Reflection on Bullying & Service Learning Project

Jenn's Post:
Participating in this blog has really pushed me to research more about bullying and understand ways to help prevent it. Working with Melissa and Alanna to research the effects and laws of bullying has made me understand how big and serious this issue really is. Interviewing others about bullying helped me to see it from others peoples perspectives and not just my own. I think that it is important to get the community involved to help brainstorm various ways to prevent bullying and make school systems a safe environment. I do not feel that schools are doing everything in their power to help prevent bullying and it is sad to see how many children commit suicide, run away from home, or curl up in a corner because of what other children put them through. I feel that the government needs to take a higher position against bullying and realize the severity of it. If teachers talk on a daily basis to students about bullying and how it effects other students, it may absorb into their heads and force them to stop. Doing activities and lessons around bullying will eventually get these children who are bullies to see what they are like and hopefully change their thoughts about bullying someone again.
Our group has decided to do our service learning project at the Boys and Girls after school program in Salem. We are going to do a small activity and presentation with the students to help them understand everything they need to know about bullying. We decided to do this because we thought it would be a great way to get students from the community involved and really impacts their opinions and thoughts about bullying. It is important to get these students involved in some way so that they can be the ones to tells their peers to stop bullying and stand up for what it right.

Bullying prevention websites and school discussions regarding bullying:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/westborough/topstories/x535933631/School-officials-discuss-bullying#axzz1npM2eAWh

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/harassment.index.htm

http://www.kcl-law.com/node/117

 

alanna post 1D

The Bullying petition I signed had the following to say :

Bullying is a problem that affects millions of students of all races and classes. 1 out of 4 kids are bullied and 43% of teens, 97% of middle schoolers and 47% of older teens 18-24 are cyberbullied. 9 out of 10 LGBT students experienced harassment at school. As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day because they're afraid of being bullied.

Child and teen Bullying and Cyberbullying are at an all-time high. Some kids are so tormented that suicide has become an alternative for them. It has everyone worried. Not just the kids on its receiving end, but the parents and others who may not understand how extreme bullying can get. 

    I think I felt really good about signing the petition but I also felt as though I really hadn't done anything. I typed in my name but did I really help anybody? I hope so but I think apart of me knows that helping to stop bullying it is more than just typing in my name and email. If ninety seven percent of middle school children are being bullied, what can I do? I looked deeper into and ended up signing more and more petitions and would really like the chance to actually volunteer. 160,000 students stay home every day! I just cannot believe the numbers associated with this issue. If so many why is there so little being done?

    I think its important for not only me but for everybody to have a voice. Speak out when you see a student being bullied or looks as though he or she has been bullied. As a future teacher its important to be aware of the signs and to know your children well enough to know what and when something is wrong. I think signing this petition and doing this project shed light on the already known fact; bullying is wrong and it effects more and more students everyday. I want to stand against it and make my students aware of the negative affects it can have as well as how to be aware of yourself, what you do and what you say.

Melissa's Post

To take action against bullying I signed a petition on the National Bullying Prevention Center's website. Although I did something so small, it really felt great to sign the petition. I felt that by simply typing my name and hitting submit I was a part of the change; the change that is happening everytime someone decides to sign that petition and put an effort in to stop bullying. Besides signing the petition, I am going to spread the word about bullying wherever I can. Now that I am in a classroom I will have the opportunity to educate the students in my classroom about bullying and why we need to put an end to it. I will be able to make sure that the students in my classroom are advocates against bullying because they are the generation that is witnessing it the most. I will also spread the word to my friends, family, neighbors and coworkers so that they will be able to educate any younger students that they know as well. I think by educating my students they will pass the word along to friends and family and it will create a domino affect. Eventually, hopefully, everyone will have heard about why we need to put an end to bullying.
It feels great that I am taking action against something that I feel so strongly about.

As far as teaching social justices, I feel it depends on the subject matter and the age of my students. If it is something that is appropriate and meaningful for my students, I believe that it should absolutely be taught. I think that we, as teachers, should be able to decided what we teach our students. I believe that education is an instrument for the public good because we are educating the next generation. These students are our future. I think that they need to know what is going on in our world, as long as it is appropriate for their age.

1D. Jenn's Post

I went on the National Bullying Prevention Center website and I signed a petition for bullying. There was a variety of different options regarding ways to help prevent bullying such as signing a petition, taking online surveys, writing your comments or concerns about bullying, and most importantly, reading about bullying and how serious of an issue it is. I think that bullying is such a serious issue in today’s society and every lit bit that people contribute is one step closer to putting and end to it. Taking this type of action connects with democratic values because it is connecting to the issue revolving around bullying and the principles that our society goes by to help prevent it.
In my opinion, I think that teaching social justice in the classroom is extremely important. I think that students need to be aware of different issues happening in today’s society so that they can help change it. Depending upon the grade level and the severity of the issue, teachers should involve students to the appropriate extent so they can understand it and use their own minds to create ideas or solutions. We as future teachers need to decide whether or not we want to teach social justice and how it will affect our students. Personally, I want my students to be aware of social conflicts so they can come together as a community and help make positive changes.
I agree with the quote regarding the struggle for social justice because I do not think that many elementary teachers take the time to discuss different types of social justice with their students. Teachers do not have to spend a whole social studies lesson on social justice, but taking a few minutes away from their planning can really impact these young minds and make a difference.

 

Service Learning Project

1A.

A critical attribute is a teaching strategy that focuses on transmitting the procedural knowledge of identifying the essential elements of a concept so that the students do not form inaccurate concepts. For the topic of bullying it is simple. Making students aware of what a bully looks like, knowing the signs of somebody who is being bullied and how to take action. You want children or adults who see bullying alert an adult and get the bullied and the bullier the help they need. You want to be aware at all times of what you are saying. Sometime people think it is funny to hurt others but it's not. The first way to stop bullying is to take action against it. To speak out against it. A great focus in 2012 is cyber bullying, which unfortunatly is the most difficult to see and stop. Children, teens and young adults want to be smart about what their doing online and on their phones.Firs you want to always think about what you post or say before you act. Don't share things that can hurt anybody else, or say things to hurt other people or to embarrass them."What seems funny or innocent at the time could be used against you. You do not have complete control over what others forward or post." Most websites offer privacy settings and it is important for you to be aware of what you are sharing and what you don't want shared.

As important as it for children, teens and young adults to monitor themselves and take responsibility for their own actions its equally important for parents to be aware of what is doing on. stopbullying.gov is an official U.S. Government Web site managed by the Department of Health & Human Services in partnership with the Department of Education and Department of Justice. They provide an excellent list of some great ways to to get help if your child is being bullied.

If the bullying gets worse and you need additional help, consider the following if:

Someone is at immediate risk of harm because of bullying	Call the police 911
Your child is feeling suicidal because of bullying	Contact the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Your child’s teacher is not keeping your child safe from being bullied	Contact local school administrator (principal or superintendent)
Your school is not keeping your child safe from being bullied	Contact the State School Department
Your child is sick, stressed, not sleeping, or is having other problems because of bullying	Contact your counselor or other health professional
Your child is bullied because of their race, ethnicity, or disability and local help is not working to solve the problem	Contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Office on Civil Ri

Informational Knowledge- For informational knowledge it would first be important to understand what bullying actually is. Bullying is the intentional use of your superiority to intimidate someone who is inferior to you. A person can be bullied because the bully wants them to do something for them or for something about themselves (sexual orientation, race, gender, etc.) Bullying can be done face to face or over the internet. Bullying that is not done face to face is referred to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is usually done over social networking sites, text messaging or instant messaging.
Procedural Knowledge- Procedural knowledge would be used to bring attention to the fact that bullying is a serious problem that needs to be stopped. Unfortunately bullying is not something that can be ended quickly or easily, but by taking different routes, we can bring attention to the situation. If more people are aware of this issue the closer we will be to ending it completely. Different things that can be done are: creating a petition, creating an anonymous hotline that either bullies or people being bullied can call for someone to talk too, creating an informational booth at a school fair or town fundraiser, discussing the bullying policies at different schools and providing information to school officials or by creating a social networking site.

To teach people about this topic it would be broken down into different concepts: what bullying is, the different types of bullying and how it can be prevented.

• What is bullying? Bullying is when someone is being intentionally harassed by someone. It is aggressive behavior that is unwanted by the person who is receiving it. The behavior is usually repeated over time and there is usually an imbalance between power and strength, meaning that the person being bullied is usually someone who is timid and meek, less likely to tell an adult or stand up for themselves. 
• What types of bullying are there? Bullying is broken down into many specific categories: Verbal bullying, bullying through isolation, physical bullying (hitting, kicking, shoving, etc.) bullying through false rumors or lies, being threatened or forced to do something by someone, racial or sexual orientation bullying, and cyber bullying. These categories are types of bullying/ ways that bullying can occur. There are certainly other ways that someone can be bullied, but these are the more common ways.
• Like we stated above, it is more difficult to completely end bullying than it is to bring attention to the issue. There are many different ways that you can bring attention to bullying. For specifically in an elementary school, you could create a bullying awareness week, have a guest speaker come in, make a clear policy for bullying, do a school wide promise to not bully, or create a project that all the students can participate in to bring attention to bullying. 

1B. There are variety of service learning projects that our group has read about regarding the topic bullying. After considering the different options, we have decided to create a binder. Creating a binder can show a variety of different ways to help prevent bullying within the school systems. We will include a variety of brochures regarding bullying and what the community can do as a whole to help get rid of it. Within this binder, there will be infomation regarding different people and places to get in touch with to discuss bullying and how to prevent it. It is important to collect as much information as possible to put into the binder so that our peers and other people can learn from it and go out on their own and make a difference. There are many different websites that we can go to that gives different ways to help prevent bullying and get our community involved. We can use these websites to create AD's within our binder for people to read and respond. We are looking foward to calling a few different elementary schools to discuss the topic of bullying with them and take note of their policies and the consequences for it.

Ditson Elementary School
39 Cook St  Billerica, MA 01821
(978) 436-9530

Pierce Elementary School
85 Park Avenue Ext  Arlington, MA 02474(781) 316-3736

Barrows Elementary School
16 Edgemont Avenue. Reading, MA 01867
(781) 942-9166

There are also a variety of websites that people can go on to petition bullying and learn more about it.

Stomp out bullying and cyber bullying
http://www.change.org/petitions/stomp-out-bullying-and-cyberbullying

National Bullying Prevention Center
http://www.pacer.org/bullying/

Hi ! It's Alanna and I did my interview with Joshua, my boyfriend. Being a male I thought he might have a different perspective and or understanding on bullying.

Is this a problem that you think is important? Why or Why not?

A: Yes. This is a very important problem, more and more you hear about kids that are bullied. And what gets me sad is that some of these kids end up taking their lives. Its very disturbing and very sad to think that kids can be so cruel. I could never imagine being bullied like that and being so down on myself where I wouldn't seek help and I think that is the bigger problem.

What do you think other people think of this issue, especially being a male and growing up in public school systems?
A: There is no awareness. People don't do anything until it truly effects them. And you are seeing that now with all the incidents around.


Do you think bullying was always an issue? Do you remember ever being taught or made aware of it when you were younger?
A:It's always been an issue but it was never talked about. I feel like bullying was a part of growing up but now of days kids are taking it over board. And now there are so many more outlets for kids to use to bully. Kids as young as eight and ten have Facebook and they put things out there that they aren't aware hurts people.

Why Do you think children don't speak out?
A: I think fear. They are afraid that they will be made fun of even more. And for some kids its easier to stay in the "bullying bubble" than stand up to your fear.

What do you think schools can do to make children comfortable with coming forward about bullying?
A; More awareness. I think its important to teach at a young age about respect. And I think at a young age there is not enough awareness of the differences in children. There is not elaboration on the understanding of each other. I think if there were more session with parents involvement it would help too.

Do you think your local community does enough to stop and to fight bullying?
A:If there is I don't know anything about it. But I also don't have any children in the school system and am not longer in it. When I went to school there were no specific bullying policies. Just the obvious can't fight, etc. But there was nothing that was written that I can remember.

RESPONSE:

I really liked interviewing Josh. We are so close and have never really talked about bullying and what it means to me or to him. Being, that I am a teacher I think it is very important and I always thought because he is a guy that maybe he did not take it as serious thinking that boys need to be "tough" but I was very wrong. He was more aware of the situation than i thought and felt the same that there was not enough awareness of the issue and that getting children and parents aware and comfortable with talking about ti was the first issue that needed to get addressed. Being in a technological age it all too real how mean people can be without ever seeing your face. And the ability to hurt people is as simple as clicking a button.

Melissa's Interview

For my interview I interviewed a family friend who is a second grade teacher. Since she has been a teacher for almost 25 years, she has dealt with incidents of bullying before. I sat down with her to ask her some questions regarding the topic and her thoughts.

Is this a problem that you think is important? Why/ Why not?

• I think that bullying is a huge problem these days. It has grown into an issue that is now ending in children taking their own lives to get away from the torture. With the growing of technology and social media people are able to bully and torment their peers anonymously. 

Do you think others in our community see this as an important problem?

• I can't imagine anyone not seeing this as an important problem. At our school, all teachers, faculty and staff realize that this is an issue and are constantly doing whatever we can to prevent this from happening. 

Have any of your students been bullied? If so, how was it handled?

• I have had many students that have been bullied. Many of the students were bullied were being bullied by other students in my classroom, so it was easier for me to handle. Fortunately or me, it never escalated into anything where the authorities had to get involved. It was resolved after mediation with the students and their parents.

Have you ever had any more serious incidents with bullying in your classroom?

• The most serious incident that I have had in my classroom is when a young girl with learning disabilities was being teased and left out by the girls in my classroom. It got to a point where she did not want to come to school. Again, it was never something where the authorities had to get involved, but we did have to have a mediation with the parents and students. 

How do you personally feel about bullying?

• I feel that it is something that needs to be stopped, but I'm not sure will ever be completely stopped. No matter what we do it is something that will always be around so we have to just try and control it. It has become so severe over the past couple of years and I can't believe how terrible it has gotten. As a teacher, I never thought that bullying would become so bad that hundreds of children are taking their lives because of it.

What do you teach your students about bullying?

• One of the very first things I teach my students is our no bullying policy. I consider my classroom like a family, and I explain to the kids that no one would treat their family members that way, so no one in the class is to treat each other that way. They learn that there are serious consequences for bullying, and it absolutely will not be tolerated. Our school also makes its no bullying policy very clear to the students.

What do you feel your school could do better about its bullying policy, if anything?

• Personally, I think our school does an amazing job making the bullying policy known to the students. There are bullying posters placed all over the school as well as quotes and poems about bullying. Our school has a great sense of community and I think that our kids understand how terrible bullying is and the horrible consequences.

Do you have any advice for future teachers on how to handle bullying in their classroom?

• Make sure you address the situation as soon as you hear about it. If you don't, you loose the students trust that approached you with the situation. Do not ever treat it as if it is not a big deal because then the students will not think that it is a big deal.

I really enjoyed interviewing my family friend. I thought it was great to talk to someone who is a teacher in elementary school and hear her thoughts on bullying. It was great to see that her school and everyone within does not treat bullying lightly. I thought it was great how her no bullying policy is introduced right away. I also loved how she compared her classroom to a family with her students. That way the students realize that they would never treat a family member that way, and their classroom is like their second family. I also thought the advice that she gave to future teachers was great.

Jenn's Interview

Interview: I interviewed my boyfriend, John. After interviewing him, I found it interesting that he knew a lot more about bullying than I thought he did. It is amazing to see how people realize that bullying is a serious issue and somehow, it needs to be resolved. John stated that bullying has been going on ever since he was in elementary school, and it is horrible that it is still occuring in school systems today, but more drastically. Hopefully, we as future teachers can figure out a way to really impact students minds and end bullying once and for all.

What are you feelings about bullying?

I think that bullying has increased drastically in the past couple of years. I was shocked when I heard people stating that elementary schools have different levels of bullying happening everyday. It is horrible to see that bullying has been taken to the next level and is now all over the internet.

Do you remember being bullied in school?
No. I can remember some times when I saw others being bullied, but I can not recall any times when I was bullied. I may have been, but it was nothing as severe as it is today.

What happened to your classmates when they were bullied?
In some cases, they were sent to the principle and then after about an hour of detention, they were let go.

What was one case of bullying which you witnessed?
When I was in elementary school, I can remember being on the bus when 2 older boys picked on this younger girl until she cried and ended up getting off the bus. I was the only one to stand up for her and sit with her so she felt safe and somewhat comfortable until getting off the bus. I knew she needed a friend and I did not care what other kids thought of me, I just wanted to help her.
Is this problem important?

Yes. Within the past 3 years, children have committed suicide or come close to it because of being bullied in school. If people do not take this matter seriously, then children are not going to want to go to school because they are not comfortable in that environment and it is not safe for them.

Are you aware of the policies in elementary school systems regarding bullying?
I am almost positive that teachers must report incidents that involve bullying and if they do not, then can risk losing their job or something worse.

What do you think the consequence should be for bullying?
I think that students should be expelled depending upon the age. I know that expulsion can not solve everything, but students need to realize that this is a serious matter and it is not to be taken lightly.

Where can I get more information about this problem ?

Research the internet and go into different school systems and compare the different policies.