Last week we painted Plaquemines Pink and tackled the issue of Bullying. As a group, the students vowed to help deter Bullying and signed an anti-bullying contract. It stated: STOP BULLYING BEFORE IT STARTS. “I promise never to be a bully. I promise to tell an adult if someone bullies me or when I see someone else being bullied.”
We talked about being an “upstander” rather than a “bystander.” We discussed different ways people are bullied, such as physical or psychological aggression or by the use of exclusion. The students shared stories about their experiences and when asked “How many students have been bullied, have bullied someone else, or have seen someone getting bullied?” the entire class raised their hands.
We further discussed how a person might feel when he/she is being bullied to help the class learn to empathize. The goal of this lesson is that, by teaching the students about bullying, about its significance and consequences, and helping them to empathize, they can begin to stand up against it and help put an end to this negative behavior.
