The Many Fronts of Bullying

How to Stop Bullying in Schools

By Mojdeh Henderson, assistant principal, Jay M. Robinson Middle School

I feel that bullying is an issue in our schools that impacts students in a variety in ways: from their ability to focus in the classroom, to their feelings about themselves, to the overall school climate. My concern is that bullying is not addressed in the home where students learn appropriate and inappropriate social interactions. Children many times do not believe that put downs, insults and gossip damage their peers and their relationships. They view it as just part of middle school and not a “big deal”.

However as a society we know that there can be minor and major impacts to bullying: from avoidance of school, self isolation to depression and even suicide. This issue is of major importance to all schools in America. As an administrator it is my responsibility to ensure that instances of bullying are addressed. As a district and a school we have a no-tolerance policy towards bullying and work to counsel bullies and bring their parents into the discussion. Many times bullies do not stop at the first consequence and more severe consequences need to be issued. We must continue to address issues of bullying. In many instances parents and students attempt to handle the issue on their own and then make the school aware when they are frustrated. Early intervention is the key so that bullying does not escalate.

As a society the issue of bullying must be addressed on multiple fronts: in the home, the classroom, the school and the district. Character education and empathy need to be taught so that students develop sensitivity towards others and understand how their actions and words impact their peers. This also needs to be modeled in the home and mandated by parents as the only option of behavior. If parents and schools can work together we can bring about a decrease in the amount of bullying within our schools.

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For more information on bullying prevention and available resources to support your efforts, sign up today for the FREE professional development webinar for educators presented by the School Improvement Network, Bullying: Understanding the Problem, Defining Solutions on May 30th 2012, 3:00pm with Robin Young of the National Crime Prevention Council.

Click here to register for the FREE webinar:http://www.instantpresenter.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EA57D783884f