Peel school board visit – using emotions to counter bullying

Here is a bullying tip we shared with students in a Peel District School student workshop:

Talk about feelings and emotions to diffuse a bully. This is known to sometimes stop bullies in their tracks. Most people who bully others are not comfortable hearing about feelings. Here is an example:

Mean Person: I think I’ll punch your lights out after school today.
Other Person: I’m sure you could do that. I would be really bummed out if you did attack me.
Mean Person: Yeah, well, I might just do that.
Other Person: I guess you’re feeling a bit disappointed about the game today?
Mean Person: Leave me alone.
Other Person: You did play really well though, even if you did lose.
Mean Person: Whatever.
Other Person: See you around.

In the above dialogue, you can tell that the bully is starting to soften in response to the ‘Other Person’. This can actually happen in real life. Just be careful how you chose your words. Don’t let the bully think that you are taunting.

Try to ignore the bully’s words and feed back the feelings behind his comments.

Being honest and straightforward with your feelings can make a bully sit up and take notice. Sometimes they completely change direction and leave you alone.

We offer workshops and assemblies to deal with bullying head on.
Stand Up Against Bullying / Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go
Visit www.standupagainstbullying.com
Bruce Langford, Bullying Prevention Presenter

Toronto school pleased with cyber-bullying student workshop

Gulfstream Public School in Toronto played host to bullying prevention assemblies including a cyber-bullying and cyber-safety workshop by presenter Bruce Langford.

Here is a tip shared with the students during the cyber-bullying assembly:

 Cyberbullying Tip: Unplug your webcam when you are not using it. Your computer could get hacked and if so, everything the webcam is focusing on could be seen by someone you don’t even know.
If your webcam is built into your computer, cover it with a piece of tape or a sticky note.
Don’t take the chance that someone could invade your privacy. Be careful!

 Bullying can happen as a result of computer hacking and a breach of privacy.

Gulfstream Vice-Principal, Donelda Schwartzentruber said “The assemblies were really good – just what we were looking for. The students were very attentive and our teachers were pleased.”

School Assemblies by Stand Up Now Productions www.standupnow.ca

 

Ontario Bullying Prevention Assemblies Include Cyberbullying Tips

Toronto Presenter, Bruce Langford has visited hundreds of schools delivering tips to students about how to avoid the pitfalls of cyber-bullying. Here are Five Tips to Help Prevent Cyber-Bullying:

1. Print or Save if a chat becomes nasty or threatening.
2. Check your privacy settings regularly on your social networking sites – make sure they are set to high safety levels.
3. Use appropriate language at all times in texts, chats & e-mails.
4. Only add friends you really know to social networking sites.
5. Share any concerns about on-line issues with a trusted adult.

 Book school assemblies by visiting www.brucelangford.ca

How to connect with others and grow self-esteem

We all have a need to belong and feel connected to other people. The people we associate with in our lives are like the links in a chain. Every link is a necessary part of the chain. Most of us feel connected to our families and have good feelings that are associated with family members and relatives. Think of a family member or relative you look up to. What are the reasons you admire that person? Make a list of their qualities that you like the most.

Being part of a club or team can also help people feel connected to others. Think about your interests and then consider whether there might be a group or team you can join where you will be participating in the activity you love. You will be sure to develop connections with some of the people you are sharing your activity with.

Being connected with people will help to reduce the chance that you will be bullied. It will help you build self-esteem and you will be happier over all.

Bruce Langford’s School Programs to teach respect, build confidence & grow self-esteem can be found at www.standupnow.ca

3 Tips For Dealing with Guilt

Bullying has certainly been in the news this fall in a number of contexts. Students of all ages have shared stories and concerns with us as we travelled to school after school presenting our bullying prevention assemblies.

A boy came to us following a high school presentation, and shared a situation that had been weighing heavy on his mind. He just didn’t know what to do with the feelings of guilt he had been carrying with him.

Guilt is often an emotion that people struggle to deal with, yet it does have a purpose. It can actually help keep people on the right track. This kind of guilt is helpful.

Guilt can also become overwhelming when we feel guilty about something in the past that we can’t change. In this case, talk to someone you trust about your feelings of guilt.

Here are 3 Tips for Dealing With Guilt.

1. Identify your guilt.
Can the guilt you are feeling actually help you to make better choices in the future? If you are feeling guilty about stealing something, realize that by making up your mind to never steal again, it will also help to end your feelings of guilt. If you are feeling guilty about something that isn’t necessarily wrong or unacceptable, focus on the facts and make up your mind to move on.

 2. Make changes right away
Use the guilt feeling to immediately change your behaviours so you won’t be dealing with more guilt about similar situations. Can you make changes in your life to become a better person as a result of the guilt you are feeling? Do not dwell on situations that have happened in the past that you can’t change. Instead, use them as a learning tool for the future and look ahead rather than back.

 3. Accept that we are all learning
Life is a process of learning from our experiences. There are no perfect people and we all make mistakes. Realize that guilt is a normal part of what makes us human.

 To book school bullying prevention assemblies contact us at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Thames Valley Teacher Shares Upstander Message in Anti-Bullying Presentation

Students at Knollwood Park Public School in London Ontario were hyped during the ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assembly at their school recently. TVDSB teacher, Bruce Langford delivered his bullying prevention messages through songs, videos and role-plays during two 45 minute assemblies. Knollwood Park Principal, Mary Roes and Vice-Principal Rhian Husty obviously work hard with the staff and students to make sure students understand how to deal with bullying issues. They wanted to make sure the anti-bullying message was heard loud and clear at their school during Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week.

Following the primary assembly, a staff member told us she felt our ‘Stand Up’ theme song spoke volumes to the students and staff. It teaches us to Stand Up Against Bullying by being an upstander. Here are the lyrics:

Stand Up, and make your mark,
Stand Up, and speak your part.
If you see a kid put down,
You can help if you’re around
Never approve of the slam,
Say you think that it’s wrong.
Have the nerve to speak up;
Let them know that you’re strong.
STAND UP.

 Be an Upstander, remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying.
www.standupagainstbullying.com

Collingwood Area Schools Learn Bullying Prevention Strategies

Today we had the pleasure of visiting Burkevale Protestant Separate School in Penetanguishene, Ontario. It was a great experience because the school seems to live up to its Bill of Rights. Students told us how proud they are to be students at Burkevale. Some children we talked to told us that bullying seldom happens at Burkevale but in spite of that, the students were eager to learn more about ways they can deal with bullying and specifically how they can support each other. The ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies we presented today teach the value of community and these students showed us they understand many of these concepts already. Principal, Tim Mallon constantly encourages positive character growth in his students. Being around him during our visit proved his commitment to the character education he teaches daily, just by his example. He invited the students from St. Ann’s Catholic School in Penetanguisheen to join his students for the assemblies. Following the presentations, Mr. Mallon left us with several comments including the following: “Your Benny DL character and message really connected with our students. The mix of entertainment and serious reflection is a winning combination. Your presence capped off anti-bullying week perfectly!” Mr. Tim Mallon, Principal Burkedale Protestant Separate School, Penetanguishene Ontario.
Here are Burkevale’s Bill of Rights: We have: 1. The right to be treated with respect. 2. The right to express our feelings as long as the rights of others are not violated, 3. The right to our own physical and mental space 4. The right to ask for help if and when we need it, 5. The right to ask for information, 6. The right to have a learning environment that is safe and secure.

School assemblies designed to raise bullying awareness – www.atfm.ca

6 Ways To Stand Up Against Bullying During Bullying Awareness Week in Ontario

Nov 13 to Nov 19 is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. The theme is ‘Stand Up To Bullying’. You can ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ by getting actively involved. Here are some things you can do:

1. Write a song and share it with your family, school, radio station or You-Tube
2. Talk to an expert and find out ways you can volunteer with their organization
3. If you are a student, talk to your student council rep about having a ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ day at your school
4. If you are employed at a school,  start a poster campaign to raise awareness
5. If you are being bullied – talk to someone; write about it and then try to make changes in your life so the bullying will stop.
6. If you bully people, take a vow to stop this destructive behaviour – it not only hurts others, it hurts you.

 Together, we can all help stop bullying!
Visit www.standupagainstbullying.com

Winston Churchill and how to Stand Up Against Bullying Using 5 Key Character Traits

Winston Churchill was a man known for his strong character traits. When we talk about ways to beat bullying, just imagine how Winston Churchill would have done his part to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

He had
COURAGE. He was willing to move forward regardless of whether the majority of people agreed with him or not. That kind of courage requires an underlying
CONFIDENCE that is gained from experience and strength of character. Confidence can also be built through self-talk, study and
DETERMINATION. Think of a laser beam pointing in one specific direction and never wavering from its target. That is like the determination of Winston Churchill when he became Prime Minister at the age of sixty-five. It is also like the determination of a person who is focusing on making the world a better place by eliminating bullying. Winston Churchill also had tremendous
PERSEVERANCE as he wasn’t willing to give up easily. His perseverance helped him move through his election defeat in 1945 when he was voted out by the same people he had earlier led to victory. In spite of that defeat, he remained grounded and stayed on as leader of the opposition. Later he was elected as prime minister again in 1950.

Think of Churchill and these four character traits when you deal with bullying situations. What would Churchill have done? Would he have given up, or continued to persevere?

We visited Winston Churchill Public School in Chatham yesterday and were impressed with the students and the serious attitude they had in regard to Standing Up Against Bullying. Principal, Leslie Boulton was very pleased with the three assemblies and told us they were “even better than our last visit to her school”. That was when she was principal at Harwich Raleigh Public School (Lambton Kent District School Board) in 2005.
Remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch Hosts Anti-Bullying Speaker, Bruce Langford

Bullying will decrease when everyone starts to care. That is the belief of the Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch Group which started looking for a guest speaker on the topic last spring. Kim Dagenais is the president of the group and was instrumental in locating a speaker with experience and knowledge in the field of bullying prevention. Bruce has been presenting workshops in Ontario for a number of years.

The information covered in the Neighbourhood Watch workshop was cyberbullying, family dynamics, facebook and how to cope with tough bullying situations.

Here is a tip that Bruce shared during the talk in Blenheim:

Sit with your children and discuss the ground rules for internet use in your home. Talk with your family about expectations on the web and regarding the use of cell phones.

This tip can make a big difference later, if a complicated challenge arises involving cyberbullying.
Visit Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch on Facebook!

Bruce Langford does talks and presentations across Ontario on the topic of bullying and cyberbullying. He can be contacted at 1-800-901-8831 or through ‘Stand Up Now Productions’.

Respect Assemblies at York Region School by Popular Guest Speaker

Michaelle Jean Public School Vice-Principal, Heather Levitt was impressed by the ‘stellar’ performance of Presenter, Bruce Langford at the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assembly which was a kick-off to the school’s character education program earlier today. Music, videos and role-play were all used to leave a lasting impression with the students.
Michaelle Jean student actors were extremely energetic and passionate during their performances for the school during the assemblies.

The students offered this tip as a way to keep respect in the school:

“Teachers should always try to make school fun! That will make students want to be respectful when they are at school. The teachers at our school almost always make learning fun!”
Above Comments by a Grade Three Student Actor

“The Stand Up For Respect performance by Bruce Langford was absolutely stellar! The assembly involved the kids in a fun, realistic way and thoroughly covered the topic of respect.”
Heather Levitt, Vice-Principal, Michaelle Jean Public School, York Region District School Board

Stand Up Now Productions presents assemblies at schools across Ontario.

 

 

6 Ways to Keep From Crashing Due to a Pre-Teen Dilemma

1. Assess the situation rationally by writing down the details in a factual way
2. Talk over the dilemma with a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, councillor, friend or other relative. Call a confidential counseling service like ‘KidsHelpPhone’ if you don’t have anyone else to talk to.
3. Continue to eat regular, nutritious meals and snacks. Stress can cause many people to lean to junk food or foods and drinks containing ‘uppers’ like caffeine. So called ‘energy’ drinks can also throw your body out of equilibrium.
4. If you have pets, they can help lower your stress level. Walk your dog, play with your cat, watch your fish or ride your pony. Spend extra time caring for your pets and you may start to feel more relaxed.
5. Make sure you maintain your sleep schedule so you don’t get over tired. That can add more stress to a situation that is already difficult.
6. Keep up your regular schedule of physical activities. Consider adding more activities if you are not a very active person. Even a simple walk can help you feel better.

We offer ideas to help kids deal with bullying situations and other challenges. Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca

Waterloo Catholic School Shares Bullying Prevention Strategies

‘Be The Change’ is the ongoing slogan that St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School in Elmira lives by. Be The Change has a deep meaning to the students at St. Teresa. Every person knows they have a responsibility to look out for others and to take the initiative to speak up if something needs to be said. They know that it only takes one person to make a difference and that one person is you.
Principal, Sherry Peeples is determined to make a difference at St. Teresa. She is behind the theme of the year which is ‘Let Your Light Shine’. It ties right in with the ongoing theme of ‘Be The Change’, and puts the focus on each student to step out and be positive with one another. Students understand they can encourage others by interacting with kindness as described in the bible.
Ms. Peeples has been encouraging the students at St. Teresa for three years and has definitely made a positive difference. She believes that guest presentations can make an impact on the school climate. Following our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assembly, she commented:
“Wow – fantastic show! I really enjoyed the creativity involved with the presentation of the Stand Up Now assembly. Bruce intertwined student engagement, student interaction, music, and the message of our faith and Respect in a way that the students will remember for a long time to come! Entertaining and meaningful!”
Sherry Peeples, Principal St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School, Elmira Ontario

Ottawa School Welcomes Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies

Charles Hulse Public School in Ottawa

Charles H. Hulse Public School in Ottawa is filled with enthusiastic children and a friendly, welcoming staff. That was certainly our impression when we visited yesterday while on an Ottawa tour. The children understand bullying and want to do something about it. We shared songs and videos as well as stories and role-plays. After the assemblies we talked to the children and asked them what they learned.
“I learned what to do if someone calls me names.”
“Now I understand what to do if someone leaves me out of a game and they keep being mean to me.”
These are some of the comments we received. One teacher came out of her classroom to speak to me and said, “I just want to thank you for what you do with these assemblies. This is really needed”.
Principal Suzanne Denney obviously pours herself into her work at Charles Hulse. Staff members talked about her exceptional efforts with the children and gave specific examples of how she goes over the top to make hers a caring school.
Thanks to Charles H. Hulse Public School for your warm welcome and generous spirit!
Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies are designed for children in Kindergarten to grade 8.

Mississauga Public School has MAGIC formula to beat bullying

Meadowvale Village Public School in Mississauga recently hosted Stand Up Now Productions with speaker Bruce Langford. We focused on bullying with emphasis on Meadowvale MAGIC. What a great way to help focus on important concepts that all kids need to live by. Here is the ‘magic’ formula:

M anners
A chievement
G ood Sportsmanship
I nitiative
C ooperation

Meadowvale Village MAGIC Logo

We shared our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ songs and videos with the students who were filled with enthusiasm. Later, one of the teachers came back to comment on the show.
“I loved it! It was great. You kept me and my class totally engaged for the entire time.”
Barb Linton, Grade 2 Teacher, Meadowvale Village Public School, Mississauga.

We talked about initiative and how it related to our role plays where one person takes the initiative to make a difference. The outcome of a scenario can be totally changed by the decision of one person to handle things differently from the crowd.
Meadowvale Village Vice-Principal, Sara Damasco said she was very pleased with the bullying prevention assemblies presented by Stand Up Now Productions.

Contact info is: www.standupnow.ca or 519-269-9837

 

 

Bullying Prevention Assemblies in Windsor Focus on Confidence

“Confidence.”

That word is the one many students identified with in today’s grade 6, 7, & 8 school presentation in Windsor called ‘Stand Up For Respect’.

The Crusaders believe in confidence to help eliminate bullying

“No matter how bad it gets – confidence.”
If only we could instil this belief in everyone. Don’t we all lack confidence at some point? Don’t we all feel defeated or discouraged at one time or another?
I believe the answer is yes. If this is true, then we can do things to encourage others when they are lacking confidence.
“Determination – it will get you through.
Absolute belief in all you do.
Certainty and trust can do it for you.
Hang in – trust in yourself.”

 Use the above words to be inspired. Remember that having true determination really can get you through the tough times. How do you have absolute belief in all you do? Start by mapping out a plan for your life. Set goals. Not vague or general goals, but real and specific goals that are measurable.
Rather than deciding you want to have more money, decide how much money you want to have by a certain date. Then do what you can to go about meeting that goal. Remember that goals don’t need to be about money or material wealth.
Here’s a tip. Don’t set your goal too low. Your goal can be practically anything that is even remotely reasonable. You may think it sounds nearly impossible, but the more you think about it, the more possible it will become.
Thousands of people have set goals and accomplished them. Using your own confidence, you too can achieve a similar kind of success.
Confidence!
“Don’t expect perfection in all you.
Remind yourself your best is awesome for you.
Tell yourself you’re doing fine, you’ll get through
Listen, listen to YOU.”

Confidence. Let it work for you!

Character Counts Assemblies Highly Rated by School Staff

Guthrie Public School, Guthrie Ontario

Melody Northrop, Principal at Guthrie Public School in the Simcoe County District School Board believes that Character Counts. That’s why she was instrumental in arranging to have Character Counts t-shirts for all staff members to wear on the

Character Counts T-Shirt - Guthrie Public School

first day of school, Sept 6, 2011. Three Character Counts assemblies helped to emphasize the theme with students and staff.

As guests in the school presenting ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies (part of the Character Counts campaign), we were presented with t-shirts in front of a gym filled with junior students. Ms. Northrop said that character education is an on-going effort at Guthrie. “Every year we have some kind of character ed shirts to help get the message out,” she explained. The message on the shirts was reinforced with posters and banners on display in the school.

The students we talked to definitely agree that Guthrie Public School is a great place to be. They talked about teachers that make learning fun, plays and dramas, sports and the ‘really nice’ principal (Mrs. Northrop).

Get students and staff excited about building great character – undertake a character counts campaign!

Bruce Langford – Teacher/Presenter of Character Education and Bullying Prevention programs  (www.brucelangford.ca)

Assemblies Motivate Students to Stand Up Against Bullying

Bullying – It takes hard work and determination to prevent bullying. Bullying Prevention starts with one word – RESPECT.

Treat others with respect and you will usually be treated with respect in return. But how do you know how to be respectful in the first place?

There are some basics to follow when it comes to respect:

1. Be honest. Tell the truth even if you are the only one who could possible know the difference. You see, honesty is part of who you are, deep down.
2. Be considerate. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Sometimes you really have to stop and think how you would feel if you were in the other person’s shoes. That’s called empathy.
3. Help others. That means, don’t just stand by and do nothing if someone is being treated badly. There are usually a few different things you can do to help like; speak up when the meanness is happening, talk to the person later and tell them you care, tell an adult you trust. Reaching out to offer your friendship is one of the greatest things you can do.

But what if you do these things and you still feel like you are being bullied? That’s a tough question. The fact is, this happens too many times. Hang in there. Realize things will get better. Change things in your life. Hang around different people. Spend time in different locations. Find people to be friends who really make you feel good and are not being mean, even in a teasing kind of way. Believe that things will improve and then go about changing things you can change. Like your attitude about life. That doesn’t mean the bullying is your fault. It just means if you start by changing what you can change in your life, sometimes good things will happen.

Maybe you sometimes bully other people. Make up your mind to stop doing that. It might not be easy, but you can do it. Keep reminding yourself that you want to change and use your determination. This really works for most people. You will find that your own life will improve if you stop being mean to others.

Most of all, don’t give up. Believe that things can be different and make the effort to make it happen. Be motivated by others. You can learn from them. Learn tips from assemblies or from people you admire. We can be inspired by others and learn how to improve our own lives.  Who knows, you may end up inspiring others!

www.standupagainstbullying.com

 

Action Steps to Stop Being Bullied

1. List all the places where you have ever been bullied
2. Describe how you dealt with the bullying each time
3. Write down different ways you could have dealt with each incident
4. List places where you have never been bullied
5. Name the activities that give you the happiest feeling
   

Vow to stand up against bullying by making the decision to speak to someone you trust following any upsetting bullying experience.

Read over your answers to the above and be determined to work toward a better life by letting others help you.

Is Apple Acting Like a Bully Toward RIM?

This is RIM’s home territory; Waterloo, Ontario Canada. Home of Research In Motion’s Blackberry. But now, Apple has opened its own store in Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo is one of the smaller Canadian cities playing host to an Apple store.

RIM seems to be having a rough time lately with some poor reviews of the Playbook and reported lower sales. Last month, RIM announced 2,000 job cuts worldwide with some of them being lost inWaterloo. Just this past week Sprint announced it had cancelled plans to include the Playbook on its network. Ouch! And now Apple has opened a store within a quick ten minute drive from RIM head offices. And to make matters worse, more than 200 people lined up to get first crack at the Apple products before the new Apple store actually opened on Saturday morning August 13.

The Apple and RIM Competition - Is It Bullying?

Bullying is an imbalance of power which may involve verbal, physical or social coercion. It is deliberate. It is usually not a one time event.
Does that definition fit with Apple and RIM?

I don’t believe it does apply to Apple and RIM. Bullying applies in a social context when a child begins to shy away from social interaction because of bullying. Bullying happens in the workplace when a staff member begins to feel shunned because a co-worker or boss is using their so-called power to make the staff member feel less valuable.

What do you think? Is Apple acting like a bully?

We offer bullying prevention programs to schools in the region of Waterloo Ontario and have recently visited Laurelwood Public School,Williamsburg School,Brigadoon School, Abraham Erb, Edna Stabler, Sandhills and others.

Maedith Radlein, Principal of N.A. MacEachern Public School inWaterloo commented:
“I would definitely recommend the ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies. We were most pleased with all three divisions.”

Martha Knowlton, Principal of Abraham Erb Public School inWaterloo said:
“The students and teachers were totally engaged. The assemblies were awesome!”

Whether the bullying is corporate or a result of the children of the employees, call Stand Up Now Productions for presentations to deal head on with bullying behaviours.

www.standupnow dot ca or call 519-269-9837