Last week was anti-bullying week in schools. I am writing about it this week because despite the fact that "anti-bullying awareness week" is now over, we still need to be thinking about it.
During anti-bullying week, students across the province wrote rap songs, poetry and short stories. They did interactive exercises, wore pink and huddled together to chant against bullying. All good. Thankfully, the Ontario Ministry of Education has legislated stiff sentences for recurring bullies. Bully once and you get a warning. Bully twice and things get more serious with citations in the Ontario Student Record (OSR) and possible suspension. Monitoring bullying is only going to get tougher because of the far-reaching social media machine: texting, facebook, and instagram are making it harder to decipher who started what, and when.
Bullying is not only about kids at school. It happens between parents & kids, brothers & sisters, adults & their aging parents, bosses & employees. It is everywhere and it is very human. It is also about power and a false sense of ego. Those who are bullied go on to bully. Some dismiss it as a joke, but they obviously do not have a good sense of humour. If kids are being bullied, it is important that they not ignore it in the hopes that it will go away. They should seek help from an adult and that adult should intervene immediately. The bully and the victim need to be separated so as to ensure that everyone is safe. Quietly and calmly try to assess what happened, by speaking to both separately and in private. Apologizing may not necessarily be the objective here. The bully needs to understand the consequences (suspension, OSR) and the zero tolerance rule with the new legislation that is now in place. Treat both parties with respect. We need to model the behaviour we are looking for.
If you have bullied someone or been bullied, what did you do? Every action requires a response. What was yours?
During anti-bullying week, students across the province wrote rap songs, poetry and short stories. They did interactive exercises, wore pink and huddled together to chant against bullying. All good. Thankfully, the Ontario Ministry of Education has legislated stiff sentences for recurring bullies. Bully once and you get a warning. Bully twice and things get more serious with citations in the Ontario Student Record (OSR) and possible suspension. Monitoring bullying is only going to get tougher because of the far-reaching social media machine: texting, facebook, and instagram are making it harder to decipher who started what, and when.
Bullying is not only about kids at school. It happens between parents & kids, brothers & sisters, adults & their aging parents, bosses & employees. It is everywhere and it is very human. It is also about power and a false sense of ego. Those who are bullied go on to bully. Some dismiss it as a joke, but they obviously do not have a good sense of humour. If kids are being bullied, it is important that they not ignore it in the hopes that it will go away. They should seek help from an adult and that adult should intervene immediately. The bully and the victim need to be separated so as to ensure that everyone is safe. Quietly and calmly try to assess what happened, by speaking to both separately and in private. Apologizing may not necessarily be the objective here. The bully needs to understand the consequences (suspension, OSR) and the zero tolerance rule with the new legislation that is now in place. Treat both parties with respect. We need to model the behaviour we are looking for.
If you have bullied someone or been bullied, what did you do? Every action requires a response. What was yours?