Bullying

Each school’s anti-bullying efforts contribute new and exciting ideas to share with others. Read how Abbott Middle School in San Mateo, CA has created a Campus Climate Committee with a range of exciting and interactive activities. As part of this work, Abbott teachers have also made a “promise” to support their students. Abbott has embarked upon a spirited campaign to decrease bullying, and more to the point, create a community of citizens that value treating one another with respect and empathy. We developed the Campus Climate Committee (CCC) to include students, parents, and teachers to lead this project. The students developed activities to address areas of concern such as rumors, the isolation of bullied students, and being an upstander. We wanted to promote awareness among students and staff on the problems that occur when bullying is left unchecked, and how to proactively engage in intervening. Here are some recommended CCC activities: Vision Statement: We created a vision statement to serve as a guiding principle that points us toward our ideal for co-existing on our campus. Our vision statement is now posted in every classroom and throughout the school. It reads, “At Abbott Middle School, we value mutual respect, empathy, good choices, teamwork, and trust. We believe that a safe learning environment will promote success for everyone. WE ARE ABBOTT.”

Find previews and information about Class Actions at niot.org/ClassActions Written by: Julie Mann, Newcomers High School teacher, and Joe Lobozzo, Lakewood High School teacher I.    Role-playing:   Put students into groups of 3.  Give out the role-play scenarios. Explain to your students that they will be acting out these scenes. It is their job to create a positive ending, one in which the bullying is prevented.  Have each group perform the scenario and have the class analyze the scene to see what positive solution they created. Write down all the positive solutions on a poster as possible antidotes to bullying. Role-play scenarios: One student is making fun of another classmate’s looks. A student “accidentally” bumps into someone in the hall. A student is calling someone names because of the color of his/her skin. A student is teasing someone about the clothes he/she wears. A group of kids won't let you sit with them at lunch even though there's room. One student is joking with another by putting him/her down. II.    Anti-Bullying Poster Campaign: Have the same groups create anti-bullying posters.  Hang these posters in the hallway outside your classroom door and in other popular locations in the school.  

Find previews and information about Class Actions at niot.org/ClassActions Written by: Julie Mann, Newcomers High School teacher, and Joe Lobozzo, Lakewood High School teacher Journal 1: Your friend is in an empty hallway (no teachers) being verbally attacked by some older, tougher students because of his different style of dress. What would you do? How would you feel? Why? (Pair/share when finished)

 Created by Facing History and Ourselves Esta lección también está disponble en español.  Overview