One of the biggest problems of the twenty first century that students and children deal with, sometimes on a daily basis, is bullying. Studies have shown that students nowadays have the same anxiety levels as asylum patients did back in the 50’s and part of this anxiety comes from bullying. Due to this horrible activity, many children develop psychological disorders such as social anxiety and phobias of speaking in public or to new people. While some of them can be treated with time, the best approach to the matter is to stop bullying once and for all from the moment that it starts. The longer a person is being bullied together with the way that the bullies act around their victim are key factors in determining if the victim will have any problems later in life once the problem stops.
Although the reasons for bullying are often the same ones (some children feel the need to make fun of somebody that is different from them or due to the fact that their situation at home is not a very good one, thus the need to feel jealous that the victim is living a better life when compared to them) there are always things that can be done both by the teachers, but also by the students who are being bullied to improve the overall situation.
Some of the measures a teacher can take once he or she is sure that a student who is attending their class is being bullied by his classmates are:
1. Talk to the child that is being bullied
Oftentimes, a bullied child that doesn’t fight back will shut everybody out and keep everything bottled up inside, which is not a good approach at all. A teacher should always be there for their students and just talking and listening to the child can make a greater impact than you could ever imagine. Children who are bullied often begin to have dark thoughts which should be kept out at all costs. Some of the things that you can talk about are:
- Ways for him to stand up to the bullies without starting a fight
- Ways for him to unload what he is feeling (either through keeping a diary or talking to somebody on a daily basis)
- Ways for him to acquire the social skills he is lacking
2. Organize your class so that the bullied child will never be alone
A child that is constantly surrounded by his friends will not get bullied, which is why the best way to make sure everybody enjoys the classroom including the children that are usually quiet and don’t pay much attention is to organize group activities and make sure that the bullied student is surrounded by his friends. This will keep the bullies away and everybody will enjoy the lesson. You can use all sorts of games and group activities to keep the children close together. By reacting in the case that a bully is trying to start a fight by discouraging them, bullies will often fear when it comes down to attacking one of their victims .
3. Work with parents
As a teacher, you have a responsibility towards the children’s parents to let them know when their child is being bullied. In order to help your bullied students stand up against their bullies or at least open up to somebody about the problem, you need to work with their parents as well. By giving them a call and ensuring that they know about the situation that their child is facing, many parents will often begin to take their own measures in order to ensure that the bullying will stop. Chances are that they may actually be completely unaware about the situation that their child is going through every day at school.
4. Act
If you see that a child is being bullied, don’t be afraid to step up and stop it from happening. If you intervene, you can help the child recover and by talking to him, you can make him understand that it is not his fault for being bullied and that he shouldn’t feel ashamed or guilty. In most times, the victim of the bullies develops feelings of hatred towards himself together with depression, anxiety and low self esteem. Just by talking and by making them feel like there is somebody willing to step up and help them fight the bullies, a child’s self-esteem can greatly improve.
It’s also equally important that you act and also talk to the bullies themselves. Whether they are from the same class or another one, there are always things that teachers can do in order to solve such problems, some of which may include taking disciplinary action against the bullies.
5. Speak with the victim and the bully
In most cases involving children, a simple talk can do wonders, especially if they are at a young age. With this in mind, most of the bullying can be stopped at an early stage, before it develops further.
- Talk to the bully
Bullying usually happens for a reason. Most of the times, children are bullied because of the fact that aggressors usually have psychological need for dominance. Either way, an honest talk will help you find out more and maybe prevent the bullying from happening in the future.
- Talk to other members of the staff in order to find out more about their approaches to bullying.
Doing so can greatly increase your understanding of bullying together with what causes it and what can be done in order to stop it, so don’t be afraid to talk to others in order to find out more.
Leaving aside whether you’re a teacher, student or even parent, a simple talk with the bully or the victim can do wonders. If being nice and approaching them with care doesn’t work, disciplinary action can always be taken in an education facility in order to ensure that this type of behavior is discouraged and not practiced by anyone in your classroom, or in the school itself.
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