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According to the latest data released by UNESCO, it shows that one in three students is a victim of bullying worldwide. The new data shows that bullying affects children everywhere in all regions and countries, even with different income levels.
Bullying is a widespread problem in schools and colleges around the world. Students who are victims have to deal with many mental health problems, sleep issues, anxiety, depression, and academic decline.
In this article, you will get to know what you can do to create a classroom environment to prevent bullying.
From the beginning years of schooling, plan activities to build community awareness and empathy for children. Help them understand their health and that of others emotionally and mentally. Build empathy and compassion for the students, bring them together and let them talk about their differences, help them find a solution to the conflict, and build understanding around them.
“Empathy is the ability to put oneself in another’s place, and teachers need to inculcate these values in their curriculum.”
- Susan Patterson
Above all, students want someone to listen to their problems. One of the most important things to prevent bullying is to pay attention to what your student wants to say.
“Teachers who keep their minds open while actively listening to students begin to develop a classroom environment that promotes warmth and openness among students, reducing the likelihood of bullying.”
- Dr. Kirsten Stein
Another way to prevent bullying in the classroom is to avoid forming groups. Assign students to groups only if they have a group project. When you allow them to create groups independently, it opens the door to opportunities for bullying in the community and will enable them to bully other students. Also, remember when you make groups in any project, a student learns to work with those students who are not in their friends’ circle.
Whenever you spot any bullying action, act rapidly on that right away. And do not ignore a little bullying because by doing so, you are sending the message that bullying is okay. If you miss these small actions, this will grow faster. Bullies keep their victims from being heard, and that is why you should take action as soon as you catch them.
Victims are likely to be scared and self-conscious to tell you what happened to them. To help them, you have to rely on other students to know if any bullying has happened to any student. Identify some students and let them be your ear when you are not around. But make it safe for them as no student will want to be called a spy or a snitch.
Involve parents and guardians in your anti-bullying program. Make them aware of bullying through meetings, videos, conferences, and social media. Please encourage them to support your anti-bullying strategies and policies. If a parent reports an abuse incident, be sure to investigate the matter immediately. Try to work with parents to reduce the incidence of bullying in your classroom.
Researchers say that they can trace a few behaviors to the original patterns of exploitation. These little behaviors, often missed by teachers, are called Gateway indicators. Even these are difficult to detect, and if you identify them early, there is a good chance you will prevent bullying behavior from developing. Some of these indicators following -
Eye rolling
Staring
Turning back
Laughing cruelly
Causing physical injuries
Stalking
Though these are not the indicators of bullying, they can lead to bullying.
Building strategies to prevent your class from being bullied will go a long way in improving your efficiency as a teacher. This bullying will also disrupt your classroom learning. So, create a healthy environment and state that you will not put up with any form of bullying in your classroom.
