When I was growing up, I was bullied at school. I was bullied because I was the only Chinese girl at school and I was different. I think children tend to treat those who are different badly unless they are taught not to do this. When I was in school, our country was getting into the Vietnam War and people did not treat Asians well. It was tough for me going through school but as I was repeatedly told, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
As I look back at those years, I wonder why no adult ever intervened. Maybe they believed that it would make me stronger. Maybe they quietly agreed with the bullying but I hope not.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the topic of bullying began to be researched. By then I was ending my public school career and moving on to college. College was so much better and life was good. I didn’t experience any bullying in college, thank goodness.
I’m glad to see in today’s society we are teaching students not to bully and we are teaching those who are bullied to stand up for themselves. We are also teaching those who see bullying to stand up for those that need help.
I think it is essential to discuss this in class with all ages of students. It is important to identify acts of bullying and make a list of these. Students share their ideas of what they think bullying is. Then I would discuss what the person being bullied can do. Next, I would encourage students to talk about what should be done if they witness an act of bullying. The more these discussions happen, the easier it will be to stop bullying.
How do you teach about stopping bullying? Please share.
Photo by Ilayza on Unsplash
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