What Should A Teacher Do About Bullying? – Being Parents
Faced with bullying , teachers must inform the rest of the actors and education professionals of the situation. They must therefore set in motion a series of organizational and institutional measures as well as actions and decisions, both individual and collective, which help to eradicate a social problem as complex as that of bullying.
What is bullying and what does it consist of?
The bullying is derived from the English word bully , which means “raw”. It refers to the harassment and psychological, verbal or physical abuse that takes place between students and which has the particularity of occurring repeatedly and lasting over time.
In addition, a situation of bullying or school mistreatment can occur both at school, in the classroom and in the yard, as outside the latter, that is to say in the classroom. street or on social networks. A situation of school bullying always involves an abuse of power and bullying relationship between a bullying student and a bullying student.
The behaviors that harm harassed people are varied. They include offenses, humiliations, nicknames, insults and beatings. They constitute situations which affect daily and academic life and have repercussions on all social, personal and psychological spheres of the bullied child. Bullying manifests itself in academic difficulties and causes problems of anxiety, depression and social isolation.
Currently, bullying is a topic that worries many parents and educators. Eradicating it is a real educational and social challenge. This is a complex problem to tackle, which responds to multiple social, educational and cultural causes and factors.
How should a teacher deal with bullying?
If a teacher witnesses or has suspicion about a situation of school abuse, he or she should act immediately. It must also apply a series of intervention strategies, both at the individual and institutional level.
As a first step, the teacher should be fully informed about a possible situation of bullying at school. This involves gathering data on what has happened, or has been happening, since when, and the identity of the people involved.
In addition, he or she will need to assess the seriousness of the situation and take action, such as speaking in private with the harasser and the harasser. In any case, he will have to speak, both to the school authorities and to the parents of the pupils involved, about the bullying situation .
It should also be taken into account that, in many cases of bullying, it is necessary for students and their parents to consult other professionals. Specialists such as psychologists or therapists, who have the tools to approach the situation, identify and work on the possible causes and consequences. A situation of bullying in school indeed supposes a great impact in the life of the victim, but also in that of the child who bullying.
Teachers, students and families facing bullying
As we said earlier, there are concrete and specific steps teachers need to take to deal with bullying at school. However, one of the fundamental strategies is for teachers to set up teaching-learning situations. During the latter, the objective will be the prevention of bullying at school.
Thus, the planning of activities to promote values is essential, and activities during which the impact of bullying at school is deepened on the physical, psychological and psychological level. Education for the development of emotional intelligence and the promotion of denunciation and empathic behaviors towards peers who suffer from bullying are therefore important.
“ The most precious ally of stalkers and the worst enemy of victims is the silence of others”.
Finally, faced with bullying , a teacher must be able to benefit from the support of all school stakeholders and families, because facing bullying is not possible with isolated actions and decisions. To try to eradicate bullying in our society, social awareness and deep institutional, professional and family coordination are necessary.
