Bullying Prevention Month Recap: Workshopping and Peacemaking

I will get to the recap in a second. First, another thing.

I did it!

I implemented a new program!

Okay, almost.

I have taken a bunch of free content from various sources and created my own version of Peacemakers, a peer mediation program for my 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Over the course of four days, I trained six students (two from each grade) in mediation techniques that include a peace path (which guides students in each step of the process of talking through a conflict), using "I" statements and promising to do better in the future. These students will mediate arguments on the playground between students in their grade, and hopefully build a little more self-sufficiency among the kids in solving their own issues.  I have almost finished, but I need to paint the peace path on the playground, and it keeps raining. I will update this blog with more information as it evolves.

Additionally, I did a bunch of anti-bullying with the information from the PACER Institute, and it was quite successful on the whole. Some of the activities (Above the Line/Below the Line and the Orange Unity chain) were big hits. The videos, to be honest, were less thrilling, but did a good job of introducing certain ideas about what bullying is and how students can help stop it. This is the only start of a larger conversation we need to have here at Giles. I intend to make regular mention of the subject and to be as present in the classroom as I can be in order to make sure it keeps happening.

For now, signing off.
-Ms. OJ

October is National Bullying Prevention Month!

This October, I am more keenly aware than ever that we are in the midst of bullying prevention month. As a first year school social worker, I am trying to implement new strategies while sticking to what I have time to accomplish.

Bullying happens all over, and as an adult who works in an elementary school, I am committed to making sure that every child I meet feels safe and supported. At  Giles, the school where I work, we have the wonderful advantage of two social workers, meaning that we are able to really support our students in ways that they need it most. I will be going into classrooms for the 1st through 5th graders and leading discussion and activities that are aimed at preventing bullying. Pretty much everything I will be doing came from the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center website. If you are thinking about doing work like this with your own children or in your school, this site will go a long way in providing you with some ideas. Additionally, the PACER Center itself is a great resource for parents of children with disabilities.

In the next couple of weeks, I will post some pictures and reflections about the various activities we do to get a sense of what works and what doesn't. Fingers crossed that it all works out beautifully!

-Ms. OJ