Dr. Gerard Jellig was appointed the principal of a charter school and with that appointment came the responsibility to prevent bullying immediately. The charter school Dr Gerard Jellig inherited had the dubious distinction of appearing near the top of schools with reported bullying incidents in the greater Washington, D.C. area. In order to get these numbers down and help the children in need, Dr. Gerard Jellig knew that it would take a group effort. Jerry Jellig instantly knew that the way to lower the impact of bullying was to spread awareness and empower the masses by encouraging everyone to standup to bullying.
Bullying in a school can have somewhat of a snowball effect. As a defense mechanism or due to insecurity issues, students lash out in several ways; bullying being one of the most prominent. The first step Jerry Jellig took to combat bullying was raising the awareness of the issue with students and teachers. Children need positive role models in their lives. A trusted adult can either prevent a student from bullying through education or become a trusted confidant that a child feels comfortable sharing their stories with. Education is key in the fight against bullying.
Teachers were tasked with being more present in prominent areas where bullying occurs. This meant that teachers had to take a more active approach to monitoring the school yard, lunchrooms, gym classes and even the classroom. Parents can take a more active approach in their child’s lives as well to lower their desire to bully and lower the impact that bullies can have on their self-confidence.
Jerry Jellig established peer-to-peer reviews and groups where students were encouraged to share their difficulties and report incidents as they happen. The more of a community type atmosphere that can be established, the more the bully is put in a position where they are isolated and forced to look at the severity of their actions.
Parents looking to help their child deal with bullying need to share the proper message. It’s not enough to say that a bully isn’t worth a person’s time. Bullying can impact grades, self-confidence and more. Parents should give advice and provide a place where a child can always feel comfortable sharing their struggles. Parents can do a lot to help children who are bullied by building up their self-confidence. Nothing disarms a bully more than seeing that their tactics don’t seem to have an effect. A bully will have a tough time facing a person who exudes confidence.