Bullying is a pervasive problem in our society that has both immediate and long-term effects on the physical and emotional health of the victim.
Moreover, it has serious negative consequences on the overall safety of a school environment.
Unfortunately, there is no easy cure for bullying, and perhaps the best approach to dealing with it is prevention.
Schools need to assess their prevention and intervention efforts and decide how effective these efforts have been.
These efforts may be further developed or integrated into larger prevention strategies.
Nevertheless, the following principles on how to prevent bullying in school should be addressed and implemented.
Assessment Before a school can really begin its prevention strategies, it must gain an understanding of how bullying is represented in their classrooms and community.
How often does it occur? What kinds are most common? Where and when is it most likely to occur? The answers to these important questions will help guide prevention programs.
Engage the Community Bullying prevention must take a comprehensive approach.
It is often the result of a faulty system, rather than a 'faulty' individual.
Bullying prevention is most effective when it engages the community at large to develop a unified voice against bullying.
Awareness of bullying helps schools and communities establish objectives with respect to how to combat bullying, but prevention is most effective with buy-in from school staff, students, administrators and the surrounding community.
Create Policies that Influence Culture It is all well and good to make rules against bullying, but this is not enough to prevent bullying.
Developing a mission statement, code of conduct, and school-wide rules can foster understanding that bullying is wrong, but what we really need to do is change the culture of bullying.
Parents, teachers, and school staff need to model positive and respectful behaviour in order to establish a climate wherein bullying is not accepted at any level.
We also need to develop a bullying reporting system where victims and witnesses of bullying feel safe and confident enough to report inappropriate behaviour.
Create a Safe Environment Inclusive schools that value tolerance regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or ability are less likely to experience bullying.
Creating a safe environment where students feel accepted and respected involves using staff meetings, school assemblies, and parent meetings to reinforce tolerance.
Education Finally, bullying prevention material should be included in curriculum and school activities.
Wherever possible, students should be given the opportunity to critically appraise bullying and its effects so that they become more aware of their own actions.
Moreover, education should focus on teaching students the skills they need in order to intervene appropriately whenever they see bullying behaviour.
Moreover, it has serious negative consequences on the overall safety of a school environment.
Unfortunately, there is no easy cure for bullying, and perhaps the best approach to dealing with it is prevention.
Schools need to assess their prevention and intervention efforts and decide how effective these efforts have been.
These efforts may be further developed or integrated into larger prevention strategies.
Nevertheless, the following principles on how to prevent bullying in school should be addressed and implemented.
Assessment Before a school can really begin its prevention strategies, it must gain an understanding of how bullying is represented in their classrooms and community.
How often does it occur? What kinds are most common? Where and when is it most likely to occur? The answers to these important questions will help guide prevention programs.
Engage the Community Bullying prevention must take a comprehensive approach.
It is often the result of a faulty system, rather than a 'faulty' individual.
Bullying prevention is most effective when it engages the community at large to develop a unified voice against bullying.
Awareness of bullying helps schools and communities establish objectives with respect to how to combat bullying, but prevention is most effective with buy-in from school staff, students, administrators and the surrounding community.
Create Policies that Influence Culture It is all well and good to make rules against bullying, but this is not enough to prevent bullying.
Developing a mission statement, code of conduct, and school-wide rules can foster understanding that bullying is wrong, but what we really need to do is change the culture of bullying.
Parents, teachers, and school staff need to model positive and respectful behaviour in order to establish a climate wherein bullying is not accepted at any level.
We also need to develop a bullying reporting system where victims and witnesses of bullying feel safe and confident enough to report inappropriate behaviour.
Create a Safe Environment Inclusive schools that value tolerance regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or ability are less likely to experience bullying.
Creating a safe environment where students feel accepted and respected involves using staff meetings, school assemblies, and parent meetings to reinforce tolerance.
Education Finally, bullying prevention material should be included in curriculum and school activities.
Wherever possible, students should be given the opportunity to critically appraise bullying and its effects so that they become more aware of their own actions.
Moreover, education should focus on teaching students the skills they need in order to intervene appropriately whenever they see bullying behaviour.
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