EMPOWERING EDUCATORS FINAL PROJECT Bullying is the most common form of school violence.

Teasing and bullying can affect a child's learning, physical health, and emotional well-being. It is important for teachers to create a climate of mutual respect in the classroom. This project will focus on controlling teasing and bullying by encouraging friendship, community, and positive feelings, teachers can address harmful behavior before it develops. This guide is designed to help teachers create an environment in which all children feel safe, comfortable, and welcome. Creating a Bully Free Classroom Tell the students you are going to designate their classroom a bully-free zone-a place where people accept each other, value each other, and treat each other with kindness and respect. Have the students brainstorm ways to brainstorm and formalize their commitment. Some ideas are: 1. Making a poster or banner announcing their class is a bully free classroom. They can display it in the hall outside of the classroom. 2. Write a press release announcing that your classroom has decided to be bully free. Send it to your local media (newspapers, radio stations, TV stations). They may follow it up with a story about your students.
3. If you have a school newspaper, you can ask to devote an issue or section to the

topic of what it means to be a bully free classroom. Students can write articles, draw cartoons, do interviews, etc. 4.

Defining Bullying Bullying is when someone, or a group of people, upset or create a risk to another person's health and safety - either psychologically or physically - or their property, reputation or social acceptance on more than one occasion. Types of Bullying There are three broad categories of bullying.

Direct physical bullying- hitting, tripping, and pushing or damaging their property. Direct verbal bullying-name calling, insults, homophobic or racist remarks, verbal abuse. Indirect bullying - This form of bullying is harder to recognize and often carried out behind the bullied students back. It is designed to harm someones social reputation and/or cause humiliation. Indirect bullying includes: -lying and spreading rumors -playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate -mimicking -encouraging others to socially exclude someone -cyber-bullying, which involves the use of email, text messages or chat rooms to humiliate and distress. You want students to agree on what bullying is. In the process of defining it your students should arrive at a shared understanding and common language about bullying. One helpful activity is to divide the class into small groups and give them 10 minutes to work on a definition. Each group can choose one person to write down the groups ideas and another to read the groups definition aloud when the class regroups. Write students definition on the chalkboard. Then work together to come up with a class definition of bullying. Building Acceptance When students accept each other, they are less likely less likely to bully each other and more likely to stick up for victims. Work with the class to come up with a list of acceptance statements everyone can agree on. Some examples can be (We are all unique. Our differences are what make us special, etc.) Have students make posters, collages, bulletin boards, or displays illustrating the statements. Ask you class to brainstorm ways to help other people become more accepting of each other. What do they think everyone should know? How can they get their messages across?

Talking About Bullying Have a class discussion about bullying Ask students what it would take for their classroom to be bully free? What are their ideas for doing this? Write students ideas on the chalkboard. Then have them vote for the top 5. Try their ideas for a week or two. Let students assess their own progress toward making their classroom bully free. Facts About Bullying Share and discuss facts about bullying with the class. Here are some: 1. About one and seven students are either a bully or victim 2. Bullying affects about 5 million elementary and junior high students in the U.S. 3. Ten to fifteen percent of students report being bullied on a regular basis.

Have students do library or internet research about bullying and gather facts on their own. They can report their facts orally or in writing. Or they can create a Bully Facts bulletin board. Recognizing Bullying Behavior Ask students what bullies do and list their responses on the blackboard. If the students focus more on physical bullying, (such as hitting, kicking, punching), introduce some of the other behaviors: teasing, spreading rumors, name calling, etc. Students need to understand that bullying encompasses a broad spectrum of behaviors. Sharing Stories About Bullying Have students write about their experiences with bullying- as someone who was bullied; as someone who bullied another person; as someone who witnessed bullying a did nothing about it; and as someone who witnessed bullying and got help or tried to stop it. Divide class into small groups. Allow quiet time for them to share their stories within their groups. Reconvene and ask a

spokesperson from each group to summarize the stories. Have a class discussion about the stories. Laying Down the Rules About Bullying Establish and enforce class rules about bullying and behavior. Rules must clearly communicate a zero tolerance for bullying and an expectation for positive behavior. They also must meet students, physical and psychological needs for safety; how can they learn if they feel intimidated, threatened, or scared either for yourself or by the environment you are in? Ask students the following: What kind of classroom do you want to have? What can everyone do to make this happen? Have a class discussion or break up into small groups. Teaching Anger Management Skills What can students do instead of fighting or trying to hurt someone back? They can learn and practice other ways to manage their anger. The following is a worksheet: 20 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF HURTING SOMEONE BACK 1. STOP and THINK. Dont do anything right away. Consider your options. Think about what might happen if you try to hurt the other person. 2. Know that what you do is up to you. You can decide. You are in charge of your actions. 3. Tell yourself, Its okay to feel angry. Its not okay to hurt someone else. 4. Tell the person, Stop that! I dont like that! 5. Keep your hands to yourself. Make fists and put them in your pockets. 6. Keep your feet to yourself. Jump or dance or stomp.
7. Walk away or run away.

8. Tell the person how you feel. Use an I message. (Example: I feel angry when you hit me because it hurts. I want you to stop hitting me.)

9. Take a deep breath, then blow it out. Blow your angry feelings out of your body. 10. Find an adult. Tell the adult what happened and how you feel. 11. Count slowly from 1 to 10. Count backwards from 10 to 1. Keep counting until you feel your anger getting smaller. 12. Think cool thoughts. Imagine that youre sitting on an iceberg. Cool down your hot, angry feelings. 13. Think happy thoughts. Think of something you like to do. Imagine yourself doing it. 14. Treat the other person with kindness and respect. It wont be easy, but give it a try. This will totally surprise the other person, and it might end the conflict between you. 15. Draw an angry picture. 16. Sing an angry song. Or sing any song extra loud. 17. Remember that getting back at someone never makes conflict better. It only makes it worse. 18. Take a time-out. Go somewhere until you feel better. 19. Find another person to be with.
20. Know that you can do it. You can choose not to hurt someone else. Its up to you.

Distribute copies if the worksheet and go over it with students. Explain that the handout gives them 20 different ways to handle their anger. Ask if they know other ways that work, and list them on the chalkboard. Handling Bullying Incidents Most bullying occurs when adults are not there to intervene. Bullies dont want adult audiences. You need to rely on students for information about bullying you dont witness personally. It is difficult to get them to come to you with this information. Give them options; let them know they can come to you face to face- before or after school, in private. Or they can write you a note, or write about it in their journals. It is very important to respond quickly and effectively, or reporting will stop. Students need to trust that if they come to you about bullying you will do something about it.

Intervening When Bullying Is Occurring As a teacher, it is your responsibility to intervene immediately when you witness any bullying. When you do this, you: 1. You put a stop to that particular bullying incident 2. You make it clear that you wont tolerate bullying in your classroom. 3. You show that you are an adult who will do something about bullying and not just ignore it. 4. Your behavior encourages other victims and witnesses to tell you about bullying you dont witness personally.

Teaching Camaraderie Skills Some students become bullies because they dont have friends feel lonely, and seek attention by bullying. Some children become victims because they are isolated and easier to pick on. All students-bullies, victims, and everyone else-can benefit from learning and practicing friendship skills. Here is a very helpful worksheet: 12 Tips for Making and Keeping Friends
1. Reach out. Don't always wait for someone else to make the first move. A simple

"hi" and a smile go a long way.

2. Get involved. Join clubs that interest you. Take special classes inside or outside

of school. Be a volunteer.
3. Let people know that you're interested in them. Don't just talk about yourself; ask

questions about them.

4. Be a good listener. Look at people while they're talking to you. Pay attention to

what they say.

5. Risk telling people about yourself. When it feels right, let them in on your

interests, your talents, and what's important to you. BUT... 6. Don't be a show-off. Not everyone you meet will have your abilities and interests. (On the other hand, you shouldn't have to hide them - which you won't, once you find friends who like and appreciate you.) 7. Be honest. Tell the truth about yourself, what you believe in, and what you stand for. When asked for your opinion, be sincere. Friends appreciate truthfulness in each other. BUT...

8. Be kind. There are times when being tactful is more important than being totally

honest. The truth doesn't have to hurt.

9. Don't just use your friends as sounding boards for your problems. Include them

in the good times, too.

10. Do your share of the work. That's right, work. Any relationship takes effort. Don't

always depend on your friends to make the plans and carry all the weight.
11. Be accepting. Not all of your friends have to think and act like you do. (Wouldn't

it be boring if they did?)

12. Learn to recognize the so-called friends you can do without. Some people get so

lonely that they put up with anyone - including friends who aren't really friends at all. Read and discuss each tip with the class. During discussion, you might give examples from their own experiences of how they may have used these skills. You might also comment on times when youve seen students use these skills with each other. Welcoming New Students New students are more likely to be accepted if they join your class at the start of the school year. If a new student arrives during the year, make a special effort to welcome him or her. A day or two before the new student is scheduled to arrive, inform your class Brainstorm ideas with your class: Create a colorful welcome banner, make greeting cards to give to new students, ask for volunteers to be the new students buddy- showing them around the school. Identifying Role Models Ask students to name their role models. Have them write their role models on a piece of paper, sign them, and pass them in. You may also want to ask them one or two reasons why they admire these people. Set aside time to talk about role models. You may want to ask: What makes someone a role model? Why is it important to have role models? Why do you admire you role models? What special qualities do they have? Are you role models a positive influence on you? In what ways? Are your role models people who accept others? How can you tell? You might also identify your own role models and tell your students why you admire them.

Teaching Assertiveness Skills In general bullies tend to be aggressive- they behave as if their rights matter more than everyone elses. Victims tend to be passive- they behave as if other rights matter more than theirs. Assertive people respect their rights and others as well. Most of us could benefit from assertiveness training. Ask students what they feel their rights are. As they offer ideas, write them on the chalkboard. Have students create and illustrate a Student Bill of Rights poster for the classroom. Set and Review Weekly Goals Start each week with a brief discussion of how everyone can work together to create a positive classroom environment. Set specific goals everyone can agree on and work toward. Some ideas you may want to put out to students: What can we do this week so everyone feels safe, accepted, and appreciated? What can we do to prevent bullying? How will we treat each other? How will we expect to be treated? What specific actions can help us all have a great week? As students offer ideas, write them down on the blackboard. Summarize and leave on the blackboard for a week. On Wednesday, review the goal statement with the students. Ask questions such as: Are we meeting our goals as a class? Is there anything we need to work harder on? On Friday, look back on the week. Ask: Did we meet our goals this week? In general, how did people treat each other? Did we have a good week? Why or why not? What can we do to improve? Welcome students ideas about ways to make your classroom even friendlier, more peaceful, and more accepting. Use those ideas for the next weeks goal setting discussion.