Bullying in Elementary School – 3 Key Ways To Stop It!

Yesterday we visited a Toronto Catholic School where the topic of bullying in elementary school is definitely taken seriously.

Georges Vanier Catholic School Principal, Ms. Silvana Reda, is obviously passionate about the topic of bullying as well as child safety. She has discovered many ways to help stop bullying in her elementary school as we were to learn during our visit.

Happy Students: If students feel happy and respected, bullying in elementary school is diminished. That is certainly a belief that I personally share. After presenting hundreds of anti-bullying programs, I have come to the conclusion that one way to reduce bullying in elementary school is to make sure students feel respected, appreciated and happy. There are a number of ways to do this, and I’ve talked about them some of my other blogs. However, students tell me that one of the things that make them feel happiest in school is simply having a sense of belonging. Children want to feel safe, they want to feel included, and they want to feel a sense of importance. Students want to feel empowered in their environment. When you think about it, the same thing is probably true for most of us as adults. Don’t we want to feel safe included an important in our workplace? Don’t those things help us to feel valuable and empowered? I believe the answer is an emphatic yes.

Happy Teachers: I believe the following statements to be true in many cases:
Happy teachers are productive teachers.
Happy teachers generate happiness in their students.
Happy teachers get along well with other staff members.
After meeting thousands of teachers and visiting hundreds of schools, I really believe that a powerful way to reduce bullying in elementary school is to make sure the teachers enjoy coming to their jobs. One person who can help make this happen is the school principal. She or he can create a working environment which puts teachers at ease while at the same time resulting in a productive and creative atmosphere.

Activities: There are many activities which can take place during the school day to remind students about the virtues of respect, kindness and consideration. These activities can certainly help to reduce incidents of bullying around the school. Principal, Silvana Reda gave us a tour of George Vanier School Catholic School pointing out many activities her students had done which were related to respect and bullying prevention.
Caring Tree – In the front hall area is a caring tree which reminds everyone in the school about acts of caring which take place at Georges Vanier.
Bulletin Board Display – Each class creates an anti-bullying poster monthly which is displayed on the board for all to see. A monthly anti-bullying theme keeps it interesting.
Posters – Throughout the school are anti-bullying posters featuring students from Georges Vanier. The messages and designs of the posters were created by students for students and have been reproduced on professionally looking hard board and then permanently mounted on the walls.
Murals – The library features a colourful mural around the room on the wall near the ceiling. This mural is very inspiring and makes the room come alive.
Announcements – Play song clips, read catchy slogans, or have a ‘respect’ word of the day.
Contests – Get everybody involved in contests by offering fun prizes or even giving the winning class celebrity status with the school mascot for a week. If your school mascot is the cougar for instance, have a stuffed cougar which spends time in various classrooms or locations in the school as part of the award system. You could run a poster contest, a write a catchy song contest, a slogan for a month contest or even a math or science contest. Your imagination is your only limit.

So the three key ways to help stop bullying in elementary school are:
1/ Ensure students feel respected, appreciated and happy.
2/ Help teachers be happy in their roles
3/ Bullying prevention and respect activities

Have fun getting everyone involved.

Bruce Langford offers bullying prevention school assemblies and keynote talks:

http://www.standupnow.ca
1-800-901-8831

Iron Joan Police Foundations Students Stand Up Against Bullying

The students of Cardinal Newman Catholic School taught us today about bullying prevention.

The bullying prevention advice we learned at Cardinal Newman is:
Be yourself, let your energy spill out. Celebrate life, be kind and fill your life with respect.

You see, the students at Cardinal Newman live the advice you read above. They are filled with energy, they celebrate day-to-day life and they understand the concept of respect.
We will remember the Cardinal Newman spirit and energy we experienced today for a very long time.
It is our hope that the students of Cardinal Newman will remember the bullying prevention strategies we taught today for as long as we remember their energy.
Daytime presentations were ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Stand Up For Respect’.  The evening parent student bullying prevention presentation was called ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’. Seventy one families attended and enjoyed outstanding pre-show entertainment by the Cardinal Newman Iron Joan group mentored by students from the Sheridan College Police Foundations program. We were dazzled by the confidence shown by the Iron Joan team.  The Sheridan College Police Foundations students who mentored the children at Cardinal Newman were extremely proud of the confidence and skill exhibited by their students.
Cardinal Newman student council also did an amazing anti-bullying presentation. This anti-bullying parent/student program presented by Bruce Langford was made possible by the Ontario Government’s Parent Reaching Out Grant (PRO) available to school parent groups across Ontario.

Bruce Langford is a bullying prevention advocate who offers anti-bullying workshops in Toronto, Ontario. 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

 

Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying?

Sweet natured and keen to learn, Alex wants more than anything to fit in. But from the moment he gets on the school bus, Alex is relentlessly bullied by classmates, who pummel him with insults, curses and punches.

 As another school year begins, Kirk and Laura Smalley launch Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization. They won’t be waving their son off to school. At the age of 11, tired of being pushed down, thrown into lockers, and verbally abused, Ty Smalley took his own life.

The above scenarios are from the new movie Bully. Have you seen it yet?
When someone gets picked on all the time – ridiculed, pushed, shunned or trash talked – that’s bullying. It happens to 10 to 15 per cent of Canadian students aged 11 to 15, and to 20 per cent of U.S. students. Bullying really hurts people – not just the kids being bullied but also their families. You can make your school and community safer by doing your part to stop bullying.

See the movie Bully. Take A Stand. Take the Pledge. Contact Cineplex, Empire Theatres. The movie is scheduled for release in select theatres April 6, 2012.

Follow on Twitter @bullycanada #stopbullying

Watch Bully. Then tell everyone about it. Because when we all understand what bullying really does to kids and their families, then we can all work together. Visit www.bullymovie.ca to take the pledge.

What is your opinion? Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying and violence? Let us know what you think with a quick comment.

Bruce Langford – anti-bullying advocate and school presenter
http://www.brucelangford.ca

Simcoe County District School Board School Welcomes Anti-Bullying Speaker, Bruce Langford

West Bayfield Elementary School in Barrie was our destination today, where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies to all students from JK to grade 8. Students were passionate about the topic. They were eager to learn as much as they could about the internet and the dangers of cyberspace. They told stories and acted out scenarios. The Simcoe County District School Board has raised awareness that dangers lurk in cyberspace. Students just wanted to learn the details.

We talked about how GPS encoding is embedded in photographs taken on many cell phones and how it can reveal exactly when the photo was taken. One student told us a story about how his facebook account had been hacked into and the violator set up another facebook account which was an exact duplicate of his own. The student had good news about the outcome. He was actually able to have the offending site removed, because he was able to get into it himself and have it deleted.

We were impressed when we arrived at the school, because students had posted visual artwork on the topic of ‘Caring’ and ‘Stand Up’ and how we can all stand together to trump bullying. I’ve included some of the photos here along with a short video.

Students, teachers and administrators told us how pleased they were with the three contrasting assemblies.

“Presentations were entertaining, insightful, and age appropriate. They were thoroughly enjoyed by all of our students and they learned a great from them. I would highly recommend Bruce’s presentations for any school.”
Mike Geer, Principal, West Bayfield Elementary School, Barrie Ontario

Bruce Langford, Anti-bullying advocate and international speaker presenter: www.brucelangford.ca

 

Bruce Langford talks bullying on Belleville talk radio CJBQ

Bullying was the topic. Toronto, Sarnia, Kingston, Collingwood, Kitchener, London and Cambridge talk radio are no match to the Lorne Brooker Show in Belleville today. Can you believe it? A beautiful white swan graceful swam by as we proceeded to broadcast the Lorne Brooker Show live, on the air in Belleville. Listeners from all over Belleville, Trenton, Hastings, Quinte and Prince Edward Counties were tuned in. We talked about bullying as it was in the past. We talked about cyber-bullying and the bystander. We talked about bullying attitudes. The phone lines lit up and our callers told interesting stories about how bullying had touched their lives. Lorne Brooker made thoughtful comments and confidently steered the conversation in an appropriate direction. Callers shared their views about how money should be spent to help reduce bullying in the Belleville-Quinte area. We talked about bullying in the Hastings Prince Edward schools and how a 10-year old girl named Mary had written a letter about her own bullying experiences that touched a nerve with so many in the community. Her mother helped create a brand new organization called Parents Against Childhood Bullying – PACB. The scenery was so beautiful from the fourth floor studio window, yet the subject was disconcerting at times. Solutions to society’s bullying problems are not easily found, but I certainly agree that one of the steps involves community dialogue.
Talk radio is alive and well in Belleville Ontario Canada!

Bruce Langford was in Belleville as a keynote speaker at The Hastings and Prince Edward Human Services and Justice Committee Conference 2012 along with speaker Dr. Bruce Ballon, Head A.C.E.S. for Problem Gambling. Dr. Bruce Ballon was speaking on the topic of Internet Addiction and Mr. Bruce Langford was speaking on the theme of ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

 

Bruce Langford is an international speaker and presenter on the topic of bullying and cyberbullying www.standupagainstbullying.com

Hastings, Prince Edward Counties – Verbal & Physical Bullying To End

A 10-year old girl in Belleville Ontario is taking a stand against bullying at her school. She says verbal and physical attacks toward her have been ongoing and she has had enough. She wrote a letter explaining details about the bullying she has been experiencing. She says she spends recess in the kindergarten room because nobody will play with her, and explains that she feels alienated and dejected. Her mother believes that the school staff is not protecting her daughter.
These are certainly serious allegations. Although I don’t know all the details surrounding the situation, I have a few suggestions to hopefully calm the waters.
1. I encourage the girl’s parents to set up a meeting with the teacher. Have a list of concerns to address and suggested outcomes. Take notes. Insist on a specific plan of action.
2. After 5 days, re-evaluate the situation. Has the bullying stopped? Has the situation improved? If not, set up a meeting with the principal and make a written plan. Set a date for a follow-up meeting to talk about whether or not things have improved. No child should feel unsafe at school.
3.  Ask to see the bullying prevention action plan set out by the school. Ask what initiatives have been put into place to encourage respect and reduce bullying. Insist that you are looking out for the well-being of your child.

Do not give up. Continue to connect with the teacher or administrators to carry out the plan of action. If the plan of action is not working, insist on an alternative. Be aware of the Hasting and Prince Edward District School Board’s commitment to providing caring, safe, respectful and inclusive learning environments for all students.  Do your best to remain calm and professional, yet strong with your assertions that your child be provided with the caring, safe and respectful environment referred to by the school board.
I will be most interested in the outcome of this situation and am optimistic it will come to a positive conclusion for all involved.

Bruce Langford provides bullying prevention programs for schools. www.brucelangford.ca

 

Youth Summit 2012 U.S. Virgin Islands Stand Up Against Bullying

The U.S. Virgin Islands Anti-bullying Vow
We solemnly vow to abolish bullying!
We hereby declare we will use our courage and strength to not be a bystander,
but instead be a leader, take action and to take a stand.

Be determined to reach your goals,
Have confidence, strength, belief
Power and stand up for your rights
Self-esteem might cause you to break
But you can always talk it out with a friend
Be strong, have courage and fight for your rights …
Cyber-bullying is not the way to go!!

Bullying
To come against bullying
We need power, determination and confidence
It affects you, it affects me and even society
It lead to destruction and something we can’t run from

Bullying
Determine to stand up for what is right … no matter the fight (bullying, verbal abuse)
We have the courage and the power to choose and decide the right reaction to a negative action.
No matter the content of your insults,We have the confidence to determine the results.
No matter the argument or the fight,
Once it’s against bullying, it’s always right.

What you have read above are samples of the work of seventh to twelfth graders; students in the United States Virgin Islands Department of Education Schools at their Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit, 2012 with presenter, Bruce Langford.

We created the island declaration against bullying seen at the top of the page.
Bravo students!!!! You should be proud.

Bruce Langford is currently in the U.S. Virgin Islands doing school presentations on the topic of bullying at the Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit 2012.
Visit his website at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Confidence can be your shield to ward off bullying: 4 Tips

Today I am offering four tips to protect yourself against bullying behaviors using your own abilities to build confidence.

To grow confidence, here is my advice:
1/ Have a purpose, a project or a goal. You may be surprised how this one tip will help you develop confidence.
2/ Block out negative thoughts and feelings. This can be tough, but we have the ability to control our own thoughts, so make sure they are positive, upbeat and encouraging ones.
3/ Be yourself. Try not to be phony or fake. Know yourself for who you are and don’t try to be something you’re not
4/ Be honest. This is huge. It will help you be yourself but it will also help you to feel good about yourself and be respected by others.

Bruce Langford offers workshops about virtues and bullying prevention – Stand Up Now Productions www.standupnow.ca

Talk out your bullying problems using a non-confrontational approach

Talk it out, talk it out, talk it out!

If you are being bullied, don’t keep it all inside you. You can talk it out with the person who is making life tough for you – as long as you do it in a non-confrontational way. Make sure you don’t sound threatening, and don’t display anger or frustration. Just stay cool, and casually talk it out with them.

If you are experiencing bullying on a regular basis, find someone you can talk to; find a trusted friend or adult; find a teacher or councilor. Talk out a situation that is bothering you and it can make all the difference in how quickly you are able to resolve the conflict.

Don’t have anyone to talk to?

Talk to yourself or your pet. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, call ‘KidsHelpPhone’ at 1-800-668-6868. You can also jot down your thoughts in a journal. This can really help you work through your problems. Just remember, keeping anger and frustration locked inside can eventually cause problems.

Talk it out in the most safe and confidential way possible.

Stand Up Now Productions –LiveSchoolShows about Bullying & Conflict Resolution with teacher/presenter Bruce Langford.

www.brucelangford.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

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!

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

 

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

When is Bullying Prevention Week 2011 in Ontario?

National Bullying Prevention week is November 13-19, 2011. All of November is a great time to focus on anti-bullying and ways to eliminate bullying behaviours in your school. Here are some ideas to raise awareness and help reduce bullying:
1. Encourage your students to write poems, stories or songs about anti-bullying themes. Display this throughout the school.
2. Include a bullying prevention tip on the daily announcements.
3. Have an anti-bullying conference with special guests and activities.
4. Decorate the halls with appropriate messages as part of a poster-making contest.
5. Have a pink or blue shirt ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ Spirit Day.
Some of your best ideas will come directly from your students. Meet with a group of enthusiastic students who will discuss bullying prevention ideas and brainstorm creative ways to get all the students and staff involved.

I Vow To Stand Up Against Bullying

Stand Up Against Bullying T-Shirts can be ordered by contacting Stand Up Now Productions at Stand Up Now dot ca.

School Character Education Assemblies Feature Anti-Bullying Advice

“Walk with confidence and build a group of friends you can count on.”

This is part of the advice given by Benny DL (Bruce Langford) during a recent assembly near London, Ontario.  Students rushed to the front to ask their own questions and meet the presenter. They crowded around, not leaving until teachers finally cleared the gym.
“That was a terrific assembly”, a grade eight student commented. “I really learned a lot of stuff from what he said.”

Cyber-bullying and internet safety was part of the topic along with how to deal with sticky situations without ending up in trouble.
Here is one more piece of advice: Think twice before you pass on information that might be sensitive. I recently was nearly lured into telling something that I fully believed to be true.  After finding out the facts, I was totally glad I hadn’t spoken up and shared this information that actually turned out to be sensitive. Just remember, Stand Up – Cyberbullying’s Got 2 Go!
Book assemblies for your school at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Education Week Assemblies in Toronto Feature 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours

Education Week at Madoc Drive Public School was celebrated today with bullying prevention assemblies by Bruce Langford of ‘Stand Up Now Productions’.
The students were filled with enthusiasm as DJ, Benny DL went live on ATFM Radio. He talked about 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

1. Ignore the Bullying Behaviour (sometimes the person is just trying to get attention)
2. Say ‘Please Leave Me Alone’ (Say it in a confident way, but only once)
3. Tell a Parent, Teacher or other Trusted Adult
4. Get Friends to Help You
5. Show your Confidence

 Madoc students acted out real-life scenarios and participated in songs. A student came up afterwards commenting about the ‘great music and awesome video’. Madoc Principal, Mr. Tim Peterson makes sure students set exellent examples to inspire others. Education week is a great time to focus on bullying prevention. Just remember the 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

http://www.standupagainstbullying.com/

Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander



Garden Avenue Junior School, Toronto

Garden Avenue Public School, Toronto is a respectful school filled with great kids who understand the meaning of community. These students look out for each other and encourage each other. They understand the importance of speaking up. They know a bystander is a person who sees or hears mean things, but does nothing about it. Don’t be a bystander, do something if you see meanness. Talk to the person later, tell a teacher or encourage your friends to do the right thing.

 

The majority of Garden Avenue Junior School students know to …

Be an Upstander, not a bystander!

A story from an anonomous contributor: 

It happened nearly twenty years ago.

I saw him do it. I witnessed it with my own eyes.

He knew I saw him, but then afterwards, I swore I saw nothing.

I was afraid. I thought I should keep quiet. I thought that would support my friend.

 

I was wrong.

Living a lie is never the right thing to do.

I could have quietly gone to a trusted adult and reported what I saw.

It would have been the right thing to do. It would have been the responsible, respectable thing to do.

 

We shared a story with the Garden Avenue students today. The story was about a girl who felt terrible about someone she had bullied at a past school. She decided to do something about it. She decided to share her message with the world, about how awful a person can feel who has actually bullied someone.

Garden Avenue students obviously felt empathy for the girl as we shared the story.

Be caring. Be sensitive. Be empathetic. Be an upstander, not a bystander!

Stand Up Against Bullying, whenever you can.

Garden Avenue Junior Public School Principal, Ms. Martha Peterson constantly encourages her students to show respect, make the right choices, and be ‘upstanding’ citizens. Be inspired by Garden Avenue; be an upstander!

 

 

 

Toronto Middle School Welcomes Cyberbullying Guest Speaker, Bruce Langford at their Annual Safe And Caring Schools Student Conference

Willowdale Middle School in Toronto featured their Annual Safe and Caring Schools Student Conference today. Bruce Langford started the day by presenting a session to grade 6 and 7 students called ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’. The presentation was about how to stand up against cyberbullying. The Children’s Peace Theatre presented a hands-on workshop at the same time with grade 8 students. Willowdale Middle School students did a skit about how some kids feel pressured to have lots and lots of ‘friends’ on social network sites like Facebook. The girl in the skit told her friend to ‘just add random people so you don’t look like a loser’. She did decide to add someone she didn’t know, and was taking the risk that it could turn out to be an internet predator. In another skit, the police got involved when someone turned out to be posing as someone else online. Students were tuned in to the role-plays and commented about their effectiveness.

Willowdale Principal, Mrs. Angela Caccamo said: “Bruce Langford’s Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies were excellent. I will spread the word to my colleagues.”

The point was made that every middle school student can do something to make sure that cyberbullying does not exist and grow in a school environment. We can all agree; Cyberbullying’s Got 2 Go! Contact Bruce Langford at 1-800-901-8831 (www.atfm.ca) for more information.

Teacher approved Cyber-bullying Assemblies in Kitchener Ontario

Just returned from presenting 3 Cyber-bullying Got 2 Go assemblies at Sandhills Public School in Kitchener Ontario (Waterloo Region District School Board). The students were totally keen to learn how to stay safe in cyber-space. Benny DL asked questions and students got involved with their answers.

Nancy, a Grade 3 Teacher, made the following remark after the assembly: “Your program was just awesome with a very timely message. I loved how you tied our Sandhills Guidelines into your assembly.”

Allison (not her real name) is a grade 3 student who made a special trip back to the gym to tell us: “That was the best assembly we’ve ever had!”

Here is a tip we shared about staying safe on-line. “If someone is mean on-line, don’t even answer the message.”

Remember, if you are having problems with people on-line, it is important to talk to a parent, a teacher or another adult you trust.

The Sandhills Suns believe in living ‘Above the Line’. Living above the line means taking responsibility for your choices, being accountable and being willing to work toward solutions. Living below the line includes quitting, denying, justifying and laying blame.