Bullying and Students

Preventing Bullying Ralph Washington SOC 312 Child, Family & Society Bridget Morales March 18, 2013 Bullying can be a very bad thing in our classrooms. It can hinder the development of a child and in cases cause them to harm themselves (Bojczyk, Shriner, Shriner, 2012). As a teacher it is our job to recognize the signs of bullying and create a lesson or activity to make students aware of the problem. This may not solve the problem of bullying, but if more students are aware of the problem then more can be done about it.

After reading “The Bully in the Mirror” by Antonio (Pacer Center, 2012), I think that it would be nice to do a dramatic play or scene around bullying. Monday- The first day of the week we would research and get an understanding of bullying. Students must be aware of the different types of bullying and the signs of bullying. This activity should be based on what the student thinks first and then compare their answers to the research. The students’ answers should be posted in the classroom and then use websites such as http://www. stopbullying. com to see just how many of the answers match the research.

This website tells the educator what to do as well as the students. Teachers must first make their classroom environment safe and inviting before this activity can take place (stopbullying. com, 2000). Children are more acceptable to open up if they are in a comfortable setting. When the answers are match and the class decides on the best ones to use, and then have the students write them down. This will be the base of our activity. Tuesday- We continue our lesson on bullying by reviewing from the previous day. Today we take our information from yesterday and use it to write a short poem to prevent bullying.

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Encourage the students that it is not important if the poem rhymes or if it is in the actual format of a poem. The meaning behind what they write is what is important. Then have the students come up and read what they have written and discuss it with the class. The teacher must emphasize that laughing is considered a form of bullying and no laughing will be tolerated while the poems are being read (Bojczyk, Shriner, Shriner, 2012). After the poems are read then the teacher should collect them and then randomly pass them out to the students.

Using their classmates work the students are asked to take the poems home and create a scene to use in our production at the end of the week. Wednesday-The scenes should be completed and now it is time to work as a group. The class is divided up into two groups and the students should use their homework to create a short play. While this is going on the teacher must re-emphasize that laughter and picking is still a part of bullying and it will not be tolerated. The teacher needs to encourage the groups to choose parts that they think will best help the students in that group.

If a student is considered more outspoken then they should play a part of a shy kid or the one that is being bullied. Use the shy student to be the bully. Reversing roles will allow the other to feel what the child goes through on a daily basis. The students are asked to take their roles on home and practice with their parents and be ready to rehearse the next day. Thursday-Rehearsal begins today. The teacher becomes the director and helps the students with their skits. The teacher must realize that the object of this lesson is to teach the students how to recognize and prevent bullying.

The best way for them to understand is to use their own language and concepts. The teacher is only there to guide them through the process. During rehearsal ask questions as to why they choose to use certain lines or sayings. Ask the class as a whole if they understand what is taking place in the skit. By the end of the day the students should have some idea on how to portray their part and they should be ready for the final performance. Friday-It is show time! The students are given one more chance to go over their lines before the performance begins.

All week they have been working on this project and they have an understanding of bullying, but the other students in the school may not. As a final gesture to prevent bullying, the students are asked to perform for another class. The shock may be a little much for some, but it is part of the lesson. The students are asked to do this to see if they will be able to handle things outside their norm and to see if the other students are able to watch the play with being judgmental. Once again, the teacher must let the students know that laughing and picking is part of bullying.

After the show is over, then the teachers should open the floor for discussions. Instead of the teacher answering the questions, allow the students that did the skit to answer the questions. The teacher should only interject when necessary. This whole lesson is to allow some change on the bullying problem. It was a creative way for a bully to see his or her ways without having to expose themselves to others. Sometimes when we can actually see our problem, then we can recognize it within ourselves. That is way Antonio used the mirror in his writings. We have to take a look at ourselves in order to see what is wrong with us.

By using the skits the bully can sit back and say “hey that sounds a lot like me”. Then they are able to start to change. Now that the students have an understanding on bullying and can recognize it, they can interject when they see someone being bullied or they can help someone who has a problem with bullying. A student like Antonio needs to learn that they will have more friends and have more fun if they just fit in and not trying to be superior. Students should embrace a bully and befriend them and when they see them starting to stray, call them out on it.

Let them know that they can come and discuss anything and the “buddy system” will work. Reference Bojczyk, K. E. , Shriner, B. M. , & Shriner, M. (2012). Supporting children’s socialization: A developmental approach. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Pacers National Bullying Prevention Center: The End of Bullying Begins with you. Retrieved March 18, 2012 from http://www. pacer. org/bullying/resources/activities/toolkits/intro-to-bullying-prevention. asp Stop Bullying: What Can You Do. Retrieved March 18, 2012 from http://www. stopbullying. gov/what-you-can-do/educators/index. html

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