Bullying is another form of violence. And even if it never crosses the line, it can still result in a serious personal crisis, loss of self-esteem, and many other psychological issues. And, unfortunately, it has already become a big problem.
So, are there any ways to stop harassment? If you were assigned to write an essay on this topic, don’t forget that you can always come to a professional write an essay for me service and get your A+ with ease. But, if you really want to sort out the problem and find effective ways to stop bullying in schools, in this article, we will tell you about the most efficient solutions.
Give It a Clear Definition
Recognizing and, most importantly, understanding the problem are the two big steps toward finding a solution. That is, before we will be able to stop bullying, we will need to have a clear definition of what it is in the first place.
At this point, it is worth noting that bullying is a rather complex concept that comes at different levels and, thus, sometimes, can be hard to recognize. To change this, it is vital to ensure that both students and staff members know the definition and are able to distinguish between real harassment and teasing. Also, it is important to spread awareness about different types of bullying that might be there.
Be Nonjudgemental
Okay, being able to recognize harassment is crucial, but what happens next? On most occasions, when teachers realize there is bullying in their class, they immediately put the labels of “bullies” and “victims” on their students. But, instead of helping to solve the problem, such labeling can actually make things worse.
When putting labels, adults are often judgemental, which also has a negative effect on a student (whether he is considered a victim or a bully). Eventually, such an approach can spark even more violence.
Thus, if you are wondering how to eliminate the problem, start by removing labels and learning to be nonjudgemental regardless of the situation.
Keep an Eye on “Hot” Spots
According to stats, there are certain spots in schools where the cases of harassment occur most often. These are sort of “hot” spots that teachers should monitor better in order to eliminate bullying.
Namely, some of the locations to pay special attention to include hallways or stairwells (43.4% of cases), classrooms (42.1%), school cafeterias (26.8%), outside on school grounds (21.9%), online (15.3%), as well as a locker room or bathroom (12.1%).
Have Clear Expectations and Rules
This may surprise some of you, but often, violence takes place in schools because of the lack of enforceable and clear rules and expectations. When students don’t really know what rules they are expected to follow, they may have absolutely no boundaries. But, when you set clear rules, it should be easier for students to behave appropriately.
Pro tip: Apart from stating clear rules, it’s vital to state the consequences as well. Students have to know what happens if they break the rules or don’t meet certain expectations. Then the results will be much better.
Reward Positive Behavior
Setting rules and making students face the consequences if they break them can be effective. However, punishments won’t get you far in the fight against bullying.
In order to stop the problem, it is important to promote positive behavior, and the easiest way to do this is by rewarding students when they behave or do something good.
Recognize the Red Flags
When there is any problem in the class, namely, when bullying takes place, there must be red flags that will help adults and other students recognize this.
Some of the most common signals to pay attention to include declining academic performance, unexplainable injuries, loss of friends, decreased self-confidence, destroyed or lost personal items, etc. All of these are clear signs that a student might be subject to bullying. And, in many cases, the sooner teachers notice this, the less harm it will do.
Encourage Open Communication
Lastly, one more effective solution that can help eliminate bullying is if the teacher encourages open communication inside the classroom. When teachers and students learn to communicate openly, the atmosphere in the classroom becomes much more trustful and friendly. Respectively, this can help to eliminate a whole range of possible issues at the very beginning.
And, an important note here is to be very careful with engaging parents. In such a trusted atmosphere, such an action can be considered as a violation of trust and lead to more issues.
The Bottom Line
To be frank, bullying in schools is neither new nor rare. If we look back into the past, bullying has always been there. It’s just that people didn’t want to recognize the problem.
Today, in the 21st century, people have finally started raising awareness about this big problem, which has already brought many positive changes and definitely made schools a safer place. However, even after these changes, the problem is still there, and it is still acute, especially now when the internet has given more opportunities for bullying.
However, the good news is that defeating bullying is possible, but only if we stop pretending like there is no problem. And, we hope that this article will be helpful in terms of identifying the actionable steps to eliminating bullying in schools.
