Look at your feet to beat back to school stress

Back to school can be a stressful time for kids that are bullied. I have put together some ideas to help you reduce your stress and move forward.

Look at your feet to beat stress (that means get active)

Most people agree that if you are feeling stress, you need to get moving. One guy told me that anytime he feels stress, he looks at his feet. He means he reminds himself he needs to get moving. He goes on a quick walk or jog, or he gets up and starts doing anything that comes to mind. He just gets moving.

Inner, personal thoughts cause stress. I believe in taking control of inner thoughts as much as possible. That may sound crazy to you, but did you know we can actually take control of our own thoughts? Any time you start feeling stressed out about going back to school, just repeat a line in your head like this one:

In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way,
I am comfortable and happy at this very moment.

The words easy / relaxed / positive / comfortable / happy will start to subconsciously tell your brain to be this way. This is not a new idea, but it can have a very powerful effect, especially if you memorize the two lines and just say them over and over in your mind, any time your mind is stressing you out.

If you want to give this idea a try, you can do an on-line search for mantras. That is the name for a phrase you repeat over and over in your mind to take control of your thought process.

Don’t get bogged down though, because a lot of information about mantras is spiritual or in other languages. Mantras don’t need to be confusing or complicated. Just put some words together that make you feel good like I’ve suggested above. Stay away from words like tension or stress or bully. In other words don’t make a mantra like “I won’t be stressed and I will block out tension. I will not allow people to bully me”. The problem with that mantra is that the brain will hear the words stress / tension & bully and it won’t have a positive effect.

Usually stress comes from negative thoughts in your mind. If you can replace those negative thoughts with positive thoughts, you can start to take charge of your thought process and leave a lot of your stress behind.

Of course, some stress is completely normal. If you didn’t stress out a little about certain things, you might not achieve much. Some people say certain kinds of stress are good because it gets us moving and we take action.

Too much stress is when things get dicey. Health problems can start, like upset stomach or headaches or rashes. They say the list is endless. Rather than thinking about stress, why not think about relaxed living.

Of course, these ideas are my personal opinions, but I have found the suggestions can really make a difference and actually reduce stress quite a bit. If you found them helpful, please leave me a quick reply.

Bruce Langford is a bullying prevention advocate who speaks and presents anti-bullying assemblies in schools  http://www.standupnow.ca

My school has no anti-bullying program

So your 10-year old son, Hammoud, comes home from school with a devastated look on his face. You ask what is going on, but he won’t tell you anything. Finally that night, just before he falls asleep he tells you that something happened at school today. Another boy in his class said some things that really sunk his confidence. He had been getting along great with the others boys in the class, and now one kid is making life miserable for him. Then it comes out. This isn’t the first time. Jason has been bullying Hammoud ever since September.

As a parent you start asking yourself questions.

* Why didn’t I know about this?
* Why didn’t I see it coming?
* Doesn’t Hammoud care enough about me to share something like this with me?
* Are my parenting skills lacking?

Then my thoughts turn to the school. “What is being done to prevent bullying? Do they have policies in place?” Based on the amount of media coverage of bullying, I think to myself, “the school must have an anti-bullying program which is on-going.”

I try to encourage Hammoud the best I can and the next day I set up an appointment with the school vice-principal. After explaining the situation and discussing what is happening to Hammoud, I find out that actually the administration appears to be overwhelmed and the vice-principal is using excuses about the bullying that is taking place. She finally admits that the school really doesn’t have an actual anti-bullying policy and they have no anti-bullying program at the school.

You leave the meeting feeling rather deflated and disappointed. Your thoughts are racing. You want the best for Hammoud, but why hasn’t someone stepped forward and demanded that an anti-bullying program be implemented? After a few hours your perspective changes. You remember a lecture you attended recently where the emphasis was on taking responsibility. You realize this is definitely one of those instances.

You do some research and find out that an anti-bullying program needs to have certain elements:

1/ a well thought-out plan
2/ a centered goal
3/ parent, teacher and administrative involvement
4/ a strong leader/organizer to coordinate the effort

The next day you make some phone calls and send some e-mails to some of the

This school has an excellent anti-bullying program

other parents you know from the school explaining your plan to set up an anti-bullying program. You google a woman you heard on the radio who is responsible for bullying prevention in her area of the province. Before long, you have another parent to co-chair the committee with you and you’ve mustered up a team of seven parent volunteers to help out. The school is on-board and they have volunteered to have two teachers and the Principal sit on the committee as well. The school has even found a budget of $500.00 to contribute.

Two months later, you think back to that day when Hammoud came home from school with the devastated look on his face. You can’t believe how much has happened since then. Hammoud is now much happier in school. He’s not having problems with Jason any more, and his self-esteem has returned. You have a binder containing records of more than 45 calls and e-mails from  inquiries and people offering to lend support. You are now in a position to help others start anti-bullying programs at their schools.

Although the above story is ficticious, you can learn from the example of the parents’ situation. Practically anyone can set up an anti-bullying program. It takes courage, determination and most of all, action. Plenty of action is what makes anything happen, but you can definitely make a difference in your school community by stepping out and organizing an effective school anti-bullying program.

5 Reasons Why Your School Needs Anti Bullying Programs

School anti bullying programs can make a profound impact on their audience. An antibullying program can be a one day initiative in the form of a theme-based assembly. Anti bullying programs can also be a series of events to raise awareness of bullying prevention in your school. An anti-bullying program is an initiative of some type that raises awareness of the topic. By the time you have finished reading this blog post, you will know exactly why your school will benefit from having anti bullying programs.
1/ Liability
Can you imagine how a parent of a child would feel if their child ends their life as a result of a bullying situation at your school? Any one of us would be devastated. One of the first questions asked is, “What anti-bullying initiatives had the school undertaken in the past few months or so?” Make sure the answer to that question is, “Yes, within the past year we have been active with this specific anti bullying program.” Did we do the program just because of liability issues? No, of course not, but the fact is that liability is a real issue in today’s society.
2/ Momentum
Energy packed school anti bullying programs encourage student participation and will help the student population gain momentum toward action. They will identify the need within their student body for bullying prevention efforts. They will be motivated to act on that need so that they can make a difference with their classmates and in their school community.
3/ Perception
Perception is reality. Have you ever heard this phrase? Students, staff and parents must believe that your school cares about bullying prevention within its walls. Your school may have great initiatives in place to deal with bullying, but if the general perception is that bullying is not a priority, then as a teacher or administrator, you are going to have a difficult time changing that perception without having anti bullying programs in place.
4/ Focus
Do you sometimes feel like your school is lacking focus or direction? Many times students, teachers and parents can have this same feeling. Bullying prevention must be a central initiative. After all, bullying is conveyed by the press as being a major issue, and as an educator or student, you know that it is a major issue. Students, staff, administrators and parents must all be focused on the topic of bullying in order to make a change to the culture. They are many ways to create focus, but one powerful way is to have meaningful anti bullying programs in place which will bring to the forefront the importance of this major issue.
5/ Cooperation
You will be amazed at the effect of one single powerful anti bullying program. If done properly, students will begin to see a need for cooperation and they will start to work together to create a sense of community. Cooperation is a goal schools are constantly striving for, and the best way to achieve it is to motive students and staff by helping them understand that they can make a difference.

These are only five reasons why your school needs to have anti bullying programs in place.
Contact ‘Stand Up Now Productions’ at www.standupnow.ca to find out more about our school anti bullying programs.

Conquer Bullying and Conflict with Self-Forgiveness

To conquer bullying, let’s strive for less conflict in the world.  How to do that … self-forgiveness. (Read on to learn how we can calm the bullying epidemic by learning the concept of self-forgiveness).

When you are comfortable with both your strengths and weaknesses, you radiate simple, unaffected humanity. Self acceptance, total self acceptance, means self-forgiveness.
When you forgive yourself and stop judging yourself, then you won’t judge others, and there will be less conflict in the world.

Bruce Langford is an anti-bullying advocate and speaker/presenter.
www.brucelangford.ca   telephone: 905-233-2102

Were Steve Jobs, Tom Cruise, Cher, Bill Gates and Albert Einstein bullied?

A little known secret about Steve Jobs is that he had a learning disability in the form of dyslexia. Sadly, special needs students are often bullied. In fact people who are different are frequently bullied and many times special needs children are perceived as being different. Children with special needs may be dyslexic as in the case of Steve Jobs or they may be autistic. They could also have ADD (attention deficit disorder), ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), have a visual or auditory impairment, or be gifted.

There are many examples of famous people who had special needs, yet were able to compensate for their challenges. Some examples of famous people with dyslexia are: Tom Cruise, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Cher, John Lennon, Sir Richard Branson and Steven Spielberg. Other famous people with learning disabilities are: Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.

In many classrooms there are children who are very protective of their special needs classmates. However, sometimes special needs students suffer relentless bullying.

We can all help special needs students achieve success by making sure they are not bullied, and by creating a classroom culture of protection. After all, special needs children often have amazing talents and abilities as the list above indicates. Remember, Stand Up Against Bullying in every school classroom, home and community!

Bruce Langford is a bullying prevention advocate who teaches peace strategies.  www.standupagainstbullying.com

 

Catchy confidence song reminds you how to grow your own confidence

This song I wrote about confidence can get in your brain like a jingle you can’t forget. It will help you develop confidence because it has real advice which can work for anyone. Remember, you can be your own best coach. Encourage yourself and remind yourself you are doing fine. Listen to your own positive, upbeat encouraging words about how you are doing. Trust in yourself, focus on what you CAN do and LISTEN to you!

 Confidence Song – Copyright 2004 Bruce Langford

1. Confidence, confidence,
no matter how bad it gets confidence.
Determination – it can get you through.
Absolute belief in what you do.
Certainty and trust can do it for you.
Hang in, trust in yourself.

2. Confidence, confidence,
no matter how bad it gets confidence
Give yourself credit for what you do
Don’t be so concerned about win & lose
A new experience is another chance for you
Focus on what you CAN do!

3. Confidence, confidence,
no matter how bad it gets
Don’t expect perfection in all you do
Remind yourself your best is awesome for you
Tell yourself you’re doing fine, you’ll get through
Listen, listen to you!

Bruce Langford is an experienced teacher and presenter of school programs on bullying, respect and confidence. Book him for your school – Stand Up Now Productions  www.brucelangford.ca or 1-800-901-8831
Listen to the Confidence Song here:

Advice: Grow self-confidence and learn how to avoid bullying

Bullying can often be prevented by having a well developed level of self-confidence. In fact, studies have led people to believe that confidence is the single most important quality to help you avoid being bullied. However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. People who are arrogant and cocky tend to be that way in one area of their lives and when they move into a different environment, they no longer have the ability to appear confident. Doubt yourself for a second, and people will be able to pick up on that momentary self-doubt.
Make up your mind to learn as much as you can about self-confidence and how to achieve it. You will learn that self-confidence comes from many sources such as personal experience, background and your ability to control your thought processes.
Let us know what you have learned about self-confidence. Share a comment and we’ll all learn a little more about this incredibly important topic.

We share tips about confidence in our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies designed specifically for school audiences. www.StandUpForRespect.com

Elementary School Bullying Prevention Programs and Video Game Addiction

An addicted teen gamer?

‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ school assemblies teach relational skills and many aspects of bullying prevention.

A recent study has been released to QMI Agency which could help explain why many teenage boys are not achieving high grades at school. The study found that boys who spend the most time playing video games are also among the same group who spend the least amount of time reading. The study found that in the group of teenagers between 12 and 19 years of age, one in 10 spends more than 10 hours per week playing video games.

The following questions assume that the video game player is playing at least ten hours a week. What do you think?

Can playing video games cause video game addiction?
Can playing video games affect relational skills?
Can playing video games cause people to bully others?
Can playing video games cause people to become a victim of bullying?
Can playing video games cause people to become better readers?

Let us know your thoughts by clicking on ‘leave a comment’.

As parents we need to encourage our children to live balanced lives by spending time on a wide variety of activities. And remember, we need to teach children how to Stand Up Against Bullying! For more information on elementary school bullying prevention programs by Bruce Langford and his team, learn how to stand up against bullying and book a school anti-bullying show at www.standupagainstbullying.com or contact the Stand Up Against Bullying Guy at 1-800-901-8831.

Bullying Tips on a Multi-Cultural Theme

Bruce Langford at Williamsburg School in Kitchener Ontario

Encourage your child to be open to all cultures and ethnicity. If we, as adults model this behaviour, our children will come by it honestly. Read stories set in many different locations around the world. Make a point of learning about cultures you are not familiar with. Take part in cultural festivals with your family whenever possible. The examples you set will serve your children for a lifetime.
Williamsburg Public School in Kitchener Ontario sets these examples using Tribes teaching as a tool for teachers and children. I (Bruce Langford) visited Williamsburg School yesterday to present our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’ programs. We welcomed over 200 people in the evening talk about bullying and cyber-bullying tips. Principal Fran Oppertshauser encouraged us by agreeing to be a reference for our school assemblies. 

Arrange for excellent anti-bullying school assemblies by Stand Up Now Productions with presenter Bruce Langford. Phone Stand Up Now at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail at bruce@standupnow.ca  Website: www.standupnow.ca

Bullying Tip From The Stand Up Against Bullying Guy

Sometimes parents can have a tough time finding out what really happened in a child bullying situation. Take a few minutes to have your child act out what happened. Ask about the details and say to your child; ”I’m going to pretend I’m you and you pretend you are the one doing the mean thing.” You can also have another child play the part of one of the participants. 
Another method is to act out what happened with action figures or dolls. You may be surprised how much information you can piece together by having your child do some acting!

For government approved school anti-bullying programs, contact Bruce Langford at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail Stand Up Now Productions at bruce@standupnow.ca

Be Your Own Coach to Achieve Self-Respect

Bruce Langford at Beverley Acres School in York Region

Here is a tip about self-respect we shared in the Intermediate Grade 7,8 ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assembly at Beverley Acres Public School in the York Region District School Board yesterday:

Self Respect is remembering that sometimes you have to be your own coach or cheerleader to encourage yourself that everything will be fine. We all go through difficult situations, and we all have to give ourselves a boost of self-encouragement sometimes. Remember that every one of us is valuable and important. No matter what happens, you need to be able to feel good about yourself. That is why it is important to learn to give yourself a boost to achieve self-respect.

We presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies to the Grade 4-6 students at Beverley Acres as well. After the presentations, Principal Ramon Andrade gave us positive feedback and told us he would recommend our Stand Up Now programs to other schools.
Contact Stand Up Now Bullying Prevention at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail us at bruce@standupnow.ca . Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca

How Many Children Report Bullying?

Bullying is a real problem in our society and studies have been done to prove this fact. One study (Wendy Craig & Y. Harel, 2004) revealed that about 12% of girls and 18% of boys reported bullying others at least twice in previous months, while 15% of girls and 18% of boys reported being victimized at least twice over the same period. As parents, teachers and members of society in general, we can help improve these numbers by being good listeners whenever children need to share a concern. This is a starting point to help our children deal with these issues.
For more information visit www.standupagainstbullying.com or call Bruce Langford to book anti-bullying programs and assemblies for your Ontario school at 1-800-901-8831 Stand Up Now Bullying Prevention

Dufferin Peel Catholic School Presentations

Just returned from a great day at St. Agnes School in the Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board in Brampton Ontario. We presented our ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies. Here are two tips:  

1. Don’t give out passwords – even to friends. It can cause problems later, big-time!
2. Also, please don’t give out personal information on-line. Not even about your school or holidays.

Just remember, “Stand Up Against Bullying!”.
Get our assemblies at your school: www.StandUpNow.ca

Bullying Prevention in Toronto

Yesterday we visited Earl Beatty Public School in Toronto and had a great day presenting three ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies. One of the points we focused on was confidence. You need confidence to stand up to bullies or even to talk to someone about what’s going on. Have a look at the video I made in front of the school.

Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies in Peel, Toronto and York Region Schools

We’ve recently had some of our best feedback after visiting a number of schools in Peel District School Board (PDSB), Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and York Region District School Board (YRDSB). We’ve presented to great student audiences with excellent school spirit and awesome assembly behaviour!  Here are some comments:

“Your Cyberbullying assemblies captured our grade 7,8 audience. The role plays were excellent. Thank you!”
Gina Christakis, Vice-Principal Kent Senior Public School, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Ontario

“Bruce Langford’s Stand Up To Bullying Assemblies were brilliant, absolutely brilliant!”
Maxine Prizzon, Teacher Ridgewood Public School, Peel District School Board, Mississauga Ontario

“The Stand Up Against Bullying assemblies were really, really good! The role-plays really engaged the audience!”
Frank Thomson, (Occasional Teacher) York Region District School Board, Kleinburg Public School & Mt. Albert Public School, Greater Toronto Ontario Area

Arrange assemblies for your school by contacting Bruce Langford’s Stand Up Now Productions, telephone 1-800-901-8831, e-mail info@standupnow.ca website www.standupnow.ca

Don’t Keep It Inside, Tell Someone You Trust!

Why do so many of us clam up when someone says or does something mean to us? That’s how bullying can start. I can tell you, there have been times in the past when I lacked confidence. I would question myself. Did I say something wrong? Did I give a mean impression? Honestly, we all lack confidence at certain times. We all have to build ourselves up sometimes.

One of the best ways to deal with this is by deciding not to keep these thoughts inside. Talk about it with someone you trust. Write down your ideas in a journal. Share with someone you are sure you can depend on, but other than that, keep it private.

This can really help to deal with bullying situations in your own life.  

http://www.standupagainstbullying.com/

Paralympics 2010 Can Inspire Us All!

Imagine the journey each athelete has travelled! Discovering their passion, setting their goal and making it happen have all been steps along the way.  
Listen to their individual stories and be inspired. These amazing men and women can make us all proud and provide rock solid inspiration to each of us in our own lives as we deal with our own challenges like bullying and put-downs.
Go Olympians!

Visit us at www.atfm.ca

Stand Up Against Bullying!

Do people ever feel guilty for their bullying behaviours? Indeed, there are many who have written years later about their desire to make it up to the people they have bullied.
One man wrote a letter of apology fifty-four years later to the person he bullied back in grade school.
Bullying is not new. Bullying is not acceptable. Bullying is real.
Steer clear of bullying. Strive to become the kind of person who respects others and refuses to be part of bullying behaviours.
Stand Up Against Bullying! (www.standupagainstbullying.com)

Surf in a Central Place

We have been presenting our ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ programs today at a JK-5 School. The students were totally excited and picked up key concepts as well. The songs, videos and role-plays really grabbed their attention.
One of our messages is to remind children that when surfing the internet, their computer needs to be ’in a central place, like a kitchen or family room where everyone goes’. Being on-line should not be a secretive activity for children, and adults should not model this secretive behaviour to children either. 

For more about bullying prevention programs for children, see our website at www.standupnow.ca

Joannie Rochette Shows Incredible Strength

Joannie Rochette displayed amazing focus as she courageously moved forward determined to win a medal in spite of her mother’s recent fatal heart attack after arriving in Vancouver.
She continued on to earn a bronze medal and attributed her success to her mother, Therese, who wanted a better life for her daughter than she herself had.
When dealing with bullied children, we can learn from the strength and focus shown by Joannie Rochette.

Inquire about Stand Up Now presentations for your child’s school, or the school of your neice, grandson or cousin. It will increase the emphasis of having a safe school and will give the children concepts to hold on to. Our programs educate and entertain with memorable content.
Visit us at www.standupagainstbullying.com