waste time" on classroom management issues such as bullying. I disagree. If students are to feel safe in a classroom, they need to know how the teacher stands. I spend time at the onset of the year openly discussing bullying and harassment with the students. I emphasize that negative tactics will not be tolerated in my classroom. We discuss how most bullies operate behind the teacher's back, so students should see me privately or slip me a note if a situation develops. I want to convince the students right away that they can trust me.

Role-Play

Bullies typically pick on weaker students. I ask for a volunteer to sit in a chair in front of the room. I then start incessantly pulling at her shirt sleeve. Of course, the student repeatedly reacts, and the class laughs. Next, I ask the student to ignore my prodding. When I'm poking and pulling--yet getting no reaction--I announce, "I guess I'll go find someone else to pick on." The students get the point that bullies are looking for responses. If they don't find them, they go elsewhere.

Speak Directly

When a student is being singled out and made to feel uncomfortable, the teacher needs to intervene. One previous student I'll call Sam comes to mind. He was very intelligent-the only true 'genius' I've encountered as a teacher. The students were making fun of him because they had a hard time relating to him. I arranged with another teacher to call Sam out of class. I spoke frankly about Sam. I told the students that he was much smarter than any of us, including me. They giggled, but I assured them it wasn't a joke. I told them someday he might be the one to find a cure for cancer and we should appreciate him. The attitude toward Sam changed, and he was subsequently 'taken into the fold' by the other students.

Conduct Class Meetings

This is difficult to do in secondary classrooms, but when I taught elementary school, I had Friday class meetings. During the week, the boys and girls put topic suggestions and issues into a box on my desk. The students and I sat in a circle. We would then analyze the problems and devise solutions. The students experienced diminished anxiety just knowing they could look forward to these class meetings. Since we had such open communication, bullying tactics gradually lessened. The bullies knew their behaviors would end up on our meeting agenda.

Source:
Bullying Statistics: School Bullying

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