Page 8 - Professsional Advisory: Responding to the Bullying of Students

Professional responsibilities
Members embrace a professional ethical responsibility to educate students in safe, caring, accepting, inclusive and equitable environments that honour students’ well-being and dignity.
Ontario Certified Teachers have a profes- sional responsibility to safeguard and educate students who have been placed under their care using every precaution reasonable in the circumstances. School administrators and teachers are responsible for creating safe and healthy instructional settings, integrating hazard identification, assessing risks, and controlling the situation in all aspects of the learning environment.
It is your duty to understand and follow your employer’s policies, procedures, protocols, and expectations.
Advice to members:
Lead by example, promote good digital citizenship, and model positive, inclusive and respectful behaviour to all. Learn to recognize the characteristics of bullying and cyber- bullying and act accordingly.
Intervene early:
Research shows that bullying stops in fewer than 10 seconds – 57 per cent of the time –
when someone intervenes.15 Adult supervision and increased presence can prevent bullying. Intervene early and often so that students under- stand social responsibility and the importance of standing up for themselves and others.
Encourage students:
Seek to provide assistance and support to students who are bullied. Look for opportun- ities to improve their self-esteem, develop confidence, change perceptions, counteract the effects of bullying, and reduce the likelihood of further incidents.
Promote disclosure:
By encouraging students to disclose acts
of bullying, you become more aware of the behaviour and create opportunities to interrupt the bullying dynamic and correct behaviour. Talk about bullying openly. Be ready to listen, willing to act, and follow up accordingly.
Provide guidance:
Students who bully also need support and guidance. Help them to develop prob- lem-solving and leadership skills in positive ways that do not involve aggression. Provide support and encouragement to help them understand that you have confidence in their ability to change their behaviour.
Review protocols:
Seek resources to further your learning. Ministry memoranda, for example, outline the progressive discipline protocol that involves interventions, supports, and consequences that promote positive behaviours.
15 “Bullying Infographic”, PrevNet, undated
6 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: RESPONDING TO THE BULLYING OF STUDENTS