Does Your Anti-bullying Plan Have a Pro-Active Element?

“Proactive?” you ask. Did you know that the profiles of most bullies contain information indicating that they react out of jealousy, insecurity and low self-esteem? Yes, you have a system in place to report bullying and to punish the bully after the act. But what if we esteemed ALL children and directly instructed students on the silliness of jealousy? Where would the bullies be then? WHO would they be?

Teachers can and do build esteem in their classrooms by creating an environment of inclusion and fairness. But who is teaching students not to be jealous? Who is teaching students that it is OK to be themselves and to follow their own dreams? Who is teaching students that to know their own self worth, they need to be themselves?

If all kids could feel good about themselves, who would be left to bully or be bullied? Interesting question, eh? What a question to have to ponder! Wouldn't it be nice to have to one day explain what bullying was just in the same manner we teach what segregation or other historical concepts were?

Once we squash the bully, we have less reporting of incidents, less paperwork and less calls to family and law enforcement officials. You will have more time and energy to plan or not. How’s that for a proactive element to your anti-bullying program? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Are you ready? Let’s go!