Every year students in elementary school face bullying. Whether it is on the playground, in the hallways, on the bus, or even in the classroom, bullying is always an issue.
We have created a quick Bully Busting 101 session that you can use in your
classroom to help start the conversation about what to do when a classmate is
bullied. We hope that you can follow the below steps to help bust bullying in
your school.
Recognize Bullying
In order
to stop bullying, students have to understand what bullying is. Brainstorm with
the class what their perceptions are about bullying. This can be done with
chart paper or on a white board. Elicit responses from students and write them
down. After the list is compiled, try to separate the incidents that wouldn't
be considered bullying and discuss why. Then point to the examples where
someone is repeatedly harassing a student. These are the incidents you want to
focus on.
Be a Bully Buster
Once your
students have recognized what bullying is, it is time to show them how they can
be a bully buster! We have created an acronym that will help students remember.
Be a friend to someone who is being bullied. Don't walk away from
the incident. Show the person you care.
Use a firm voice to the bully to let them know you mean it. If you
are shy or timid, the bully will see this and maybe will start picking on you!
Stand up to and speak out against the bully. This is a great time
to show the bully you mean business. Don't get physical, but stand your ground
to show that you are there for the victim.
Tell an adult about what happened. It is so important to tell a
trusted adult about the experience. The adult will more than likely act upon
what happened and seek out the bully to issue a consequence for his/her
behavior.
Exit the scene with the victim as soon as you can. Try to leave the
scene as quickly as possible. The longer you stick around, the more chances the
bully has to continue what s/he has been doing.
Reassure the person being bullied that you are there to help. Let
the person know that you are not going anywhere and that you are there for
him/her. This will mean a lot to the person and it will also show the bully
that the victim is no longer alone and as vulnerable.
Role Play
Now that your class recognizes bullying, and has tips on what to do in these situations, it is time to role play the types of bullying that your class listed earlier. Make sure that when you are role playing you pick a few students to be the bullies because oftentimes it is more than one student ganging up on another. Pick students to play the role of upstander, the students who step in to help. Make sure they use one of the Bully Buster strategies. Debrief after each role play and discuss what worked and what could've been done differently. This should help your class see what can be done.
Challenge
Challenge your class to be Bully Busters! School should be a safe environment for everyone. They are now trained in busting bullies so let them know that it is their job to stop bullying in its tracks!
You can
download our How to Be A Bully Buster poster for free by clicking here or on
the image below.
Please
let us know how your Bully Busting 101 Session with your class went!
