Respecting people and their feelings is an important learning we all imbibe at an early stage in life, but sometimes we experience situations where people try to let others down. They might try to intimidate people around them, and we term this as an act of bullying.
Keeping this in mind, a workshop was organised for Junior School teachers at St. Columba’s School, Delhi, on 7th September, 2022 on the topic “SCHOOL BULLYING AND IT’S PREVENTION IN PRIMARY WING (KG-III CLASS).”
The spokesperson Ms. Rekha Negi, Director at Bullying Research Network India, highlighted bullying as a prevalent and important concern faced by the students and teachers in today’s time and how we can take steps towards preventing and tackling incidents of bullying in school.
Various situations of school bullying were discussed by all the staff members. The teachers were enlightened with the help of a PPT about what school bullying is and how it impacts not just the victim, but also the bully, the bystanders and the school as a whole. A brief discussion was conducted where teachers had to identify and understand the difference between what bullying and fun teasing interactions among students. It was emphasised that as educators we must not only be able to differentiate and recognise the various patterns of bullying but also deal with it in an appropriate manner.
Ms Negi communicated the ways to handle the above-mentioned concern. These included- laying out the ground rules of behaviour, being more mindful about the interactions between students in class, noticing children who have any drastic shift in their behaviour, etc. Another way to work towards anti-bullying is to show empathy to the students and make them feel heard whenever they share their concerns with us. It was stressed that just being responsive to the child and their emotional needs can create a huge difference and can get them out of the trouble they are in.
Lastly, the topic-Workplace Bullying was also touched upon, wherein it was highlighted that we as professionals and colleagues should be more accepting towards each other and harmony and respect should be maintained at all times.
To conclude, it was an enriching and interactive experience for the teachers with the major takeaway that we as teachers need to be more alert and mindful about the behavior our children in school and not only tackle but prevent incidents of bullying in the Junior School.
