Take a Stand 1.0: Staff at our school made a decision to address bullying with a school wide assembly giving students information and resources and solutions to bullying. A week after the assembly I saw even more bullying beginning to happen, even with some of the students who helped to organize and present the assembly. Something had to be done, so I created an ongoing curriculum and program to deal with these issues as they continued to pop up in our classes.
The First Steps Towards an Anti-Bullying Policy at Middle School
The Situation and Setting:
This is the second year that our school’s daily schedule has included a school wide 30-minute reading advisory block into our 4 period, AB block format. I feel that the purpose of this advisory was not initially clear to the staff and that each teacher interprets the requirements, expectations and purpose of the class differently. It is within the context of this class that I would like to attempt to reach out to my colleagues in a collaborative effort to tackle and support an issue students around the world are facing, bullying and equity. At the middle school level there are so many things that affect our students. A safe, welcoming, equitable environment within each classroom needs to be at the top of the priority list for teachers and administrators. Unfortunately, many times our schools are more focused and organized around student performance data and raising test scores. Each grade level is separated into three teams of students. Each student has the same three core teachers for the year. This helps to create a smaller community of students within each grade that become a support network in each of their classes. The only setting where the students mix with other teams are the elective and PE classes and during passing periods and lunch. I feel that bullying has and will exist at every school at some level. If we cannot eliminate it completely, we must teach every student how to proactively deal with issues surrounding bullying and equity.
Our digital literacy teachers have started to address these challenges by starting an “anti-bullying” campaign within their elective classes. They created and shared a school wide assembly with each grade level with spreading awareness of the problem. They also share positive weekly updates and support the campaign on the weekly school broadcast. I assisted the teachers and students by operating the soundboard, lights, and helped students effectively present their campaign. This action is a first for our school and I am very excited to use this opportunity to address these issues with the entire school staff.
In the weeks following the introduction of the campaign, I immediately saw some troubling behaviors with students. I began observing student’s actions and words with a heightened sense of awareness, taking notes of situations in which I felt could be the start of bullying behavior. I saw students making a “mockery” of the campaign within my classroom, hallways and while at lunch. I would see kids teasing each other in the hall and then another student would use “that” voice and say, “Take a Stand” in front of teachers. I was upset that students were making fun of the campaign but more upset that teachers were not doing anything when they saw this behavior. I knew we would have students, mostly eighth graders that would say things like this after the campaign to their friends merely for the purpose of going against “the system” and being cool. However, the seriousness of this issue for me as a teacher is that the stakes are too high for any student to be a victim of bullying. So after all this has gone down, what is being done?
Listening to Student Voice:
I first began talking about bullying with my advisory classes by asking them to complete an exit card before they left class addressing some of the questions I had about the campaign so far. I told the students that they could remain anonymous if they would like and that I would be the only person reading them. I asked them three questions. What does bullying look like to students? Is the take a stand campaign working? Why or why not? What needs to be changed about take a stand to make it better? I asked students to complete the assignment by writing about anything they wanted to in an open forum. I had many different types of responses. Some students completed the cards with minimal effort and thin support of their claims that the campaign was making an impact. I also received eloquent full-page responses and paragraphs in support of the campaign and many suggestions of what my students believe should happen next. Many of the students included that they thought punishments should be more severe for students who are bullying. There were also responses suggesting students were remaining silent in classrooms when certain students are present in order to not draw attention to themselves and become targets.
Excerpts from student responses:
“This take a stand thing is stupid. It wasn’t a problem before, now or ever. I resolve my problems my own way. I don’t need a dumb jock/prep/ASB student to help me. This campaign should stop now. Bullying really isn’t that bad as long you ignore the bully and don’t let them get to you. They get bored eventually. Every time someone says “take a stand” I feel like shouting “standing up makes you a better target”.
“ There’s not much else we can do to stop bullying but to punish the bullies, maybe then they will get the message”.
“I saw a smaller student getting bullied the other day. By the time I had walked over, they were gone and the damage had been done. I felt really bad for the little boy being picked on, I’d wish I did something sooner and I think that is the problem. People sit and watch it happen and don’t do anything about it. Sure, they feel bad about it later, but that doesn’t do anything to help anyone. I’m just a kid, I can’t do anything about it, and frankly, I don’t know what to do about it.”
These student responses sparked a fire within me to do something for our students. It was clear that we as teachers were not giving students the tools they needed to deal with these situations. While reading I remember thinking about my own traumatic experiences from middle school and feeling helpless and powerless to other students. I also remember feeling bitter towards the popular and snobby students that acted like they were better than everyone else. I wanted to fit in but I didn’t know how. I didn’t ask for students to speak out, but one student stood up and asked if he could share his thoughts with the rest of the class. While he was speaking it was apparent that the audience he was aiming for had blown him off and were not listening to his words. I could also see that he was visibly upset by their lack of attention. He stated that students who say mean things to others, cause disruptions and distract others are wasting teachers and diligent student’s class time. He was specifically implying three students in my class and their group of friends. They had all ready tuned out and didn’t even realize the statement he was making about them. I asked him to go grab some lunch, cool down and them come and eat with me in my room.
Student Case Study
On his exit card, he had written that although “Take a Stand” was a good idea, he felt like it created more targets for bullies to identify. He said he didn’t need a group of popular jocks telling him to “Stand Up” and that he could handle his own problems. He told me in our conversations that most of friends had been or were being picked on and he was sick of it but knew he couldn’t fight anyone because most of the bullies were twice his size. I emphasized that teachers did not want students to solve problems with fights, violence and negative conflict. I discussed the steps that teachers were taking in an effort to educate students on strategies they could practice and use with conflict resolution. He was very interested in being able to help other students. He was able to deal with bullies in his own way. He explained that most of the times if he ignored the bullies, they would eventually get bored and stop picking on him if he didn’t respond. He also admitted that he knew tensions would elevate quickly if he responded aggressively. He knew what response and rise the bullies wanted to get from him and was comfortable just walking away but his friends and other students have had different results and he wanted to help them. I could tell from our conversation that he was relieved to have an adult be aware of the situations he was going through. I assured him that it was a good thing to share these stories with adults and teachers and that with his input, I would be much more aware of the interactions he was having in class. I wondered about his friends and if they would benefit from talking to an adult. I had been inspired by Brett Petersen’s presentation at class during the previous week and wanted to reach out to students and offer them a safe place to discuss issues they are facing. I think that bullying is a serious enough issue that students need to feel safe and protected when talking about it. It is apparent that having an open class discussion about “Take a Stand” during my advisory is not something the students can yet handle with maturity and seriousness.
Reaching out in a Silenced Classroom:
I wondered about the climate of my classroom and why so few students were willing to share during the discussion a day earlier. 3 students came to mind. Each of these students has had a history of discipline problems over the past three years at our school. None of the students have ever been in any my elective classes before but I all ready new who each of them were. I tried to remain unbiased in my opinions of each student but also needed to find out what had worked for them with other teachers and what did not. Based on conversations with colleagues about for each student, I couldn’t help question why the students still behaved the same way after all the interventions we have provided them with. Did they not take our school policies seriously? Do their parents help enable the behavior? Do teachers and the administration really want to help change these students for the better, or do they just want to pass them along as quickly as possible? I compared each of these students and their actions in the classroom to buckets of kerosene and matchsticks. Each student would fuel or spark the other to be off task by trying to top the other or controlling the conversation. The other students in my classroom are mostly silent when these students are present. I think they fear that they will end up being made fun of if they participate in my class discussions and activities so many of them stay diligently focused to their reading and try to ignore the off task discussions and disruptions.
I have tried several different approaches to reach out to the three students individually. I strategically created a seating chart that I felt would help shrink the possibilities of distractions for each student by placing each student in a part of the room that was clear from student traffic and out of direct view of each other. I paired them with other students that they worked well with as well as others that would model good behavior. I met with each student and addressed their behaviors in individual conferences where instead of coming down on them, I asked them about who they were and what inspired them. I wanted to get to know each of them so I could find some common thread to connect with them. All three students are extremely talented and passionate athletes and I was able to connect with them about a few stories about sports in my life. The three of these students hold most of the “power” among their peers in the classroom. I want to address this issue and see if there is a way of getting the rest of the students actively engaged while all of the students are present and participating equally. I am using the anti-bullying issue as a topic to hear all of the voices in my class. However, in doing so I may have revealed the deeper issue haunting my classroom. All three of the above mentioned students have bullied one or multiple students in my classroom during their time at our school so far.
Teacher Involvement:
I began addressing the issues within my class by talking with individual teachers that have had experience with a few of my students. I wanted to gather input from the entire staff to get a sense of their level of commitment to the campaign and issues happening in their classes. In a discussion with one of my close colleagues we talked about the campaign and if she had had witnessed any significant issues in her classes. I asked, “Are teachers talking about bullying in their advisory classes? What teachable moments have you experienced to address bullying? What do you consider bullying? What are your thoughts on the campaign so far?” After a few similar conversations with other teachers it became blatantly apparent that different teachers have very different views on what is considered bullying. A few of the teachers even expressed similar attitudes as our students but for a much different reason. I believe that the underlying issue that creates this negative attitude within our staff is that teachers have felt for a number of years that the administration has not followed through with appropriate discipline policies equally for all students. This has become a very sensitive issue within our staff members and although they may feel like the anti-bullying campaign is a great idea, they ultimately think it will fail if the administration will not carry out appropriate discipline if and when a real issue arises. As a result of these attitudes and resistance to change, we may have teachers that will put in minimal effort to support the campaign. What is the purpose of the campaign if it won’t be supported?
Action and Planning:
I met with the digital literacy teachers and shared my thoughts and my student's responses to the initial “Take A Stand” campaign. I knew that they were addressing the issues of bullying within their class and in other schools around the world. We met daily during the next few weeks and exchanged many emails. The campaign will initially face several challenges but we agreed to do our best to design a curriculum that will be eventually taught to all of the students at our school. We also knew this meant that we would probably be sharing most of the workload in creating the lessons, gathering content and teaching the rest of our staff how to implement it into their classes. We came up with “Take a Stand 1.0”; action based project/lesson units that advisory teachers can teach to further strengthen our community stand against bullying. First we met with a small group of interested teachers, counselors and administrators to start a discussion on what bullying looks like and what behaviors are precursors to bullying. From this initial discussion we brainstormed discussion questions for the rest of the staff. To get staff input, we organized a steering committee that met once a week to discuss and work on the project. I led an informal meeting during lunch and discussed our plans and work so far. A group of about ten teachers are now working together to further design the lessons and curriculum for “Take a Stand 1.0”. In our first meeting we discussed our goals, a timeline, and the first steps teachers should take to start talking about bullying in their classes. I am also curious to know what students think about the action part of the campaign. I have been talking to a few motivated students and I am eager to meet other students who want to become part of a student panel to guide the teachers in our lesson and topic discussions.
The upcoming weeks and months will be challenging. I am co-leading a professional development meeting with another teacher to introduce the project to all of the teachers on our staff. From the input we gain from this meeting, we will further shape the curriculum and lessons and strategies we want to teach to our staff and students. I believe this project will work over a period of time. You cannot expect true change to happen instantly. It will be met with challenges and maybe even hostility at some point. I know there will be times when I want to quit and give up, but I will push forward for our students and teachers. If teachers have the right tools to give to the students to deal with bullying, they will eventually be able to stand up for themselves and deal with challenging confrontations in a proactive and positive manner. There is no doubt that one-day students are going to face tough situations. As a teacher I feel it is my duty to prepare the students for the real world, and in the real world there are bullies. If students do not have the tools or confidence to stand up when there is an issue of equity, they need to be explicitly taught the skills to guide them through those scenarios.
Self-Advocacy and Reflection:
I was deeply moved by the initial “Take A Stand” assembly. I had never seen our students address and present such a serious issue to the rest of their peers. Students of all backgrounds were united for one unique cause. I kept thinking about the first time I had to stand up for myself on my own. I had stayed late to participate in jazz band and was waiting for my mom to pick me up. There were three older students hanging out that I skateboarded with from time to time. I was comfortable being around them but I also knew that they occasionally picked on students and got into fights. One of them noticed my guitar sitting on the bench and started going through my case, I asked him to leave my stuff alone that seemed only to fuel his actions. He began pulling out all my music and my cables throwing them on the ground. I secured my guitar but he continued to dangle the cables in front of me. I finally snapped. I grabbed both of his wrists and pulled him close to me and told him to “give me my ______ cables”. Surprisingly, he instantly stopped teasing me and let go of my cables. I continued to skate with him from time to time and he continued to occasionally tease and torment weaker students. I remember telling my mom about what had happened feeling scared I was going to get in trouble for almost fighting and swearing at another student. I also remember feeling empowered and relieved that I didn’t have to worry about that student bothering me again. He knew I wouldn’t put up with it so he left me alone.
Teachers and parents sometimes feel that bullying is a part of school culture. Many times students learn self-advocacy from these situations. However, I feel that many weaker or socially awkward students are so terrified of these confrontations they unknowingly empower the bullies to continue the behavior. The bullies get stronger, the teasing escalates and becomes more severe. If students are taught how to recognize these situations and taught how to appropriately deal with these confrontations, I think we will in turn create more confident students that will be able to adequately deal with the ever-present topic of bullying.
Attached Documents:
Initial Handout for Teachers
Take a Stand 1.0 TimeLine
Our Roles as teachers, administrators and counselors
Bullying Policy:
Need a school wide policy in writing so it is clear to students, parents, teachers
Marshall middle Schools policy and Order of counseling/consequences, do we like, should we use this as our baseline and change to meet Pershings needs?
Have a school wide Bullying Documentation Form/Counseling Form where students can pick up in classrooms to Stand Up for self
Need communication system set so teachers know outcome, interventions put into place so they can support the
Teaching our Students how to identify, respond, and act to bullying when they are the bully, target, or bystander
Questions Teachers Have:
What are the skills needed to stop bullying
Can we tap into the counseling office/Kathy Pantano’s knowledge to teach us
Take A Stand 1.0: The Hows and Whens and Whys
Showing Support
Try to have more teacher wear shirts on Tuesdays to show support
Finding a way to get the 8th graders to buy in...
Maybe make buttons or purchase bracelets for a different way to support (ASB, buttons?)
Teachers can bring in tshirts of their own choice to have logo printed on it
Take A Stand 1.0 Advisory Lessons:
Teaching a week long set of scripted lessons for educating entire student body about bullying in Advisory class in November
Possibly once a month/biweekly after Take a Stand 1.0 to revisit these lessons in Advisory classes
Stressing Telling, not Tattling
Additional Teaching:
Drama Class: Role playing and video tape scenarios and how to respond
Student Voice: Teachers on Student Voice: “Why I wear the Shirt” PSA sharing stories of bullying in their lives
Flash Mobs During Lunch: with music, or signs, etc.
Additional Ideas:
Action/Implementation: To start the action part of the campaign for students and staff, advisory teachers will lead a discussion within their classes. From their discussions teachers will gather student input about the campaign and report their findings back to the digital literacy team and myself. This first interaction is more about hearing “student voice” than it is teaching about bullying. The subject of the discussion will be the anti-bullying campaign and it’s effectiveness etc. This will be a valuable process for our staff and students to work through together.
Goals: To create and teach a collaborative format/process/lesson generated by teachers and students. To address student voice and hear from students about the “AB campaign”. To address teacher issues about discipline support and open the doors to a collaborative process.
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