 further into themselves.
Document everything. If there are records of your child being bullied, as is often the case with cyber bullying, holding on to the evidence is vital. School authorities will often want proof if you go to them with accusations, and the court will certainly need it if it gets to the point that you need to make it a legal matter. Just as importantly, hanging on to things like emails can really help if your son or daughter is being targeted by anonymous bullies, because authorities sometimes use that information to track down the culprit.
Go to officials. Letting bullying go too far can lead to all kinds of potential physical and psychological damage, and sometimes you have little recourse other than to go to school officials to get it stopped. Meetings like this can go one of two ways—you can focus solely on the problem your child is having and demand that action is taken against the bullies, or you can work with them to start programs that educate their student body about bullying and seek to curb it in the school.
What Teachers Can Do About Bullying
Experts have found that comprehensive programs in the school are the most effective and efficient way to change the culture of bullying. Teachers and administrators, obviously, play a key role in this process because they are on the front lines just as much as parents are—if not more. Which strategies are known to work?
Raise awareness. When teachers notice that bullying is a problem, one of the best things they can do to solve the problem is to use their platform to talk about it and educate students. All too often, bullied kids feel like they’re alone and that no one will be willing to help them, but talking about it can change that. Encourage bullied students to seek help, and for those who witness bullying to speak out about it. Let them know that bullies can’t intimidate everybody if they work together against them.
Keep an eye out. Sometimes teachers can ignore the signs of bullying because they’re too caught up in their own classes or simply trying to make it through the day. Unfortunately, this kind of “blind-eye” attitude is exactly what allows bullying to continue. If you want to stop bullying, you need to pay attention to how your students are treating each other and watch for students who seem to need help. Talk to other teachers and administrators, too, so that everyone is on the same page and knows where potential problems may come from.
Assert your authority. It’s one thing to watch for trouble, but another to actively step in and stop it. Most bullies are smart enough not to do their worst in front of authority figures but if you see bullying going on, it’s important that you keep it from happening and punish the bully. They need to know that what they’re doing is unacceptable and that you’re not going to let them get away with it. When the situation calls for it, bullies should be made to go through counseling to better manage their anger and other emotions.
Above all, the best way to put a stop to bullying is to let it be known that it won’t be tolerated and then follow those words up with actions that prove them. The only real way to stamp out bullying is with a concerted effort that changes the culture and gets everyone involved—teacher, parents, and students.