Are there bullies lurking in your school’s stairwells, down dark passages or in the bathrooms?
Bullying takes many forms. It can be pushing, shoving, hitting and spitting, as well as name calling, making fun of, laughing at, gossiping or excluding someone, and can be clearly distinguished from normal peer conflict. Bullying is nothing less than predatory aggression. It causes enormous pain and stress to victims and is never justifiable or excusable. The victim is never responsible for being the target of bullying. Bystanders who do nothing to stop the bullying or to help the victim are just as guilty as the bully.
Everybody should enjoy their schooling equally, and feel safe, secure and accepted regardless of colour, race, gender, popularity, athletic ability, intelligence, religion and nationality. Safety, however, is not something that just ‘happens”. It is something that is structured and planned for. In an organisational setting this is normally accomplished by way of a policy.
So, how effective is your school’s anti-bullying or victimisation policy? Is it prominently displayed in classrooms and around the school? Are all staff members familiar with the procedures and motivated to implement them?
A good way of developing an anti-bullying policy (or revamping an existing one) is to embark on an anti-bullying campaign. The purpose of this is to heighten awareness and focus attention on both the undesirable behaviour that you want to eliminate and the productive behaviour with which you wish to replace it.
An anti-bullying campaign that takes a holistic view by addressing the issues faced by all stakeholder groups — that is, the learners, faculty and staff, as well as the parents — has a far greater likelihood of success than one that focuses only on the learners.
Let’s begin by looking at this from the learner’s perspective. Most youngsters can relate to bullying as being an act of physical aggression, but are less able to identify the more subtle forms of manipulative or relational bullying — although they suffer the effects just as much. Your campaign, therefore, should assist learners to distinguish between bullying and a ‘normal” argument or conflict between equals.
Bullies enjoy inflicting pain. So, if we equip youngsters with a range of skills that will help them avoid the bully or cope effectively in a bullying situation, we rob the bully of his/her pleasure and strengthen the self-esteem and self-confidence of the intended victim.
Bullies seldom operate in isolation and most like to have an audience. Onlookers who remain passively disengaged (at best) or who actively support the bully (at worst) provide some of the ego-gratification that the bully needs. A well-orchestrated campaign will strongly emphasise the need for bystanders to become whistle blowers and draw not only on individual empathy, but also on the school’s value system to support this. With so many eyes watching, most bullies would think twice before acting, particularly if the consequences are serious and inescapable.
Finally, learners need to know what the reporting procedures are, whom they need to speak to and what actions will follow. Consistency is the key. A procedure that is systematic and consistent will engender trust and a feeling of security.
The second vital stakeholder group is the teaching and administration staff. A series of mini-workshops aimed at identifying bullying behaviour, developing a clear school policy on bullying, establishing support systems for victims, bullies and their parents, putting in place sanctions for bullying, as well as developing processes for monitoring cases of persistent bullying can be very helpful.
Many parents do not know how to respond appropriately when their child has been accused of or is the victim of bullying. Clear information regarding the school’s policy on bullying as well as a document that outlines the correct procedures to be followed in the event of a bullying incident, minimises the risk of emotional outbursts and helps to maximise the degree of support from the parents.
Keep your campaign alive by using visual reinforcement; posters, banners and colourful notices created by your learners will serve as constant reminders. Regular assemblies with bullying as a theme will help keep everyone involved and motivated.
With care and commitment we can make our schools the safe and secure learning environment that children need and teachers deserve.
For more information and help in running an anti-bullying campaign, contact Gail D’oré at LST Training and Development on 011 782 8042 or email [email protected]