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Watch-dog Organization - Advocating for Bullied Children
Why have an Education Week?
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BULLY PREVENTION EDUCATION WEEK September 9 - 15, 2007
“All members of our communities – parents,
educators, business leaders, concerned citizens – have a role to play in
addressing the needs of our children. It is only through concerned
community efforts that such senseless acts of violence will decline.”
(Ginny Markell, President, National PTA, March 5, 2001)
Make Bully Prevention Education a priority everyday of
the school year because…
“Research shows bullying and harassment, even in the
subtle (verbal, psychological, exclusion/social isolation) forms, may cause
life long difficulties, including mental health problems leading to substance
abuse, teen violence, suicide and accidental death related to increased
risk taking, retaliatory violence and future (possibly life-long) impairments
in work and family relationships (including domestic violence, child abuse,
and animal abuse).”
Jodi Richardson, Arizona, Licensed Clinical Social
Worker
What Can Be Done?
Some of the things we must do as educators and parents
are to:
Have a plan of action to educate students and communities
about bullying
Select programs to teach about the consequences of bullying
Prepare students to react and take action when they see bullying
Focus attention on good behavior – Seize the teaching moments
Teach that bullying will not be tolerated
Be consistent, persistent and diligent in the resolve to
stop bullying – raise the awareness that it won’t be tolerated.
Teach victims of bullying that they have the power to empower
themselves, and
Teach bullies that they have the power to change, thus empowering
themselves
PREVENTION is the KEY!
Creating a violence prevention and response plan can lessen
bullying behavior. A team must be formed that can ensure implementation
of the plan.
This plan should include:
Administering an anonymous questionnaire survey – this can
help determine the nature and extent of bully/victim problems in the school.
The definition of bullying
Prevention Education
Ways for students to safely report trouble behaviors that
may lead to dangerous situations.
Bully Prevention Education Week IDEAS from Ed Week, September 10 - 16, 2006
Bully Police USA has outlined ideas for Bully Prevention
Education Week. Educators, students, and parents will find this information
to be quite helpful in raising the awareness about bullies and victims.
These ideas have been submitted by individuals such as
bullied survivors, parents who have children who have been bullied, clinical
professionals, and educators. While there are many programs that
are being used in some schools/districts, we hope that regardless of where
you are at in developing or refining your school/district program, you
will find these suggestions helpful.
Read books on school bullying and discuss them in class.
Poster competitions, debates, listening to former young and
older victims, listening to workplace bullying stories, dramas are good.
Provide books, websites and psychologist/clinics who can
help because schools can’t do everything and children need to learn skills.
Submitted by: R,Todd,Arizona
Raise the awareness about bullying by inviting a special
guest to speak on bullying. (police officer, mascot from a local business
or sports team, victim of bullying, someone from experience on the subject
of bullying, etc.) to talk to the students on bullying. This
can be done in the classroom, as a school wide assembly, or a school sponsored
evening event (potluck) inviting parents and students.
Role Play/Discussions – teach students the difference between
tattling and telling (let the kids define) (i.e. Tattling is not bad, it
is showing compassion for the victim)
Establish a “caring community” in which everyone looks out
for and sticks up for everyone else.
Form “Peer Help” - trained individuals/groups that
victims can turn to for support
Create and review in each classroom Bully Policy/Rules and
also include:
* Make bullies aware that they are being watched.
* General class discussion identifying consequences
for bullying
* Discuss ways students can help the victim
Teachers/Schools: Send home information with the students
relating to the prevention material that was covered.
Post on campus and include in the school paper reminders
on school bully policies, how to report a problem, and a phone number,
if available, to the district or state offices, of any bullying problem.
Submitted by: C. Sisk,Missouri
Plan a community event – such as a BBQ. Invite
government officials, kids, parents, and businesses.
Invite a speaker to talk about bullying. What it is.
How to recognize it. What to do when it occurs.
Submitted by Kristi
Write an essay or be a mentor for one who is being bullied
and see what they experience on a daily basis. The essay has to come
from spending a week with that person.
Submitted by L. Davidson, Michigan
Have all the students in the classroom draw a name out of
a hat and give each child a strip of paper. Whosoever name they draw
they have to write something that they like about that person on the strip
of paper-along with the name of the child that is intended for. No
need to sign (authors) own name. The teacher/supervisor should read
the finished strips of paper to make sure the students followed through
with something nice and appropriate – maybe make this a 2-day project to
allow time to read the comments. This will show that everyone has
nice qualities. Follow up with a discussion about the need to look for
the good in people.
Submitted by D. Sparks, Virginia
Prepare or purchase posters advertising anti-bully zones
or addressing what bullying is and how children can help eliminate it.
Prepare and distribute “Anti Bullying Pledges” that must
be signed by each parent, child, and school administrator.
Begin each school day with a poem, or reading, addressing
bullying and/or how to respect others.
Submitted by K. Noll & Dr. J. Carter
Authors, “Taking the Bully by the Horns”
Teach kids the skills they need to handle bullies and feel
good about themselves (self-esteem/life skills)
Teach kids better social kids. There are certain kids who
are more likely to be bullied, such as kids with poor social skills.
"Talking it out” will help prevent bullying. Child to Child
(Peer Mediation); Teacher to Parent (PTO’s, PTA’s, Teacher to Teacher (in
service days), Parent to Child (at home) There should be town meetings
involving the parents, students, and entire school faculty to discuss Conflict
Resolution.
Teach kids to understand the cause and effect of bullying
– how it feels.
Parents need to get more involved in their children’s lives
– promote honesty, ask questions, listen with an open mind and focus on
understanding, allow children to express how they feel, treat a child’s
feelings with respect.
Make “Pledge Hands” – Students make paper cut outs of their
hand prints and write nonviolent messages on them. For example, “I will
not use my hands or words for hurting.” The “Pledge Hands” will serve
as a visual reminder that together they can make a difference.
Promote a white out day – Students wear as much white as
possible to symbolize peace.
Promote a unity day – Students ware their school colors.
Promote a school pride day – The school may want to put up
a peace flag outside on the days when there is no conflict in the school.
This promotes a pride in the school, and teaches them that even one persons
actions can have consequences that affect everyone.
Submitted by J. Pape
Make sure the victim knows whom they can go to when they
are bullied.
"Education is the key to every successful action we
achieve in our individual lives, but when a group is educated, they gain
synergy in a powerful movement. Communities, teachers, parents and
students must build a consistent, planned program to educate schools and
classrooms about the dangers of bullying because all children deserve to
go to school to learn in a peaceful and safe environment."
Brenda High, Founder, Co-Director Bully Police USA
Bully Police USA challenges all who wish to make a difference, for
the one child, or the many children, being bullied, to participate in BULLYING
PREVENTION EDUCATION WEEK ~ September 10 - 16, 2006.
First State to officially declare September 10 - 16,
2006 as Bullying Prevention Ed Week through Proclamation as Bullying
Awareness Week is - IDAHO
Definitions:
SCHOOL BULLY
- from the Victim's point of view
Refusal (not inability) to think rationally about themselves
and others
Small scale Terrorist, with behavior mostly taking place
during school time
Justifies harmful activities towards others with self psychological
excuses ("I want to appear tough and in control")
Enjoys enforcing power on others and causing extreme fear
Over-bearing person who tyrannizes the non-violent and physically
less strong
To rule by intimidation, terror
Threatens or acts violence on others
(The only differences between
a terrorist and a bully, is in the organized planning or cause of the activity,
and the scale of terror. A bullied child will believe that there
is no difference between a terrorist and a bully, given the above definitions.)
90% of students felt being bullied
caused social, emotional, or academic problems. (Studies show, both bullies
& victims have problems later in life because of bullying.
69% of students believe schools respond
poorly to reports of bullying.
Three out of four students report that
they have been bullied.
Each month over 250,000 students report
being physically attacked.
The five worst States for bullying,
according to Surveys,
are: (46) Connecticut, (47) Maine, (48) Washington, (49) Montana &
(50) New Hampshire.
The five worst States, according
to
population,
student enrollment and Dan Olweus, Ph.D., Study Percentages (1982-3) are:
(46) Illinois, (47) Florida, (48) New York, (49) Texas & (50) California.
