Bullying in educational establishments

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Parents can play a crucial role in addressing bullying in educational establishments by fostering open communication with their children about their experiences at school. Encouraging empathy and teaching conflict resolution skills can empower children to handle bullying situations effectively. Additionally, parents can collaborate with teachers and school administrators to implement anti-bullying policies and initiatives, creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all students. By staying involved and advocating for their child's well-being, parents contribute to creating a safer and more respectful school community.

Puerto Rico anti-bullying laws establish school councils with parent representation that are tasked with coordinating and conducting campaigns on bullying. For me is very important to involve parents, they are part of our team against bad behavior. Cyberbullying is something that we are facing right know, but laws in Puerto Rico can attack that too.

Addressing bullying in educational establishments globally requires a multi-faceted approach that prioritizes prevention, intervention, and support. Implementing comprehensive anti-bullying policies and programs that promote empathy, respect, and inclusivity is crucial. Educating students, teachers, and parents about the harmful effects of bullying and fostering open communication channels can help create a supportive environment where bullying is not tolerated. Additionally, providing counseling services and peer support groups can offer assistance to both victims and perpetrators, addressing underlying issues and promoting positive behavioral changes. Collaboration between schools, communities, and government agencies is essential to ensure a coordinated effort in combating bullying and creating safe learning environments for all students.

Bullying amidst pupils has remained a persistent issue in almost all primary schools in Mauritius as it is the case worldwide. Effective education can be dispensed and absorbed if bullying is not skillfully tackled. Having a consistent pass rate of below 40% for several years, the school where I work, has been recognized as a “Zone d’Education Prioritaire (ZEP) school. The school being located in a rural and marginalized region, the pupils feel demotivated, unenthusiastic and thus excluded.
Most of the pupils come from a low socioeconomic background and are severely affected by poverty and difficult living conditions, living in houses made of iron sheets, precocious exposure to s*x and violence and other various social problems as most of them come from broken families, stay with grand-parents, single parent or care-givers as their parents are either dead, incarcerated, or addicted to hard drugs. They are also exposed to domestic violence, aggression, fights, drugs and alcohol. This result in the manifestation of several types of indiscipline: disruptive behavior, absenteeism, truancy and bullying. While absenteeism and truancy affect the academic performance of oneself, bullying affects other pupils’ learning and socio emotional development, for the immediate and in the long term . Also, the bullied ultimately resort to absenteeism and truancy too. Indeed, bullying is hampering the teaching and learning process in all grades and consequently this will have a negative impact on the end of year and PSAC Result.
Bullying issues have to be promptly dealt with, as they affect and involve the bullies, the bullied, the school staff and also the parents. If not dealt with, promptly and tactfully, bullying cases can quickly degenerate and pollute the school climate where everyone is very heavily and negatively affected.
Acts of bullying, be it verbal, physical and psychological and/or social/relational are being reported to the office on a daily basis by pupils (victims and bystanders), educators, non-teaching staff, the gatekeeper and parents. It has also been observed that pupils who are bullied are frequently absent. It leads to various problems in the schools such as drop outs, high rate of absenteeism, and truancy. This has been negatively affecting the school climate, creating a tense atmosphere and thus preventing the school from running smoothly. It has ultimately resulted in poorer and poorer academic performance of students as seen in the end of year assessment results.
The bully shows dominance in the classroom and forms and leads groups, to bully the weaker ones by teasing and spreading rumours about them. For example, a boy of Grade 6 asserts dominance because of his height. He bullies his peers on a daily basis by calling them fat, skinny, just to make them feel ashamed and humiliated. These acts deteriorate during recess time as, without the supervision of their teachers they can now hurt, kick or damage the belongings of other children.
Moreover, the intimidators typically make profit of their larger musculature. Daily, they torment their victims by tagging them with disrespectful names and remarks, to degrade the latter. These acts deteriorate during recess time; these experiences worsen as, without the observation of their educators, the bullies can now amplify the intensity of their acts. Most students have unrestricted and unsupervised exposure to Social Media and messaging platforms where they communicate among themselves. This results in Cyber bullying pre and post of school bullying

In my teaching experience, I have witnessed several cases of bullying at school which have affected the academic performance and which have scarred them for life. Therefore it is the prime duty of the Head of school to discourage, diminish and why not eradicate these detrimental acts of bullying in collaboration with various stakeholders.

what's your method to resoleve this problem:Bullying in educational establishments

There are various strategies which can be integrated in the school processes and practices to combat bullying issues in the institution. The following strategies have been implemented in my school to prevent bullying.

• Positive and Negative Reinforcement
  The school leader effectively embedded positive and negative reinforcement at school as preventive measures to combat bullying. Talks have been delivered in upper grades especially as acts of bullying are very common in these classes. The latter implemented a well-established framework informing students who always indulge in various types of bullying at school, that, if they continually manifest acts of bullying, they will be punished.
  For instance, they will be deprived of playing football and other activities such as going to the swimming pool. This will discourage bullying, because pupils will be conscious that, if they commit physical, verbal or cyberbullying they will be punished. Negative reinforcement proposed by Skinner, based on behaviorism, will enable to maintain discipline at school.
  Moreover, the Headmaster encouraged children: if they prevent their peers from harming their friends, they will be rewarded; They were offered t-shirts (received as sponsorship from NGOs) during the morning assembly, which they wore during holistic classes and that boosted the self-esteem of the pupils. The Headmaster is proactive by identifying the bullies and took corrective measures accordingly.
• Parental Conferencing
  Another solution which the Headmaster integrated at school level to combat bullying was to organize parental conferencing. The Headmaster equipped himself properly and counselled parents about bullying acts of their wards and explained to them about the consequences of bullying.

The active participation and support of parents helped greatly in curbing disciplinary issues in school. The Headmaster should invited a Resource Person from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare to counsel parents how they should talk to their children to stop behaviours that affect other children.
It is important to note that the Headmaster l
encountered barriers and challenges which hindered the implementation of the preventive strategies for bullying. The target population for the parental conferencing did not turn up for the meeting. Only 75% of the parents attended the meeting, it meant that remaining 25% do not consider the conferencing important, and the bullying problem still remained the same.

• Morning Assembly
  In the morning assembly, the Headmaster talked about the consequences of bullying and its impact on the victim and bystanders. The Headmaster asked students to ponder about how they felt if they were the ones who were bullied. The Headmaster laid emphasis on the importance of respecting their peers in the school premises, classroom and outside the school. Talks have been organized at school-level and involved the children who have been targeted as the bully, gave them the opportunity to express their views and opinions.

This my plan :
To initiate a project addressing bullying in educational establishments, begin by conducting thorough research to understand the prevalence, types, and impacts of bullying. Next, establish clear project objectives, such as raising awareness, implementing prevention strategies, and providing support for victims. Develop a comprehensive plan that involves collaboration with educators, students, parents, and relevant stakeholders. This plan should include educational initiatives, training programs, policy development, and effective reporting mechanisms. Additionally, allocate resources for monitoring and evaluating the project's progress to ensure its effectiveness in creating safer and more inclusive learning environments.
what's your opinino?

Bullying is a prevalent issue in all institutions globally, implying primary, secondary, tertiary level. You can refer to an action research or conduct a survey through a reflective diary. You mentioned about allocating resources, can you please be more explicit about the resources. Different frameworks are available to curb the issue of bullying, choose the one which is more appropriate for your institution. You can also integrate greening education and gamification as strategies to mitigate bullying acts at school. Students who always manifest bullying acts can be exposed to new teaching styles through the integration of ICT such as virtual reality and augmented reality and according to research digitalisation has a positive impact on their behaviours.

When allocating resources to curb bullying, consider dedicating funds and personnel to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). This comprehensive, evidence-based framework focuses on reducing existing bullying problems and preventing the development of new ones. It involves a school-wide approach, including establishing a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee, training staff, developing clear policies, and engaging students and parents. Resources should be allocated for regular training sessions, monitoring and evaluation tools, and materials for educational activities. By investing in OBPP, the institution can create a safer, more inclusive environment conducive to learning and personal development.

exactly

thank you for your encouragement

Bullying in educational establishments is a pressing issue with diverse forms like physical, verbal, relational, and cyberbullying, all with severe repercussions, such as psychological trauma and academic challenges. Schools play a vital role by implementing anti-bullying policies, educational programs, and protocols to handle incidents effectively. Creating a positive school culture by promoting empathy and respect, supporting victims and perpetrators, involves everyone - schools, parents, teachers, and communities. To combat bullying, a collaborative, multi-dimensional approach focused on prevention, intervention, and support is crucial, ensuring safe and nurturing learning environments for all students.

Here's a summarized version of the strategies to address bullying in educational establishments presented in a table format:

Dear colleagues, thank you for your versatile and thoughtful approaches to bullying.

I'm happy to work at school and in the environment where any kind bullying is never turned the blind eye on. Our stakeholders and administration immediately react to any bullying situation, listen to the opinions of all sides, consult school psychologists, meet the parents involved and suspend a bully or exclude them from the school. Bullying is also being constantly prevented by collaborative work of teachers, psychologists and administration. Regular talks are given in the classes to educate the students about different kinds of bullying and possible consequences. All these efforts result in decreasing the number of such situations.

Hello Ekaterina,
Good initiatives and measures are being taken by teachers, administration and stakeholders in your organisation. Indeed the issue of bullying can only be tackled by the collaboration of everyone in the school. Bullying hampers the teaching and learning process and ultimately disturbs the smooth running of the school. It is important to note that it has a direct impact on the academic performance of student's. The head of school can propose various strategies such as gardening projects, innovative pedagogies and IT related projects where there is teacher and pupil involvement so as to cater for both the perpetrators and victims. I completely agree that regular talks, meeting with parents and reference to Educational physcologists will mitigate the issue of bullying acts in your organisation.

Thank you for raising such an important topic and for everyone sharing their visions on how to solve this pressing issue. Here are a few additional methods that can be proposed to combat bullying in educational institutions. I've created a mind map to organize the data.

I would like to share my experience working with local organizations. We had a project in which we equipped teachers with tools for forum theater as a way to prevent bullying and other discriminatory behavior in schools.

Forum theatre is an interactive method that uses a form of conventional play to address social issues.

We worked with a community of about 15 schools, where teachers used forum theater with their students. We created a toolkit of playing cards with detailed guidelines that teachers can use in the classroom to start conversations about bullying and then move on to the play.
We received very positive feedback from teachers, who said that the students were more engaged and ready to discuss serious issues when acting as actors. First, during the performance, and then during reflection, they gained a deeper understanding of the topic.

These materials are free and easy to use, but unfortunately, they are only available in Russian at the moment. However, they can be translated and used in other languages as well.

@Ana_moderator

Hi @Ana_moderator,

That sounds like a wonderful and impactful initiative. Your work with local organizations and the implementation of forum theater to prevent bullying and discriminatory behavior is truly commendable. It's inspiring to see how interactive methods like forum theater can make a significant difference in addressing social issues in schools. Seems like an excellent resource for teachers. It's great to read that the students were more engaged and gained a deeper understanding of these important topics through this method.

Best,
Mr. Bryan

Bullying can have profound impacts on a child's social and emotional development, affecting various aspects of their interpersonal skills and social interactions. Here are some key ways bullying influences a child's social development:

1.Trust Issues

• Victims of bullying often develop mistrust towards their peers and adults, making it difficult to form healthy, trusting relationships in the future.

2. Social Isolation

   • Bullying can lead to social withdrawal and isolation as victims may avoid social interactions to escape further bullying. This isolation can impede the development of social skills and friendships.

3. Difficulty in Forming Relationships

   • Children who are bullied may struggle with forming and maintaining friendships. They might find it hard to approach others, fearing rejection or further bullying.

4. Aggressive or Withdrawn Behavior

   • Victims may become overly aggressive or defensive in social situations, mirroring the aggression they experienced, or they might become excessively shy and withdrawn.

5. Impaired Social Skills

   • Bullying can hinder the development of essential social skills, such as empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. Victims may become less adept at navigating social situations.

6. Low Self-Esteem and Confidence

   • Persistent bullying can erode a child's self-esteem and confidence, leading them to doubt their social worth and abilities. This can make social interactions more challenging and less rewarding.
     However there are several more issues that could affect child's other factors of development infect too.
     Here we can find some ideas how to deal with bullying in classrooms.
     https://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/bullying.htm

@Bousl2336873cb4 Bullying happened at all times. I wish we can enforce something that can stop bullying at school. In my school, we introduced merit demerit system.