Addressing Bullying in Schools: Strategies for Prevention

Bullying in schools is a pervasive problem that affects victims' academic achievement, the climate of the school, and the students' well-being. Bullying can take many different forms, ranging from physical assault to verbal abuse, and it can happen in the playground, in the classroom, and on social media. Bullying can cause victims to experience serious, enduring consequences. 

The children who are targeted often suffer from poor academic performance, anxiety, depression, and sleep issues. Not to mention, students who bully others are much more likely to struggle with a variety of problems that could last into adulthood, like substance misuse and aggressive conduct.

Realizing this our Kathmandu World School (KWS) team has developed a nurturing and safe environment for students from every walk of life. That’s why our core values include compassion, respect, responsibility, and collaboration which all try to highlight the essence of working together, showing respect without any prejudice, and expressing kindness to one another.

Now, how can you, as an educator, make a difference in the world? How can you both create an environment in the classroom that forbids bullying and carry out interventions that stop the behavior before it begins? We conferred with mental health counseling and education experts to formulate these three strategies that help prevent bullying at the grassroots level. 

1. Teaching Kindness and Empathy :

Students are less inclined to bully others when they can approach concepts and issues from several angles. Students should engage in activities that support social-emotional learning from an early age. The capacity to put oneself in another person's shoes is known as empathy, and educators must incorporate this talent into their curricula.

Early identification work with children is necessary to help them understand who they are, who everyone else is, and where they fit in the world.

1. Make connections possible :

Building a sense of community in your classroom can help targeted students heal and minimize bullying episodes.

According to research, targeted children are more resilient to bullying when they have a sense of belonging among their peers. Research suggests that instructing children to report bullying incidents and to take a stance against it can significantly decrease the likelihood of bullying in the future—by over 50%.

Establish a safe space in the classroom where students can express themselves and feel heard before anything else. Develop in your pupils the ability to speak up for themselves and other people. Provide opportunities for positive reinforcement outside of the classroom by assisting students in participating in extracurricular activities that suit their interests and hobbies. 

1. Determine the "gateway behaviors” :

Studies have shown that minor actions can frequently indicate the onset of bullying habits. These symptoms, known as "gateway behaviors," might be hard to spot for educators who already have a lot on their plates. However, there's a chance you could stop bullying behavior from forming later if you can identify it early on. Here are some important habits you should watch out for as an educator: 

• Rolling of the eyes

• extended staring

• reversing direction

• Having a cruel laugh or making others laugh

• Calling names Ignoring or omitting

• causing injury to the body

• Stalking and Spying 

Even though these actions might not be considered bullying, acting now to address them could lessen the chance that they develop into more serious issues down the road. "Research suggests that these behaviors are the cause of bullying, so if we can stop the kids from doing these things, that will be a big step toward solving the issue."