Bullying has become a widespread problem across many school districts in the U.S. Whether it is physically altercations, rumors or gossiping, bullying can have a lasting effect in an educational setting. Preventing school bullying has become one of the most important things educators have to be aware of in their classroom. Creating a safe and positive environment for the students in your classroom will help combat bullying. The following tips will help ensure that your students are in a positive, friendly environment where bullying is not tolerated.

Talk Through it

It is important to make sure your students are fully aware of how individuals are affected by bullying. Instill empathy and emotional intelligence and ensure that your students know the consequences of bullying. It should also be regularly announced that bullying is something that is not tolerated in the classroom, in the hallways, or anywhere else on school grounds.

Be Familiar With Bullying Indicators

Bullies come in size types: physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational aggression, cyberbullying, sexual bullying, and prejudicial bullying. As an educational professional, it is important to be aware of these types of bullies. Boys and girls are often bullied or bully each other differently. While girls tend to take a more indirect approach, boys are often influenced by “boy code.”

Assign Groups

Allowing students to choose their groups potentially opens the door to bullying. But if you choose the groups, you are making sure every student feels included. Pre-selecting groups will also give students the opportunity to learn to work with different personality types and allow them to work with someone they might not have ever chosen to work with.

Be an Anti-Bullying Advocate

As an anti-bullying advocate, it is your responsibility to ensure that your school has an effective anti-bullying policy in effect. Partnering with other teachers and staff members to develop a culture where bullying isn’t tolerated. Victims of bullying are often blamed for bringing it on themselves, but a bully will always show bullying behavior. Encouraging everyone to adapt to this mindset will help ensure that bullying isn’t tolerated in your school.

Taking these steps to help prevent bullying in the classroom will go a long way to improving yourself as an educator. Bullying distracts students from learning and makes the learning environment hostile. Implementing these steps from day one and establishing that you will not tolerate any type of bullying will have the best impact on your students.