National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to reflect on a serious problem that not only deprives students of a joyful learning environment, but can have toxic effects on the recipient that extend into adulthood, such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and depression.
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FEB
19
2014
Cyberbullying Prevention in the Classroom
These days even young children have active digital lives through texting, instant messaging, and multi-player online games such as Club Penguin. However, children who are adept at using digital devices such as…
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DEC
19
2013
Cyberbullying: A Resource for Educators
Do elementary educators need to proactively protect their students against cyberbullying? Elizabeth Englander, in her engaging and readable new book Bullying and Cyberbullying: What Every Educator Needs to Know, makes a persuasive…
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NOV
04
2013
Bullyproofing Every Day
During Bullying Prevention Month in October, I imagine that many of you planned, presented, or took part in assemblies or whole school meetings about bullying prevention. You may have created posters with…
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OCT
23
2013
The Invisible Boy
Do you have a child in your class who is invisible to the other children? I'm thinking about the child who is forgotten when children choose work partners, who plays alone at…
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FEB
13
2013
How to Talk With Parents about Cliques and Exclusion
Early in the school year, share with parents school and class expectations related to exclusion. You could do this in a letter or at back-to-school night. Give them a broad understanding of…
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JAN
07
2013
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
Have you had a chance to read Wonder, the new young adult novel by R.J. Palacio? It would be the perfect book to read aloud to a fifth grade class as a…
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DEC
05
2012
Each Kindness
A new girl joins Chloe's class. Maya's clothes are old and ragged. Despite the fact that there's snow on the ground, Maya's shoes look like they're meant for spring. The teacher seats…
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DEC
04
2012
Bullying and the New Kid
"There's a new girl in my class," my grandson told me. "She's from Russia, and she doesn't speak English yet. Her name is Petra, but kids call her 'Comrade Communist.' " It…
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OCT
15
2012
More Bullyproofing on the Bus
The school bus is a hot spot for bullying, one of the least supervised and least programmed parts of children's school day. With nothing to do and no one to stop them,…
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OCT
11
2012
Speaking Up
It's a lot easier to stop a small mean comment than it is to stop full blown bullying. Nonetheless, in the moment, when you hear children (or adults!) say mean things to…
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SEP
10
2012
Bullyproofing at Back-to-School Night
Will you be meeting your students' families at back-to-school night soon? If so, you have a golden opportunity to take another important step toward bullyproofing your classroom.
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SEP
03
2012
The First Days of School
What can you do, this school year, to bullyproof your classroom? Establishing a positive classroom climate where kindness prevails and everybody is included is a vital first step.
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AUG
10
2012
Bullying at Camp
Summer camp was a big part of my childhood. When I think back to my experiences at sleep-away camp, I remember a clear line between the camp with an atmosphere of safety…
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AUG
01
2012
Close the Gateway to Bullying
An adapted excerpt from Chapter One of the award-winning book, How to Bullyproof Your Classroom
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JUL
19
2012
Bullyproofing the Playground
The playground is a hot spot for bullying in schools. Often lightly supervised, recess takes place outside the structures and expectations of the classroom. It's a time when children try out mean…
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JUL
12
2012
No Bullying on This Bus!
Bus rides are often the least supervised part of children's school days. They are also a part of the day without structured activities. That's a terrible combination. No wonder we hear about…
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JUL
05
2012
Whose Job Is It to Stop Bullying?
When adults start thinking about bullying prevention, I've noticed we often go right to wondering how to teach children to "stand tall." This idea—that a child who is being bullied can stop…
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JUL
03
2012
Bullying and the Bus Monitor
Have you watched that video that shows middle school students on a school bus, bullying their bus monitor? I watched it a few days ago. The video is painful, even disgusting, but…
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JUN
25
2012
Bullying: What Are We Teaching?
Did you see the recent news report about a kindergarten teacher who lined her class up and directed each child, in turn, to hit a classmate who'd been accused of bullying other…
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JUN
13
2012
Working with Students to Stop Bullying
Bullying behaviors go on under our radar. Children report far higher levels of bullying in their classrooms than their teachers do. They see it when we don't. It happens while we're helping…
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MAY
31
2012
Bullying We Ignore
Louis announces, "Paul's feet smell, eww." His classmates laugh, and his teacher goes on teaching. "Look at your ugly lunch," "You have on boys' socks," "Your hair is nappy and you'll never…
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MAY
21
2012
Bullying We Don’t See
Teachers are supposed to have "eyes in the back of our heads." When I was teaching, I believed I did see everything—I certainly thought I knew when children misbehaved. Then, while researching…
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MAY
08
2012
We Can’t Stop Bullying Alone
It seems to me sometimes that children's teachers and children's families live on different planets when it comes to the issue of keeping our children safe in school. Personally, I've lived on…
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APR
10
2012
Bullying Prevention and the Responsive Classroom Approach
Your latest book is called How to Bullyproof Your Classroom. What got you interested in the topic of bullying and bullying prevention? Bullying is in the news. As I read accounts of bullying…
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MAR
15
2011
Bullying Prevention
My colleague Caltha Crowe has been researching bullying prevention for an upcoming book, and as a result, my antennae are out for news on this topic. So, the other day when I…
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DEC
17
2010
Building Empathy to Prevent Bullying
My fifth grade class was about to welcome a new student—I'll call him Mark—who had a number of medical challenges. For instance, he had a feeding tube, and he suffered from uncontrollable…
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