3 Things Teachers Can Do to Prevent Bullying
If you are a teacher at school, this article is for you. Bullying in schools is an important, serious topic. Since you are at the front lines in schools, you are in the best position to help solve the problem. But how?
I’m school assembly presenter Michael Kirschner. For the last ten-plus years, I’ve delivered my important bully prevention assembly “Abracabully” to schools in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and surrounding areas. Teachers praise my ability to communicate important topics to children in a fun way.
Let’s dive into this important school topic. How can you prevent bullying in your school? Your school likely has protocols in place to handle the problem. If not, you may find the suggestions and ideas below interesting.
Bullying in School Prevention Tip #1: Beware ‘Gateway’ Behavior
Do you have challenging students in your class? Chances are that the answer is a whopping yes! To prevent bullying behavior, you can step in when these kids exhibit what is called ‘gateway’ behavior. Yes, you’ve already got a ton on your plate, and you may not be able to spot the following behaviors all of the time. But when you do, correcting these behaviors may help prevent a ‘slippery slope’ of inappropriate behavior.
EYES: Watch out for eye-rolling in class. Also, take note if one child is staring for long periods at another child.
LAUGHTER: Do some kids laugh at others? Are they laughing at mistakes made by another student? Or are they laughing at physical attributes? Most troubling, are they encouraging other kids to laugh at one another?
STALKING: Do some of your more challenging students follow, spy, or stalk another child? They may be waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Watching for these behaviors may help you ferret out a potential bullying encounter before it happens.
Bullying in School Prevention Tip #2: Create a Connection
Humans are by nature social creatures. Most of us crave interaction with others on some level. We can use that to help prevent bullying. Work to create a feeling of connectedness, of community, in your class. Encourage kids to open up and talk about their concerns.
Kids can also help each other. You can create ‘peer supervision’ for your kids. For instance, if you’re a fifth-grade teacher, encourage your students to watch out for and help younger students if they are having a problem on the playground, cafeteria, or wherever different grades may co-mingle.
Let your class know that it’s okay to come forward and say something. If students see bullying happening, they need to feel comfortable reporting it. Remind them that saying something is not tattling. You’re simply trying to keep everyone safe.
Bullying in School Prevention Tip #3: Bring Positive Energy to Class
Did you know there are teacher bullies? It’s true. And it’s something many school faculty don’t want to talk about. Whether it’s showing favoritism to more popular students or ridiculing other kids, some teachers display poor behavior themselves. studies have shown that many students feel bullied by school faculty or administrators.
If you see this in your school, reach out to supervisors. Find out what can be done. And keep positive energy when you go to class.
If you’re having a bad day, that negative energy could spill over into class. Because you are reading this article, it shows you care. And that caring means you have your students’ best interests in mind. But it’s sometimes human nature to bring our emotional baggage to work. If you are having a rough day, before you get to class, try a few quick stress-management tips to get out of a negative state.
Here is my favorite:
MENTAL VACATION: Do you have a favorite vacation spot? If so, use that to your advantage. Before you walk into your classroom, take just a minute to close your eyes. Imagine your perfect vacation. All of it, sights, sounds, feelings.
What we think about influences our emotions. Think about something that made you angry and poof! You feel angry. Thinking about your perfect vacation, even just for a minute, shifts your mental state. It may be enough to help you feel better before starting class.
Bully Prevention for Your School?
My fun-filled school assembly on bullying is titled “Abracabuly.” In it, I use jaw-dropping magic, Join-in fun, fascinating stories, and much more to captivate your students. They will leave the assembly energized. And they’ll even have ‘tools’ they can use to handle a bullying situation. Want to find out more? Contact me today.