Share that you care.
Teachers and education support professionals want students to feel safe from physical threats, emotional harm, harassment, alienation from their peers, or worst of all suicide. Nowadays, with so much communication taking place in the virtual space, it can be harder for school staff to identify when students have become a target of bullying, and who is doing the bullying.
With cell phones in hand, students roam the halls and so often do not know how or who to call for help, or even if they should ask for assistance. The sad fact is that about 20 percent of students report being bullied. (www.stopbullying.gov/resources/facts)
During this month of awareness,
- Survey your students to see if there is an issue at your school.
- State it clearly—bullying will not be tolerated. Discuss what kind of behaviors can be viewed as bullying.
- Talk to them about treating everyone with respect, kindness, acceptance, and celebrating our differences.
- Let students know that you are a caring adult who can be trusted to get help and recognize when it is time to seek outside intervention for more serious situations.
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To show you are part of the united front to prevent bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion, wear orange on National Stop Bullying Day, Oct. 11, 2023.
Addressing bullying in schools is certainly NOT a one-size-fits-all approach, but here are some resources and tools that can help your school with situations that may arise.
Resources for school staff, parents, and teens
- Recognizing the First Signs of Bullying
- How to Intervene in a Bullying Incident
- How to approach bullying
- Free, downloadable student activity kit from Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center
- StopBullying.gov