How to Prevent Bullying in School

Social and emotional learning (SEL) involves helping students attain the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to understand and manage emotions. It also helps them understand other people's emotions, empathize with them and maintain positive social relationships. 

The ability to understand peers may make students think twice about how their actions or words might impact someone else. A school-wide SEL framework may consistently help students develop social and emotional skills. 

3. Set Clear Policies 

Establishing and reinforcing school policies each year ensures students know how to treat each other and the consequences of violating policies. All educators should know the school policies so that they react appropriately and consistently when seeing instances of bullying. 

Additionally, educators should outline classroom rules and expectations on the first day of school to set the tone for the classroom. Make sure the rules: 

• Are framed in a positive way.
• Cover multiple situations. 
• Are age appropriate. 
• Have easy-to-understand examples.

4. Reward Positive Behavior 

Rather than only pointing out when students do something bad, praise and reward good behavior. For every one time you reprimand a student, acknowledge their good behavior four to five times. Reacting well to positive behavior may make students want to continue behaving well. It also encourages other students to behave so they receive acknowledgment and rewards, too. 

As a rule of thumb, you should also reprimand students in private, help them understand how to correct their behavior and provide one-on-one feedback. 

5. Teach Students to Be Positive Role Models 

Educators can teach students to stop bullying if they see it. Children can prevent bullying by being inclusive, kind and respectful toward their peers. Educators can also teach students the importance of sticking up for the person being bullied, questioning the bullying behavior and offering support. Try to implement activities and resources that help them build good character and make better decisions. 

5 Ways to Respond to Bullying 

Has bullying already occurred at your school? You may be able to resolve issues with these five ways to resolve bullying in school. 

1. Address Unacceptable Behavior 

Educators should aim to address student behavior in a nonjudgmental way. This includes avoiding using strong and hurtful terms like "victim" or "bully." Approach the incident from a neutral perspective and first understand what occurred before establishing the behavior as bullying. 

Remember that there is likely a reason behind why a student engages in bullying behavior, so it's essential to listen attentively. You may then help them understand how their actions might hurt someone and the consequences of their actions. You may then continue to address the deeper issue that caused the behavior. 

2. Encourage Open Communication 

Educators should implement open communication in the classroom to help ensure students open up about bullying. This can start with daily conversations with the class about daily life, the things they look forward to on weekends and their feelings. 

This may help students feel more comfortable sharing issues with teachers beyond academics. After building that trust, you can start conversations about bullying. 

3. Engage With Parents 

Parents play a critical role in influencing and inspiring students to behave in certain ways, so encourage them to help create a positive school climate. This can involve them volunteering and participating in school events. It also helps to build a strong rapport with parents during events and parent-teacher meetings so that it is easier to talk to them about their children's behavior. 

4. Interview Bystanders and Those Involved 

When encountering a bullying incident, separate the students so you can gather facts individually. After everyone is calmer, interview the bystanders to understand what happened. Make sure to show empathy and acknowledge that you won't know all the circumstances. 

Then, interview the students directly involved in the incident, and follow up on the situation to ensure their safety and well-being. This will also help educators gain students' trust as they know they genuinely care. 

5. Monitor Bullying Hot Spots 

There may be particular areas of the school where bullying is more likely to occur. These might include the cafeteria, hallways or bathroom. Ensure staff and teachers take turns monitoring these areas to catch bullying behavior as soon as it happens. Students may avoid bullying behavior when they know adults are around, and the presence of adults may help them feel safe in the school environment. 

Tips to Stop Bullying as an Educator 

If you're looking for more methods to stop bullying, here are three practices that can help you as an educator provide better support to students: 

• Practice active listening with students: One of the best ways to show you care is by listening to and understanding students. A kind environment may help students feel heard and minimize the chances of bullying situations. 
• Communicate classroom expectations: When informing students of classroom rules, make sure they understand by explaining why they are necessary and how bullying might affect them in the long run. 
• Identify signs of bullying: You may be able to tell if a student is experiencing bullying when there are unexplainable injuries, a sudden change in eating habits or a sudden decline in grades. 

Implement Character Building Planners From Success by Design

To prevent bullying as a teacher, you need to set a good example and encourage students to become kind and understanding people. Success by Design offers character-building student planners that help students stay organized. Each month of this unique calendar focuses on a particular character attribute, such as respect, empathy and confidence. 

Along with organizing students' education plans, the planner provides definitions, short and long books for learning about specific character attributes, and a space for logging their overall understanding. This helps educators see where students are in their understanding of the importance of good character. To help students build good character, browse our planners with a purpose or contact us to learn more today.