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Carla Hayes
One of the biggest challenges currently faced by students and
schools is bullying. According to research cited at a
recent bullying workshop that I attended, one out of every
four elementary students and 30% of all students in grades
6-9 are bullied. In recent years, we have seen that extreme
acts of high school violence are often perpetrated by
youngsters who have been bullied by other students. Also,
youngsters who bully often grow up to be adults who bully
other employees in the workplace and abuse their spouses
and children. In addition, victims of bullying often carry
psychological scars for life, or in extreme cases, take their
own lives. As teachers, we all have the responsibility of
doing all that we can to prevent bullying. For blind teachers,
this can be especially challenging because we often cannot
see when certain forms of bullying are taking place amongst
our students. This is why I thought it was time to write a
column on this topic.
Before we discuss some possible solutions for this
problem, let's start with a simple definition. In general,
bullying can be defined as repeated and systematic
harassment and attacks on others. According to the
Department of Justice fact sheet, "Information On Bullying
for Parents and Teachers, 1996,” it involves a real or
perceived imbalance of power with the more powerful child
or group attacking those who are less powerful. Bullying can
be physical, verbal, psychological, or social/emotional
intimidation. The computer age has also given us cyber
bullying which can include such activities as sending nasty
Emails or text messages and posting embarrassing pictures,
destructive rumors and other offending material on the
Internet. Some signs of bullying may include
uncharacteristically low grades, loss of interest in school and
activities, damaged belongings, and students who appear to
have few friends, are afraid to come to school or ride the
school bus.
The first step for preventing bullying is making a
commitment to having a zero tolerance policy for bullying in
your classroom. Communicate this policy to your students
the first day of school. Have an open discussion about
bullying with your students. Define bullying and have your
students brainstorm about what types of behaviors they
consider to be bullying and how it makes them feel when
other students do it to them. Then, ask your students to write
and sign an agreement not to bully and if they observe
bullying, do what they can to stop it. Post this agreement in a
prominent place in your classroom as a reminder.
The second step to solving the bullying problem is
understanding why it happens. Why do bullies bully?
Strangely enough, most bullies are very insecure. They have
a strong need for power and bullying gives them
psychological and physical rewards. On the other hand,
there are different types of victims. Some are quiet, shy,
have no friends and no way to fight back. Another type of
victim is simply an annoying student with ineffective social
skills who pushes everybody's buttons. Whatever the reason
it happens, it is important to remember that nobody deserves
to be bullied, and as the classroom teacher, it is your job to
do all that you can to prevent it. Knowing the potential
causes of bullying, you can often head it off before it
happens. For example, knowing that the classroom bully has
a strong need for power, why not give him an important
classroom responsibility? This may be enough to give him
the perceived power and psychological rewards that he
needs, thus negating his need to bully. Also, empower the
shy students by bolstering their confidence and teaching
them strategies for fighting back if necessary. Finally, teach
social skills to those annoying students who "push buttons"
and often become victims of bullying. The better they get
along with their classmates, the less likely they will be
victimized.
The third step for preventing bullying is recognizing it
when it happens and reacting quickly. This can be especially
difficult for a blind teacher who cannot see the cell phone
texting, shunning, poking and dirty looks which might be
occurring right in front of her. You may not know what is
happening unless someone alerts you. This is why it's
important to earn your students' trust and keep the lines of
communication open at all times. Teach your students the
difference between tattling and telling and create a safe
system that they can use to inform you when something is
wrong. This can be accomplished by having a message box
with a slot in the lid into which students can drop anonymous
notes to you. Check this box daily and immediately act on
the information your students give you. When you find out
who the bullies are, change your seating arrangement. Seat
the bullies in the front center and their victims as far away
from them as possible.
Finally, remember that teachers can be bullies, too.
Ridicule, sarcasm and cutting remarks can damage your
students for life and you should never engage in these
behaviors.
As you can see, bullying can be a very serious problem
with devastating lifelong effects. However, with diligence,
perseverance and common sense, it can be eradicated from
your classroom and perhaps even your school.
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