Bullying
Bullying is a major issue in all levels of education. At the elementary level I feel there are two types of bullying; intentional and unintentional. In the younger grades, students may not understand how their actions could hurt another student's feelings. Accidental rude comments may be made, students unintentional exclude others from group activities and, if a student does not know their own strength, accidentally hurting someone. Intentional bullying occurs when student participate in deliberately hurtful actions against another student. This could include purposefully making mean-spirited remarks to another student, deliberately bothering another student to achieve a reaction, physical fights, name calling or starting rumors. There are many ways to deal with both types of bullying.
Unintentional Bullying
Intentional Bullying
Unintentional Bullying
- Act Immediately: If the teacher witnesses unintentional bullying it is important to address the situation immediately. This could be as easy as asking the students to apologize to each other, or it could include teaching the student why the action was hurtful. Example: Your student, Timmy-Tommy, has exceptionally smelly shoes. Another student, Stevie-Stan, begins making several comments about the smell. It is clear Stevie-Stan is making these comments for the amusement of his peers, but does not realize that he is hurting Timmy-Tommy's feelings. This would be a situation I would consider unintentional bullying because Stevie-Stan is not making rude comments with the intent to hurt Timmy-Tommy, but rather making these comments because he finds them amusing to himself. In this situation I would immediately pull Stevie-Stan aside, explain that he has hurt Timmy-Tommy's feelings, and have him apologize.
- Role Playing: Have the students participate in a role playing game using situations where accidental bullying has or may occur. If the students do not understand how a situation or action is hurtful, it is important to teach them how their actions affect others. Role playing is a way to demonstrate how these actions may effect others in a negative way. However, it is important to structure these activities in a way that does not single specific students out.
Intentional Bullying
- ACT IMMEDIATELY: Acting immediately is just as, if not more, important when dealing with intentional bullying. At the elementary school level bullying can come in many forms, from name-calling and teasing to physical altercations (anything from poking to physical fights). It is crucial to remember that students in this age range are still learning and, with a helping hand in the right direction, can be taught what is and is not an appropriate way to treat people at school. This is one of the reasons why acting immediately is essential to minimizing the amount of bullying that occurs in your classroom. It is also important to act immediately to ensure the safety and happiness of the victim. As teachers, it is our job to create an environment where all of our students feel safe and want to learn. If a student is being bullied everyday, that student will not want to come to school. Acting immediately nips the negative behavior in the bud, thereby ensuring the safety of the victim and creating a learning opportunity for the bully as early as possible. If the action is not dealt with immediately, the bully may believe he or she is acting in an appropriate way and continue to bully others as they grow older.
- (Anonymous) Feelings Check: This is a strategy that can be used in the upper elementary school grades. If there is a bullying-related situation that involves the entire class, you could do a feelings check. Situations where this may be appropriate is if something inappropriate and hurtful was anonymously written on the board for all students to see, if there was a physical fight that required adult intervention and stopped class time, or if there is a large group of victims affected. Students would write down how they felt about, during, or after the situation and submit them to the teacher. These may also be submitted anonymously. This allows the teacher to judge the atmosphere of the room in relation to the situation and determine the best course of action. Allowing students the option to submit these anonymously may help students open up about how they truly felt.
- Lunch/Recess Dates: If there is an on-going situation between certain students, assign a time for them to both stay in the classroom for lunch or recess. Use this time to be an adult mediator and help them work out their negative feelings towards each other and find a collaborative solution to the problem. Given the severity of the situation it may be appropriate to ask other adults to attend, such as the school social worker, guidance counselor, special education teacher or principle. Before using this strategy it is also important to have a solid rapport with your students and understand how they handle confrontation. If not handled properly, this could become a situation that makes matters worse.