Did you know that over 25% of students report being the victim of frequent bullying?

No matter how much we try to protect children, bullies manage to seep through the cracks. It's not a new problem, but with the rise of social media and cyberbullying, it's becoming a higher priority.
As a teacher, there are a few things you can do to help protect those students who are being bullied. It's also important to remember that the bullies have issues too. And you can't ignore these issues.

In this article, we'll give you our top 5 tips on how to deal with bullies.

Become the Bully (Figuratively)

Of course, we aren't advocating that you start bullying your students. But we do advocate that you put yourself in the place of the bully to understand how they work.

As much as we like to see them as the "bad guys", bullies are kids too. And they often have plenty of their own baggage to deal with. This could be in the form of physical or emotional abuse at home.

Kids often bully others because they have been bullied themselves and they want to take revenge on other, weaker students. They may also do it to exert power over others. This type of behavior is often passed on to them by those around them, like their social group or family members.

They may see bullying as the only way they can make friends. By creating a "mob" mentality, they can improve their own position within a social group.

Bullies often have either really high or really low self-esteem. Those with low self-esteem may try to make others feel as low as they feel. And those with high self-esteem may suffer from a superiority complex.

It's important, as a teacher, that you can relate to someone who feels the need to bully others. Take the time to talk with them, listen, and show them that you understand their feelings. Oftentimes, if you can simply listen to their story, it might stop the bullying behavior.

And remember, boys and girls often bully differently. Boys are likely to be more physical. While girls tend to bully through emotional methods.

Use Your Eyes and Ears

As an authority figure, it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for signs of bullying. Bullies often make jokes and laugh at other people's expense. They may use sarcasm or openly dismiss others when they speak.

You may notice physical behaviors like turning backs on others when they're talking or rolling their eyes. Any sort of physical abuse like pinching, slapping, and pushing are surefire signs of bullying and should result in immediate discipline. When you see these things happen, make a special effort to pay closer attention to the kids expressing this behavior and keep them on your radar in the future.

Many times, victims of bullying are afraid to report it. Make sure that your students know that it's safe to come to you if they need someone to talk to about bullying.

Also, you can't be everywhere all the time. Ask other students to report bullying to you if they see it. And make sure they know that they won't be ridiculed for tattling if they do this.

Open Your Mouth

Talk to your students often about bullying. And don't stop in the classroom. Discuss the broader bullying message with school administrators.

Bringing a school-wide awareness of the bullying problem will also help get parents involved. The more you talk about it, the more information kids will have to spot bullying when it's happening to others. And the more likely they'll be to come forward when they do see it happen.

One way of bringing greater awareness to bullying is to start a Handband "Say No to Bullying" wristband campaign. These bright orange bands are a great way to get kids involved. And you can customize the bands with artwork, the name of your school, or even an event name.

Be a Self-Esteem Builder

Get to know each student as much as you can. Then remind them of their strengths regularly. Many bullies suffer from low self-esteem and this is a great way to stop the bullying at the source.

Encourage kids to focus on positive activities like sports, art, and other hobbies. The more time they spend being creative and expanding their minds, the less time they'll spend bullying. And succeeding in these activities goes a long way toward building self-esteem.

Another way to build self-esteem is to get kids out of their normal social groups and participating with other kids. Bullying tends to breed inside tight-knit cliques. And allowing kids to choose their own groups during group projects can strengthen already existing cliques.

Rotate kids around when they're doing group projects. Do activities that are made specifically to get them talking to one another. And encourage them when you see them moving outside of their normal social groups.

Build Up Parent Awareness

As a teacher, you're only around kids part of the time. Parents play a big role in encouraging kids and keeping bullying behavior at bay.

Get parents involved in the anti-bullying campaigns at your school. Again, a wristband campaign is a great way to get parents involved. They can wear the bands too to show their kids that they support them.

Use school resources like social media accounts, newsletters, and parent messageboards to keep parents up-to-date with the anti-bullying activities at the school. Encourage them to come forward if they have any knowledge of bullying.

And when parents do come forward, investigate the incident right away. You want parents to know that you'll take action when they speak up. Then they're more likely to come forward again if they see something else in the future.

Learn How to Deal With Bullies the Right Way

Learning how to deal with bullies is one of the hallmark traits any teacher needs to cultivate. And hopefully, these tips will help you keep bullying at bay in your school.

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