Stop Bullying in Schools: Follow these 5 Simple Steps

We all have seen bullying in the hallways of our schools, both grade school and high school. A lot of the time, it can seem overwhelming to know what actions you need to take when you see something like this.

You may be thinking things like:

• "If I ignore the problem, maybe it will go away..."
• "if I say something, maybe they will come after me"
• "I don't know who I'm suppose to go to, or if anyone will even listen"

It is important to remember that NOT taking action is just as bad as the bullying itself. If you don't take action, who will? Taking these situations seriously and making sure that something is done to prevent it in the future is the most important thing we can do.

Teaching our children at a young age about the effects of bullying, can help us save thousands of lives per year!

Ignoring problems and hoping they go away will never end in peace and resolution. You should never assume that any form of bullying is just innocent "teasing".

• Take this SERIOUSLY...never let it get out of hand.
• Make sure the student being bullied doesn't feel alone in this situation.
• Just because you think it may be harmless, doesn't mean the bullied student doesn't feel embarrassed or terrified.

Ignoring the problem and allowing this behavior to continue, is just as bad as being a bully yourself. If you don't stand up for people in need...who will?

When you witness someone being bullied it can be an emotional roller coaster. You may want to react right away in a fit of fury. Anger is a natural human emotion, but it is best to remain calm and make sure that you do not add fuel to the fire.

• Take a deep breath.
• Assess the situation.
• Do not engage in the negativity, just be calm and assertive and stop the situation as quickly as possible.

In a heated moment of bullying, it can be easy to lose sight of the important details of the situation. Make sure that after you follow step 4 of "remain calm and collected", you take a look at your surroundings.

• When did it take place?
• Who was there?
• Who was the Bully?
• Who was the Victim?
• What time of day was it?

All of these things are important in order to make sure you can explain every detail later on. The worst thing you can do in this situation is forget the important details and the "when, where, and whys" of it happening. If you forget all of these details, later on your input will become invalid and you will not be a very trusted form of information.

So, make sure that you pay close attention and keep mental notes about everything going on. This information will become very important later on.

Once you have taken in all of the surroundings of the situation, make sure you speak to the victim about what happened.

Some questions that you should ask him/her:

1. Have you been bullied by this person before?
2. If yes, how often does this happen?
3. Have you ever talked to anyone about it?
4. What is the worst thing they have done?

Asking some of these simple questions and getting the answers is the best thing you can do.

If the student tells you that they have spoken up about the situation before, but nothing proactive has been done to fix it, then you will have to make sure you speak passionately about it in the next step.

Now that you have followed the other 4 steps it is time to tell someone. Make sure you get a teacher, vice principal, superintendent or parent involved.

You have already decided that you were not going to ignore the problem, you are calm and collected, you have gathered all the mental notes you need about the situation and you have talked to the victim and know exactly what he/she is going through.

It is time to take all of this information to somebody with authority. Do not take no for an answer, especially if this is an ongoing thing. This needs to be stopped, and if you don't make it a big deal, nobody else will either. This is not the time to be afraid, it is the time to take actions and make sure you help someone in need. Never let anyone discourage you from helping others, that person's life could be on the line.

As a parent, teacher or by-stander, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what to do, but if you follow these 5 steps, you will have the confidence to take action! It is always a good idea to open the discussion of bullying through such as books, videos and other forms of media!

Taking the time to care about others and finding something valuable to you is very important. Anytime you can learn something new and educate yourself on the importance of bullying, we are all making one step closer to a more kind and loving world!