1. Get to know your pupils.
Organise events for the children and spend time with them between classes. Extra-curricular activities make it possible to get to know each other better. Positive and trusting relationships between pupils and teachers also make establishing rules easier. The creation of such relationships takes time and you must really want it.
2. Establish contact with parents.
Cooperation between school and home must start from the moment a child starts going to school. Tell the parents how the school expects pupils to behave and find out what the parents expect of the school. It is important for the parents to feel that their opinion matters and to understand the shared responsibility of the school and home in supporting the child. This will only be possible if parents are treated with respect and cooperation with them is consistent. Cooperation with parents is more successful if based on common values and goals. Encourage parents to contact you if necessary. Just the knowledge that the school is an open and cooperative partner helps reduce many concerns and fears that parents have.
3. Find each pupil’s strengths and make other pupils aware of them.
Noticing and acknowledging strengths allows children to cope better with their weaknesses. This knowledge also adds self-assurance, which is the basis of feeling good. A pupil who feels good in their class achieves better results in their studies.
4. Pay attention to positive behaviour.
Positive behaviour is often considered self-evident and only negative behaviour causes a reaction. When pupils see that positive behaviour also gets the attention of teachers, it reduces their need to follow a negative pattern of behaviour.
5. Encourage communication between pupils.
Change desk mates regularly and form different working groups. This teaches children to also work with those with whom they do not get along. It is important to let children know that they do not have to be friends with everyone, but they must be able to work with everyone. Such cooperation skills are extremely important for the development of tolerance in pupils.
6. Create opportunities for the inclusion of all pupils in class events.
Every pupil wants to feel that they belong and are needed in their class. It is important to remember that the teacher’s attitude largely determines the attitude of children.
7. Think through how you will maintain order in class.
Order in class makes pupils feel secure and it also creates a secure environment. This helps prevent many problems, including bullying. Tell the pupils how you expect them to behave and set rules for the class. Involve pupils in the development of rules and discuss with them how they could contribute to the creation of a positive atmosphere and what kind of class they would like to be part of. Also talk to them about the consequences of failing to stick to the rules. Be consistent in the implementation of the rules. It is easier for children to follow rules when they are aware of what they are and what happens if they do not follow them.
8. Teach pupils how to solve problems.
Problems and conflict are a natural part of people’s daily lives and do not always mean something negative. Unfortunately, unskilled resolution of conflict may lead to more serious problems, including bullying. Pupils often lack the skills required to solve problems. It is therefore natural that teachers have to teach them how to do this.
9. Find out what bullying is about.
It is extremely important that you as a teacher know that every conflict and argument is not bullying. In order to be able to intervene when necessary, you must be able understand the problem and decide whether it represents bullying or another problem. It is important for you as a teacher to understand your responsibility in guaranteeing the safety and well-being of your pupils.
10. Explain to your pupils what bullying is and what they should do when bullying occurs.
Children’s understanding of bullying is often very limited. For example, they may not know that ignoring other pupils may also be bullying, or that everyone has the right to feel safe at school and this right comes with the obligation to behave in a manner that allows everyone to feel safe. Explain to pupils that everyone has the right and obligation to speak about bullying, as this way they stand up for their own rights and the rights of others. Speaking about bullying is not snitching. Everyone has the right and obligation to speak about bullying even if they see that someone else is being bullied. Explain that as onlookers, they have a better chance of ending the bullying – it is not a problem that arises from the bully alone, as the passivity of onlookers contributes to it.
1. Be attentive and keep an eye on the behaviour of pupils.
Intervene immediately if it seems to you that someone is being bullied. For example, when two pupils are pushing and shoving each other between classes and you’re not sure whether it is joking or bullying, go over to them and ask them what they are doing. Sometimes a friendly question like “Anything interesting going on here?” is all it takes. Observing the reactions of the parties can tell you how serious it is.
- If it is a physically violent game between two pupils, you may just tell them that both of them have the right to stop playing whenever they stop enjoying it or if someone gets hurt. Keep an eye on their further activities and intervene immediately if things get out of hand.
- If you spot potential bullying, tell the pupils immediately that the school finds bullying unacceptable. Tell them that you will inform the homeroom teacher about the situation and the matter will be dealt with as soon as possible. It is important that you react immediately, not walk past without doing anything.
2. Steer the pupils toward other activities.
If you notice pupils playing too aggressively, steer them towards another similar activity where the threat of someone getting hurt is smaller. For example, if children are throwing pinecones at each other outside, intervene in a playful manner by drawing a target on a tree and suggesting that the children try to hit the target instead. This approach of course demands more effort in the case of older pupils.
3. Intervene physically if necessary.
If it is obvious that a scuffle between students is hurting one of the parties, it is necessary to physically separate the fighting pupils. If you feel that you cannot do this, you must call for help. School staff are obliged to intervene and guarantee the safety of children.
4. React to every student who turns to you with concerns about bullying.
Although you may see it as something insignificant or think that the pupil should be able to cope on their own, this may not really be the case. Pupils often suffer in silence for many years, as they are too scared to do anything or nobody takes any notice of their concerns. Also, every child is different and an insult that most take as a joke may cause a lot of suffering to others.
5. Take an interest in a pupil who is often excluded by the others in class and steer the others towards including this pupil.
1. Keep calm, even if this is very difficult.
You as a teacher are a professional and your conduct should set an example to pupils. Acting on emotions may lead you to make decisions that you later regret.
2. Evaluate your skills and how you feel.
Are you able to resolve the situation yourself or do you need help? If necessary, find someone you can contact if you need help (e.g. school psychologist). There is no shame in admitting that you are scared or do not know how to approach this issue. However, ignoring the situation or abandoning pupils to their concerns is unacceptable.
3. Talk to pupils who are being bullied.
It is important for bullied pupils to feel that they have been noticed and that they are not alone with their concerns. They must also know that they are standing up for themselves when they talk about bullying and that this is the first important step in stopping the bullying. Encourage them to talk about what happened. Do not offer them quick solutions, but let them talk and listen. This may be the first time they are telling anyone about it. Offering quick solutions may make the bullied child feel that they are in fact not understood. Be supportive and ask calmly when the pupil was bullied, what exactly happened and who was involved. Ask the bullied pupil which of the other pupils they get along with and who supports them. Tell them that their concern is being dealt with and that they can always come to you if they need help.
4. Talk to the bully.
Although you may have mixed feelings about a bully, it is important for you as a teacher to treat them with dignity. When you speak calmly and firmly, it is more likely that your words will get through to the bully. It is important to make the bully understand that their behaviour is unacceptable and must end. Although the bully may start offering excuses or justifications for their behaviour, it is important to tell them that nothing justifies bullying and that it must stop. You may ask the bully how they would resolve the situation. If the conversation is successful and the bully really understands that their behaviour is wrong, they will be able to suggest solutions. It is important that the bully gets a chance to change their behaviour. You should therefore not rush to invite the bully’s parents to come to school, as it may make everything worse. The bully must be told that their behaviour will be closely monitored by the teacher for a certain time even after the matter in hand is resolved. If the pupil continues behaving like a bully, the steps that follow should be stricter (e.g. inviting their parents to the school or involving additional support specialists).
5. Joint conversation.
If the bullied pupil agrees to it and you believe that you can lead a conversation like this, you can ask both the bullied pupil and the bully to have a joint discussion of the matter. It is important that the conversation focuses on further behaviour and agreements instead of dwelling on past events.
6. Monitor the situation.
Even after successful conversations with a bullied pupil and the bully, it is important to monitor the behaviour of both parties for some time. It is important for the bullied pupil to feel that they are protected and not alone, and for the bully to know that they cannot carry on with their previous behaviour.
7. Find and involve support students.
Find the friends of the bullied pupil and involve them in supporting the pupil. If the bullied pupil has no friends, you can involve pupils that are older. In order to avoid putting single pupils in the spotlight, find a ‘friend’ class for your class and agree who is going to be whose support pupil. You may organise joint events or lessons with the homeroom teacher of the ‘friend’ class (e.g. older pupils teach classes to younger ones or younger ones perform for the older ones). This helps children get to know each other better and gives them the courage to talk to each other if necessary.
8. Inform parents about the bullying, but keep them from intervening.
Inform parents that bullying is properly dealt with at school. Explain to them what they can do to support their children. Let parents know that their calm conduct in any situation sets an example to children and improves their capacity to feel safe at school. Inform them that the school will involve parents when necessary. Keep parents informed of things.
9. If you see that a matter has not been resolved in cooperation with parents, it may be necessary to involve a child protection worker.
A child protection worker has the right and possibility to collect more information about the family and to act accordingly.
10. Contact the police if the case of bullying is very serious and the action taken by the school has not resolved the matter.
Every school has its own rules that must be followed. It is important that the bullied pupil gets help and that the bully understands how unacceptable their behaviour is. Pursuant to the Penal Code, a child is capable of guilt, i.e. they can be punished on the basis of the Penal Code, from the age of 14. Juvenile Sanctions Act applies to offences committed by children under the age of 14 (the sanctions being imposed by the Juvenile Committee).
