For most drivers, the speed limit signs are enough to regulate speed. When we couple those types of signs with an attachment to the community that they are planted in, most people drive appropriately. Speed limit signs are an example of a universal intervention. They are a broad intervention aimed at as many people as possible. A smaller percentage of drivers will require the occasional speeding ticket in order to remain mindful of their speed. And an even smaller percentage of drivers will require a more substantial level of intervention. This example is basically how the tiered interventions associated with Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) are structured. Tier 1 interventions are like speed limits. They apply to everyone equally, and are effective at reducing speeding for most.

In Tier 1, a school should be attempting to target 100% of its student body.

An intervention at this level would be something like establishing school-wide positive expectations. Defining the expectations and behaviors that we expect from our students gives them specific goals to aim at instead of simply telling them what behaviors will be met with punishment. Schools that establish 3-5 positively stated, easy to remember, and reinforced expectations. The Junior High School that I attended as a child, Wasatch Junior High, in Salt Lake City, had the expectations of Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. Three broad categories that are reiterated throughout a student’s day, and their experience in that particular school.

Where should a universal intervention be focused?

The classroom was the place where these expectations were reiterated most often. Teachers who see young people engaging in Accountability, in this example, reinforce them for doing so. Setting the example for positive behaviors in the class, and reinforcing the young person in the moment the positive behavior occurs. Of course, while only reinforcing positive behaviors has actually been shown to reduce negative behaviors, we still have to discourage problem behaviors. All discipline policies should be aimed at discouraging behaviors that interfere with academic and social success. Students require familiarity, predictability, and consistency in the procedures and policies that govern their behavior.

While thinking about universal interventions, see if you can spot the Tier 1 intervention being used in your school!

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Bully-victims?

What may surprise some is that the youth who are most likely to bully are—themselves—victims of bullying; the so-called “bully-victims.” These young people may believe that bullying others is justified because they have been bullied. Or maybe they are in a social hierarchy where their position in the middle, where they are bullied by those above them, is maintained by bullying others at the bottom of the hierarchy. One thing is clear: it is unlikely that they do not know how harmful bullying is, and unlikely they do not realize what they are doing to others. And ignorance to how their actions make others feel is extremely difficult to believe.

Why do young people bully others?

There are a number of reasons young people bully others. The socially integrated bully will bully less popular students by using relational aggression and rumors in order to simultaneously prop themselves up and put others down. Young people attempting to climb the social ladder can also resort to bullying as a way to navigate the social hierarchy in an integrated way. The socially marginalized bully, in contrast, is a student who has few friends but finds socialization by dominating others. They may find that their power over others is their age, or physical size.

Young people can bully because it makes them feel good about themselves. Putting others down is a way to make someone feel good about themselves, in the short term. Boredom can be another reason to bully others. Bullies may be bored with their day-to-day lives at school. They may resort to bullying in order to add excitement or drama to their lives. Bullying is also a way for young people to get attention from their peers. Their actions against their victims may illicit laughter, or may catalyze others to join in.

Are you either a “bully,” or a “victim”?

There are many reasons for bullying. And the categories of “bully” and “victim” are not fixed. Rather, there are fluid dynamics at play where a person is likely to move back and forth between categories of bully and victim depending on the social circumstances and environment. Maybe we should be encouraging young people to identity the parts of themselves where they are vulnerable to mistreat others. If they can understand where the motivation to bully others is coming from, it may be preventable. If we acknowledge that every one of us is capable of bullying, then maybe we explore the circumstances where we might be capable of behaving in such a way. Only then can we help create communities where young people treat one another with respect and dignity.

Check out some of our other posts on bullying:

Bullying Prevention: Research to Practice

10-Tips to Stop Bullying

Bullying in our schools – Data from the CDC

The post Why do young people bully? appeared first on Stand 4 Kind.

45% of teens report that they are online “almost constantly,” according to a 2018 poll by Pew Research. That number has increased from 24%, just 5 years ago. As a person who did not grow up with social media (Besides phone calls and limited texting, the only thing my first phone could do was play Snake), I even find the ease of internet access something that I have to consciously avoid. I find that I have to pull myself away from my MacBook, iPhone, or iPad to simply sit down and read a book for an hour. All the while resisting the urge to pick up my phone, for no reason at all. Pew Research indicates that adults are not immune to the “almost constant” usage of social media either, almost 30% of adults fall into that highest use category.

Building Empathy

So, how do we use conversation between adults and children to foster the growth of resilience to bullying? The first step is for us to put our devices down and talk to each other. The difficulty about conversation is not putting the phone down however; it is giving the relationship between two people the time and space required for a conversation to develop. Our phones give us the ability to always be connected and never be bored. And developing deeper conversations with others takes time. There may be long pauses where nothing is said. Moments occur where something is said that you did not anticipate, and you are not fully prepared to respond. Face-to-face conversations can be a little messy. They can take a little time. But they are worth it for the seeds of deep meaning they plant.

Conversation Starts at Home

The second way that we can use conversation to foster resilience from bullying is to consider where children learn the art of conversation in the first place: the family. Family conversations are where young people first start to identify others as being different from themselves, and they come to understand how to negotiate with them. Young people learn empathy having conversations with family; they are asked to put themselves in the shoes of a sibling. And these are the foundations of empathy. These conversations can be used to explore feelings in a way that teaches us how to separate emotions, like anger, from actions, like aggression. When young people talk through problems at home, they are likely to take those skills into their school.

Conversation Builds Confidence

The last way that we will talk about the contribution that conversation can develop resilience in young people is that conversational fluency builds confidence. When someone feels empowered and able to articulate themselves through conversational fluency, confidence will come hand-in-hand. And with personal confidence comes a natural resilience to being bullied. Often, bullies are those students who already have attained power. Many times, this power is obtained from characteristics like social status or age or physical size. But many times the power is maintained by subjugating others. Bullies search out victims, and they do not often choose those students who are confidently engaged in the milieu. Children who bully often select victims who have very little social support. Bullies also single out those who tend to fall at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Children who are already anxious make easy targets.

There are a number of reasons for us to work with young people to develop confident conversational skills. There are, perhaps, very few other skills as critical to the success of a young person, or any person, as the ability to have an engaged and extended conversation with another person.

Check out some of our other posts:

10-Tips to Stop Bullying

Identity: What is it? How do I find mine?

Chasing down Happiness

The post Use conversation to prevent bullying appeared first on Stand 4 Kind.

1. Talk about bullying, and talk about it often.

   1. Clearly define what bullying is (see definition above), and reinforce to your students that it is not acceptable behavior.
   2. Let students know about ways to safely and anonymously report their concerns to you, and ensure them that you will not ignore any concerns that are brought to your attention. One of the reasons students are reluctant to report bullying is that they do not feel confident that adults will know what to do, or that adults will do anything at all.

2. Establish a clear classroom management procedure. Establish rules and expectations for your classroom, and communicate the consequences if those rules and expectations are violated.

   1. When there are clear and structured guidelines in place, it is more likely bullying will be reported accurately and responded to effectively.
   2. Stand4Kind advocates teachers establish social contracts with the students your classes. The Stand4Kind social contracts have 4 pieces that should be developed by a teacher in concert with the students in your class.
      1. How do you want me to treat you?
      2. How do you think I want you to treat me?
      3. How are you going to treat your peers?
      4. When we have conflict, how are we going to solve it?

3. Stand in the hallways between classes, and eat in the lunchroom with the students.

   1. We know that the majority of bullying episodes actually happen in the classroom! But the next most likely locations for bullying are in the hallways, and in the cafeteria. Standing in the hallway between classes and eating lunch in the cafeteria, with the students, will give you a great opportunity to build rapport with your students (which will increase the likelihood bullying will be reported to you), and to observe your students in less structured environments so that you can understand better the nature of their social lives.

4. Although this is listed as point 4, it may be the most important: Point out bullying immediately after you think you may have witnessed it. Do not wait to address behaviors from students that concern you. Stop whatever is going on in your class and address the issue to the entire class.

   1. This is where using the classroom contract is useful. Teachers can refer to the expectations that the students set for themselves as a backstop to behavioral issues and to support accountability.
   2. Additionally, rates of bullying have been shown to decrease as student perception of teacher disapproval increases.

5. Talk to your classes about what friendship means, and what relationships look like that are friendly.

   1. Often, bullying can happen in the context of a “friendship” where one student is included in the group solely as the person at the bottom of the group’s food chain.
   2. If your friends are not friendly, they should not be your friends. Find friends who want the best for you!

6. Try to integrate anti-bullying efforts on each agenda for teacher staff-meetings, even if it is only briefly touched on it will help keep bullying awareness high among school staff.

7. Know that boys and girls bully differently.

   1. Boys are likely to physically bully, and girls are likely to use relational aggression, verbal bullying, and even cyberbullying.

8. Attempt to discover the isolated kids

   1. Victims of bullying are often those individuals who are socially isolated relative to their peers. Attempt to integrate them with their peers any way you can.

9. Pay attention to the charming kids, and those that show signs of entitlement

   1. Bullies may not feel as though the rules apply to them. Contrary to popular belief, bullies are often not kids who struggle socially/academically.
   2. Children who bully others can often have a high level of social intelligence, and can be model academic students. At times, parents and teachers can report “surprise” at discovering these students could bully others.

10. Watch your students for gradual/sudden changes in behavior.

    1. Bullied students are known to experience higher rates of truancy
    2. Sudden drops in grades or behavioral problems may also start to manifest themselves.

The post Teachers: Create bully-free classrooms appeared first on Stand 4 Kind.

In Dr. Catherine Bradshaw’s 2015 article published in the journal of the American Psychologist (Link provided below), she offers us an understanding of the current state of bullying prevention programs around the nation, and around the world. The first point she highlights is the importance of bullying prevention. She notes the detrimental effects that bullying has on behavioral, mental health, and academic outcomes. Not only for those who are victimized but also for youth who bully and youth who witness bullying. She also notes that the number of bullying prevention programs being used by schools has increased dramatically since the 1990s, and that [nearly] all states have passed laws related to bullying. Many of those laws encourage the use of programs or official strategies to prevent bullying. Unfortunately, she concludes her introduction by highlighting the fact that while there is a growing number of these school-based programs, relatively few programs have been formally tested to ensure they are working.

Are Bullying Prevention Programs Effective?

Features of Promising Bullying Prevention Programs:

There are some features we know to be associated with more effective bullying prevention. At the level of the teacher there is evidence showing closer supervision on the playground, the use of consistent disciplinary methods, and classroom management strategies have all been shown be effective. Classroom and schoolwide rules related to bullying and teacher trainings are also features of effective programs. Another effective element includes the use of parent trainings, meetings, and information exchange (question & answer forums, bullying awareness material, etc). Finally, the amount of time and the intensity of the trainings have been found to be positively associated with successful programs. With extended/consistent program trainings producing quality results.

Recommended Bullying Prevention Approaches

Public Health Approach to Bullying Prevention:

If you work in education and are familiar with PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), then you are familiar with the three-tiered public health model approach to bullying prevention. The idea of the three-tiered, pyramid-type, intervention system is that most students will respond to the basic level of intervention, the Universal Intervention. Think of this as the foundation of the pyramid. The second tier, the Selective Interventions, a smaller group of students, around 10-15%, is targeted. And in the third tier, the Indicated Interventions, a much smaller groups of students, around 5%, are targeted individually with specific interventions.

Universal Interventions may include things like a focus on improving school climate, shifting the norms about bullying, and targeting bystander behavior. These types of efforts will effectively reduce bullying for the majority (80%) of the student body. Selective Interventions include more specific social skills training and instruction about emotional-regulation for small groups of youth identified at risk for becoming involved in bullying. An example of Indicated Interventions might be to address specific mental health concerns regarding an individual student, or specific concerns about the youth’s family. Tiered systems allow for students to be met with the appropriate level of intervention based on their individual needs.

Multicomponent Programs:

It is recommended that schools implement multiple integrated systems of intervention. Dr. Bradshaw recommends programs that incorporate classroom level discussions about bullying, social-emotional skills, and strategies for responding to bulling with school-climate efforts aimed at reducing aggressive behavior, and increasing student support. These kinds of multicomponent programs provide children with direct instruction on replacement behaviors and skills for avoiding and effectively responding to bullying.

Schoolwide Prevention Activities:

Schools are recommended to address their social environment and broader culture and climate of bullying. Given the relationship between school climate and bullying, activities that improve safety, engagement, and culture are thought to translate into bullying reduction. School-wide prevention efforts that incorporate staff at every level and monitor students in every context (i.e., in class, during lunch, at recess, it the hallways, etc.) are likely to function well in bullying prevention. Additionally, many schools are using Mindfulness as a way to help students increase self-awareness and help-seeking.

Involve Families & Communities in Bullying Prevention:

Dr. Bradshaw notes the critical role played by families in preventing bullying at school. Families can support children in the development of coping skills, and also the disclosure of incidence of bullying so that school officials can more quickly address the behavior. Additionally, parents benefit from training in how to talk with their children about bullying, how to communicate their concerns about the bullying to the school, and understanding new ways to get actively involved in school-based prevention efforts. Dr. Bradshaw is quick to remind us that a family that eats dinner together 4 or more times per week is enough to mitigate the negative effects of bullying. And that a caring adult, in any position, can intervene when they see bullying.

Sustained and Integrated Bullying Prevention Efforts:

Adopting different programs to address each new problem that emerges may be tempting. However, recent research indicates that schools are implementing approximately 14 different programs to prevent violence and promote a safe learning environment. This kind of expansive programming can be overwhelming for staff, and lead to confusion about the goals and objectives. The inconsistency that trickles down to the students means fidelity is poor, and expectations are confusing. Programs that have a broader focus on preventing aggressive and disruptive behavior by addressing social-emotional skills, interpersonal conflict, and behavioral inhibition would address bullying in addition to other problem behaviors. There will be considerable planning involved in this type of intervention development and implementation, and the commitment to use a continuum of positive, and proactive supports, instead of traditionally reactive and punitive approaches to discipline.

Focus on Program Fidelity:

Forming a counsel to lead the implementation, help with the integration of programs, and monitor outcomes can be a critical first step in ensuring project success. Students and teachers can both be represented, and tasks can be developed and assigned. Outcomes should be articulated and data should be tracked to best understand the effect-size of the program. An AP Statistics class may be a good source of help with the data collection and analysis!

Future Directions in Bullying Prevention Research and Programming

Bullying Prevention Measurement Challenges:

“One problem in bullying prevention programs,” Dr. Bradshaw writes, “is assessing the outcome of bullying.” We understand what bullying is, but identifying it in a given moment is very difficult. How can a person determine, in the moment, if an interaction between two students meets those three criteria of being 1) intentionally hurtful, 2) directed at a person without power by a person with power, and 3) falling in a pattern that is repeated over time? Researchers generally agree that self-reports are among the most valid indicators of bullying, as opposed to observational data, peer reports, or teachers’ ratings. It is also well established in the literature that the extent of agreement regarding the perceived problem and prevalence of school bullying varies across informants. Said another way, rates of bullying depend on who you ask. It is important for program development and program outcomes for us to understand a program may show significant impact on children’s bullying-related attitudes and teachers’ observations of bullying, but may not significantly change student self-reports of bullying. Which was the case for a bullying prevention program called Steps to Respect. It can be all too easy for school personnel to dismiss bullying as something that is not a part of our school, but we have to remember that the CDC Data clearly identifies around 20% of our youth as being victimized by bullying.

Rigor in Study Design:

There are a “large number of programs currently in use,” notes Bradshaw. Establishing evidence to support a program is difficult because of the sheer number of programs and the difficulty in implementing a program to fidelity. Bradshaw notes that implementing a particular program effectively, even one that has been shown to be empirically effective, is not a “guarantee that bullying intervention/prevention efforts will be effective” because the program is being “implemented in a different setting or in a different cultural context.” Additionally, most program evaluations suffer from “short follow-up periods” (e.g., a single school year). This short time span may not allow for “contextual changes, such as improvements in the school climate or increases in staff supervision and intervention.” Given the difficulty in replication, schools choosing to use specific programs, should consider how they are going to monitor changes in their student body/teachers over time. Bradshaw notes, specifically, that the process of change is likely slow when factors such as norms about retaliation and bystander intervention are the target of intervention.

What Works for Whom?

Programs may require specific evaluation if the school environment where they are being implemented differs from the setting or context of research origin. Establishing effectiveness could be difficult given specific “cultural or community contexts in which students or families who report bullying are shunned by their peers or other community members, thereby potentially compromising the effectiveness of approaches which emphasize reporting bullying to adults.” Schools can also choose to consider if identifying individual characteristics of the child, peer relationship, school environment, and bullying situation are serving as risk factors or protective factors for involvement in bullying. Identifying the risk factors for children will help identify the potential targets. Identifying the potential targets will help us insulate them with protective factors.

Conclusion

Consideration of Values & Conclusions

Dr. Bradshaw concludes the article by mentioning “the recent tragic acts of violence in American schools” that “remind us of the importance of mental health promotion within this context [schools]. She reiterates the importance of emphasizing children’s social-emotional development while pursuing the increasing requirements put forward by “high stakes testing,” and encourages us to remember that holistic and multidisciplinary approaches are needed to better prevent bullying and create safe schools.

___

Bradshaw, C.P. (2015). Translating Research to Practice in Bullying Prevention. American Psychologist, 70(4), 322-332.

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You have a bully in your life who is tormenting you and making school unbearable! Perhaps you have been told that ‘it is not your fault,’ to ‘avoid the bully the best you can’. After all, they picked you at random. There was nothing you could have done to prevent the bully from targeting you. How do you stop bullying, when you have no control? While it is true that there is a power imbalance present in the bullying relationship—with the bully having some sort of power over the victim—that does not mean that victims of bullying are powerless.

If you have a bully at school, check out some of these strategies that might help stop bullying.

Understand your values and identity.

Sometimes kids stand out because they don’t quite know where they fit in. Being a young person is a tricky time in a person’s life. Finding your identity takes time. You are attempting to balance an understanding of yourself with an understanding of others, and understanding your values is a great first step to finding out who you are and what you stand for. Our values are the things in our life that orient us and guide our behavior, and one of the ways we can identify what our values are is by considering the things that we do.

We can understand our values by looking at our behavior. You might be on the track team at your high school and may identify physical fitness as one of your values; you may be taking 5 AP classes and identify academic excellence as one of your values; or you may see your family as a cornerstone or bedrock in your life and identify Family as one of your values. If you are being bullied, understanding your values can help you assess where you fit in, find supportive friend groups, engage in activities you enjoy, and have fun with people who love having you around. There are all kinds of young people around you, and many of them Value the same things you do. Find those people and say goodbye to your bully.

Find/develop your confidence.

Along with understanding your values comes finding the things that you enjoy doing and the people you enjoy doing those things with! Whether it is basketball, debate, student government, chess, or Dungeons & Dragons, follow your values to the people and activities you enjoy. You may even find yourself trying something for the first time! It takes bravery to try something new for the first time. After all, you must view the risk as an opportunity to grow versus a trap to be embarrassed or publicly humiliated.

Challenges present opportunities, not pitfalls. Making the decision to try new things will make you braver! Being braver, you will be better able to confidently explore the world. Stand up tall and look confidently forward. When you approach the world as though every new opportunity were filled with fun and potential instead of disaster and embarrassment, friends will be eager to join you and bullies will shrink up and disappear.

Tell the bully what they are doing and how it makes you feel.

Bullies can be blind to the effect that their behaviors have on others. Saying to the bully “Are you aware that every time I walk down this hall you comment on my glasses? I don’t appreciate it and want you to stop,” is a surefire way to make them aware of their unappreciated behavior. Not only does this action make the bully aware of the effects of their behavior, but it reminds you that you have the power to speak on your own behalf, always.

People who have a chance to speak up for themselves, and don’t, become less able to speak up for themselves in the future. People who speak up for themselves and assert themselves when required get stronger and better able to speak up for themselves in the future. It takes a ton of bravery to speak up to your bully, but speaking up to your bully will translate into you speaking out to all bullying. The best way to stop bullying is to speak out against it in the moments when it is happening.

In Conclusion.

If you have a bully at school, you may feel powerless. But remember, you are not! There are always things that you can do. Decisions you can make to empower yourself, and change your experience at school. You can always talk to someone about the bullying as well. Approaching a trusted teacher, parent, or friend about the bullying can also be a way to find some support in a situation that can often feel intensely isolating. For other great tips, check out a previous post: 10-tips to stop bullying.

The post Help! I have a bully at school! appeared first on Stand 4 Kind.

We know that the definition of bullying is intentionally hurtful behaviors that are repeated over time and directed at a person of lesser power. The part of that equation that may be tough to identify is intentionally hurtful. You might be thinking to yourself: ‘maybe my actions arehurtful, but I would never do anything to hurt someone on purpose.’ You might be thinking to yourself: ‘but I don’t look like the bullies that I see on TV,’ ‘the bullies that I see on TV do not have any friends.’ Or even: ‘my friends know that I am just joking,’ ‘the things that I am doing actually get a laugh out of people, so how can they be bullying?’ Let’s think about some of the ways that we can assess our relationships with others to better determine if those relationships are happy and healthy ones, or if they need a re-evaluation.

Am I a bully?

Some signs that my behavior might be bullying

1. Think about the nature of your friend group. Consider each person in that group and their specific contribution to the group. If you think that certain people are really only invited to hang around because they are the butt of everyone’s joke, this person may be the target of this groups bullying. If this is you and your friends, challenge the status quo next time someone decides that fun is going to be had at the expense of one of your “friends.”
2. Think about the topics that you and your friends talk about. If the majority of your conversations are talking about others, spreading rumors, gossip, or laughing at/about other people you might be participating in social/relational bullying. If this is you and your friends, next time the conversation starts to veer toward gossip, just remember the quote from the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
3. Take a moment and consider who the bullies are in your school. What are the kinds of things that they have done to make you identify them in your mind? What are the things that you have heard about their behavior that make you identify them as bullies? If you are struggling to identify anyone, or your first response is: ‘we don’t have bullies at my school,’ you may want to carefully consider what you consider to be bullying.
4. Boys often engage in rough and tumble play. But, consider if your physicality with your friends is mutual and goes-both-ways, or if you might be physically dominating your weaker peers. Do you regularly use pushing, shoving, or taunting when engaging with your friends, or other members of your class? If this is you, think carefully about the role that physical aggression has in your relationships because you may be physically bullying others.
5. Do you play games where you and your friends actively ignore others? Where you purposely exclude someone for a period of time. If this is you, consider how your actions affect others. Specifically, think about how you might feel if your friends did that to you. Maybe your friends havedone this to you and everyone in the group ‘gets a turn’ being excluded; if this is you and your friends, consider new ways to engage with each other where no-one has to feel lousy—including you!

There are all kinds of reasons that people justify their bullying behavior. Bullying is no big deal, everybody laughs and there is no harm in having a little fun. Some kids deserve it, they bring it on themselves with their outlandish behavior. It’s what we doin my friend group, this is the way that we choose to interact with each other. It feels good to dominate others, putting others down makes me feel good. My behavior gets me attention from my peers, and I enjoy the attention I receive.I bully others because I have been bullied; sometimes when we have been bullied or treated poorly we use that as a reason for mistreating others. It takes honesty and bravery to evaluate your own behavior. But the good news is that there are things that you can do if you start to recognize bullying behavior in yourself. Remember, no-one deserves to be bullied. You can change the ways that your friend group interacts with one another, or find a friend group whose values align with you. Dominating others does not lead to lasting or meaningful relationships. The attention bullies get from their peers is not positive. And being the victim of bullying, as unfortunate as it is, is not a reason to justify bullying others.

The things you have done in the past do not necessarily determine what your future will be. If you recognize bullying behavior in yourself, you get to determine if that behavior changes. If the thought comes up in your mind that ‘I am a bully,’ just remember: you get to determine the relationships you have with others.

Get out there and Stand4Kind!

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