In a recent study released by the Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles, more than 43,000 teens between the ages of 15 and 18 attending public and private schools were surveyed about bullying. More than 50 percent of them had been victims of bullying or had bullied other students.
Back to school often means back to bullying. Several new films can be used in guidance and health classes to highlight the dangers of bullying and to provide suggestions that can help the victims.
Bully Bystanders: You Can Make a Difference(Human Relations Media) follows Jason whose rule of survival in high school is mind your own business. On the bus ride to school, in the classroom, in the library, and in the cafeteria, Jason watches as a classmate is verbally harassed, excluded, and the target of cyberbullying. When he hears that she has attempted suicide—or bullycide—he imagines how this could have been prevented if he had stepped in. The dramatization of the same scenarios, replayed, is effective and constructive as Jason's calm but assertive interjections diffuse the situations and cause the tormenters to back off. The importance of bystanders intervening is highlighted in this realistic, must-see program.
The ubiquitous problem of bullying among youth and the methods to combat it are explored in a straightforward manner in Pushed to the Brink: Bullycide on the Rise (Human Relations Media). The mothers of two victims who committed suicide discuss the torment their children endured, and share possible ways to stop bullying. A clinical psychologist discusses different types of bullying (physical, verbal, cyber, and more), and four teens discuss how bullying affected them. This will be a welcome tool to help fight this pervasive problem.
Intermedia's The Wild Wild Web: A Student's Guide to Preventing Cyber Bulling presents three important rules: "Break the chain and stop the pain," "If you wouldn't say it face-to-face, don't say it in cyberspace," and "Tell someone." These rules about cyber bullying are delivered by a nerdy but charming 20-something narrator who sings and dances his way through a middle-school classroom and travels via special effects to various destinations. For example, at a picnic area, he acts out an analogy of a bully being the match, the victim the charcoal, and the bystanders the lighter fluid in most bullying incidents. The informative and entertaining program also interviews adolescents about their cyberbullying experiences and interjects commentary by educators and other experts, including Dr. Phil.
Here's a great tip for educators who are looking for an event to highlight tolerance-get your schooled signed up for Teaching Tolerance's National Mix It Up at Lunch Day, Oct. 18. This will be the 10th year for Mix. This day was developed to break down social barriers among students and help K-12 teachers create an inclusive school environment. Talk to your principal about getting it on the calendar—the program is easy to implement, and Teaching Tolerance provides free Mix It Up lessons and activities—"Mixers"—for teachers to use to organize a successful Mix It Up at Lunch Day.
This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
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