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Retired teacher John Pennington gives educators resources
and techniques to deal with bullying in their classrooms.
By Molly Thompson
What can educators do to protect children from bullies? First, acknowledge that the problem exists, says NEA Human and Civil Rights expert Gaye Barker.
“It’s more prevalent and aggressive than ever, and it’s happening right in your classrooms – that’s where there's an audience and that’s what a bully wants,” Barker told educators who attended the NEA Anti-bullying Resources and National Bullying Awareness Campaign seminar at the 2005 WEAC Convention.
Bullying, defined as systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt and/or psychological distress on one or more students, is most common in elementary schools but affects all grade levels, according NEA research.
More than half of all bullying reported happens in the classroom, compared to about 20% in the parking lot and 20% on the bus, according to a survey used in the NEA’s data. About 63% of targets said they would tell a friend about being the target of a bully, but only 11% would tell a teacher. About 20% said they wouldn’t tell anyone.
“It’s easy to think it’s happening ‘out there,’” said retired teacher John Pennington, who taught for 36 years in New Hampshire and Maryland. “But if it’s happening in your classroom – even if your back is turned – and you don’t do anything, targets begin thinking they deserve it.”
Cyberbullying
Boys and girls tend to bully using different methods. Boys bully with physical or verbal aggression and target younger students; girls tend to bully indirectly using social aggression against students their same age. Teenage girls are also the main perpetrators in “cyberbullying.”
Cyberbullying can be anything related to the Internet from repeatedly sending an offensive message or “cyberstalking,” which includes threats against a person, to masquerading as someone else and posting material that damages someone’s reputation, to excluding a certain person from an Instant Messenger “buddy” list.
“Teenage girls seem to think that their right to free speech outweighs all others’ and they can say anything they want on the Internet – it has that element of anonymity,” Barker said.
Girls gone wild
Greenfield guidance counselor Dan Carr has seen bullying go from bad to worse in his 20-plus years in education – especially girls sexually harassing boys.
“Girls are asking boys for ‘favors’ in ways that just were unheard of 20 years ago,” Carr said. Sexual harassment in school ranges from touching or pinching and making suggestive remarks to pulling off someone’s clothes or attempted rape or rape.
“When you go back to your classrooms, ask your students why they think bullying and sexual harassment are on the rise,” Barker told educators.
Carr blames the media – particularly sitcoms, such as “Seinfeld,” which openly discuss sexual themes, making it seem humorous and harmless.
“I was out of the country for 10 years in the 1990s,” Carr said. “When I came back, I was shocked to see the change in what’s apparently accepted and pushed in the media, and how sexual innuendo has permeated school culture.”
Techniques
Eighty-five percent of respondents in NEA data reported being a bystander to bullying.
“They are the silent majority,” Pennington said. “They don’t want to get involved out of fear of retaliation or they just don’t know what to do. But they have the most potential for helping solve the problem.”
Educators need to let students know they won’t be a “tattle tale” if they report bullying to an adult. Instead, teach students they have a responsibility to take care of each other and create a safe environment for learning.
“At least have a reporting system that’s anonymous,” Pennington said. “If someone anonymously reports they saw Johnny being bullied in the cafeteria at lunch, at least you know you need to staff more adults there at that time.”
The NEA Awareness campaign offers techniques to help educators start an Anti-Bully Awareness campaign in their communities.
“Don’t just get your class or your school involved – get the whole community involved,” Barker said. “This is the perfect opportunity to form partnerships with local police departments, education associations and WEAC. You need to build a community atmosphere that doesn’t accept bullying.”
Carr said he’s seen awareness campaigns work.
“We had posters up in the classrooms to keep the issue fresh on everyone’s mind, and students signed anti-bullying pledges,” Carr said.
The NEA also warns against techniques that don’t work.
“Making two kids sit down together and ‘work it out’ doesn’t work,” Barker said. “Bullying is about an imbalance of power. Neither does building up the self-esteem of bullies. Studies show that bullies already have high self-esteem.”
The most important thing is to take a no-nonsense approach to bullying, Pennington said.
“Kids learn two little words, which they think remedies everything – ‘just kidding,’” he said. “Make it clear: bullying is not funny."
NEA National Bullying Awareness Campaign
Posted November 1, 2005