5 Topics Your Bully Prevention School Assembly Must Address
schools is a complex topic. For maximum effectiveness, there are several key points your bully assembly presenter must address.
I’m New Jersey-based bully school assembly presenter Michael Kirschner. For years, schools in New Jersey, New York, and surrounding areas have raved about my ability to connect important lessons with fun entertainment for students of all ages.
In this article, I will detail the key points your incoming bully prevention assembly presenter should address.
Anti-Bullying School Assembly Topic #1: Forms of Bullying
What is bullying? Most of us know that hitting, punching, or other forms of physical abuse are bullying. But it’s greater than that. Bullying can take many forms. Name-calling or teasing, known as Verbal Bullying, is a well-known form of bullying.
Most recently, greater awareness of cyberbullying has entered the discussion. When one person sends or posts threatening, cruel, or intimidating content to the Internet, that is considered bullying.
Bullying by exclusion, or purposefully leaving someone out of a group is also bullying. Bullying includes gossip or the spreading of rumors. Children need to understand that bullying includes far more than physical or verbal bullying. Why?
Some kids do not know they are bullying anyone. They may see what they are doing as harmless fun or teasing. Educating these kids that they are bullying their classmates helps teach them right from wrong.
Anti-Bullying School Assembly Topic #2: Is It Conflict or Bullying?
Bullying is more nuanced than just “Someone was mean to me.” If two people disagree on something, such as their favorite superhero, that is not bullying. That is an argument! Some kids misinterpret the word bullying. They think that anytime someone disagrees with them, it’s bullying.
At its core, bullying is an imbalance of power. The person being bullied feels physically or psychologically intimidated. That person also feels powerless to stop what is happening to them. The best bullying school assemblies should address this very important aspect of the topic.
Anti-Bullying School Assembly Topic #3: The Role of a Bystander
Some people only think about two kinds of people in any bullying situation: The bully and the bullied. But there is a third kind of person often present in a bullying situation. It’s the bystander. And they can play a potentially critical role in ending a bullying situation.
Your assembly presenter should identify what a bystander is: “Kids, if you witness someone being bullied, that means you’re a bystander.” The bystander isn’t being bullied. They are not doing the bullying. But they see what’s going on.
A bystander can stand up for the person being bullied. They can tell the bully to leave the person alone. They can also get help in the form of a trusted adult. Most importantly, the presenter should demonstrate the immense power a bystander has to make a difference.
Anti-Bullying School Assembly Topic #4: Adults Are Here to Help
Many children who are bullied feel alone. Going to school each day is a challenge. They wonder what’s going to happen to them. Most of all, they feel like no one can help them. Teaching kids to ask for help is an important step. Why?
Many bullying instances happen away from the watchful eyes of adults. The bullying victims often fear no one will believe them if they tell others what happened. To cut through those beliefs, your bullying presenter needs to demonstrate that they are not alone.
They should encourage the bullied to seek out trusted adults. Teachers, counselors, the school principal, and their grownups/guardians are also possibilities to get help.
Anti-Bullying School Assembly Topic #5: We Are All Together
Your bullying presenter should let kids know that bullying is not their problem alone to solve. It’s also not just up to the teachers. And it’s not solely the responsibility of their parents. Bullying is everyone’s responsibility. To end bullying, everyone – kids AND adults – must work together.
Bullying is too big of a problem for kids, teachers, or parents to end on their own. Some parents feel that once the kids get to school, it’s the school’s responsibility to deal with any trouble. But the foundation of who a child is starts in the home. Likewise, since kids spend so much time each weekday in schoolteachers must work to end the problem too.
And of course, kids need to understand they can help solve the problem too. But the biggest lesson to remember is that everyone, young and old, needs to work together.
Great Bully Prevention School Assemblies
My bully school assembly “Abracabully” teaches students all of the concepts above and more. Using a combination of amazing magic, heartfelt storytelling, onstage volunteers, and more, I empower and educate students on this critical topic. To find out more, contact me today.