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| Ana Melo |
This blog is a course practice exercise intended for students enrolled in EDM 510 Microcomputing Systems in Education in the fall of 2012. Students can incorporate the teacher role or the parent role, which ever their prefer, and give their input on the subject to follow:
This Blog will be an open space and communicator tool between parents and teachers discussing a very important subject that affects many children from all ages: Bullying.
As Teachers, we need to be aware of not only the academic achievements of our students, but also the environment our students are in. Are they suffering with a nickname a classmate made up for him? Are they isolating themselves from the group because another child told them to?
What can we do to prevent bullying from happening and once it happens, what are the ways to heal the students?
We will discuss this with teachers and parents so we can have a broad view of the problem.
Looking forward to your comments!
As of right now I currently work at a daycare and deal with kids from K-5. This is one of the toughest issues to deal with when it comes to anybody. Bullying has always taken place in school since before I was even born. One of the ways I try to prevent kids from bullying each other is by separating them with students they seem to get along with as far as personalities. This has been very helpful for me. The class I have when I am inside is older boys and they like to talk, so if they say something that is mean or pick on the kids physically or verbally they have timeout or do something they don't like such as drawing. The way that seems to work for me to make sure there is no bullying in the classroom is by keeping the kids separated that you know are going to bully other kids. I hope that helps in some ways!!
ReplyDeleteBullying is a HUGE problem. I think the most important steps to solving the problems starts with prevention. Teach the students about bullying. Students need to understand both sides of the situation, as well as the extremes and subtle types of bullying. Some students may not even realize that bullying is a problem for them. Many may experience it in their personal lives outside of school, so it is important to point out and define what exactly bullying entails, then work to prevent it.
ReplyDeleteAt the elementary level when I have problems with students who can't get along, I find myself doing the opposite of B. Hayaski. After giving them a warning, they are both isolated and sit together for the duration of the class. I explain to them that there will always be people that you don't enjoy or get along with, and that while they are sitting together they will either talk to each other with respect or not talk at all. They usually start getting along.
ReplyDeleteBullying is a problem that is very present in the schools. I think one of the best things to do is just make sure there are always reminders to the kids. I know at Spanish Fort Middle School there are signs all down the hallways and stairs about what to do if you encounter a bully. The signs tell how to handle the situation and what to do if the problem persists.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I wish there was a simple solution to bullying, the sad fact is there isn't an effective way to completely end these cruel acts. However, there are methods to heal those who are victims. For example, school counselors are always available to students who are having difficulties with peers. These conversations are private, but if the issue stems beyond name calling, such as violence, the school counselor can notify parents of the bullying student. Parents need to know their child is causing emotional distress, especially because it is their responsibility to decide how to punish their child for their inappropriate acts. Hopefully with the involvement of the school with parents, we can at least lower bullying situations.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the biggest ways for teachers to help those who are bullied, is to just show them that you care. Maybe not necessarily bring attention to those being bullied in class (so as not to embarrass them) - and maybe not even outright bring it up to them outside of class (unless they want to), but at least be interested in them and their lives, ask questions about their interests, etc. Teachers should take interest in all their student's lives, regardless, but I think it proves even more helpful for those students who are bullied.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your ideas and replies. I agree it is a delicate subject that needs to be addressed. It has been happening for many many years and it is not about to stop. I really like what MLolley said about informing the parents of the bullying student about what he is causing at school. Many times parents don't know what goes on at school and cannot take the proper action.
ReplyDeleteBullying is a huge problem at school and in kids everyday lives especially in these times of online bullying. It seems that the majority of the time the problem does not arise at school but stems from something that has happened in the neighborhoods or online. In my recent experience one of my students had thirty girls show up at her house and ended up getting her in the eye with a baseball bat. The student's mother is pressing charges, but in the mean time these two girls see each other on a daily basis. It can create alot of tension, but because none of this happened on school grounds the most we can intervene is keeping them both safe while they are at school and giving them both counseling on what they can do to improve the situation from this point forward.
ReplyDeletemlietz you are so right! Bullying these days start even before school starts! The online social medias became a way to bully somebody without being face to face and sometimes they do it thinking since it wasn't face to face it is okay. My daughter is in first grade and the stories she tells me I would never thought about it when I was her age. Kids in a very young age are already showing some signs of bullying and that terrifies me. I believe parents of both, the kid being bullied and the one bullying, need to be involved in what is happening even if it is a "small" incident. It is never too soon to prevent bullying.
ReplyDeleteBullying is a huge problem in schools. It is happening in the schools and over social media. Parents and teachers need to adhere to the zero tolerance policy, because you never really know how far a student may take the bullying. As awful as it sounds, just this week, there was a student who visited the principal and told him of an incident where he was being bullying. The kid was terrified and little if anything was done. I was appalled and felt sorry for the victim. His voice went unheard and I pray nothing happens to him.
ReplyDeleteAt the middle school level, I believe that it is important to make the students aware that bullying is present in the school and that it is considered a hate crime. I think that one way we can help stop bullying is by establishing a relationship with our students. By this, I mean that we create an enviornment where the students feel confident and comfortable to come to us when problems occur. I think that we need to hold the consequences of bullying to the same standards as fighting. I believe that it also important to make students aware of the situations that have occured because of bullying.
ReplyDelete