Ask yourself today, “What am I doing to help support anti-bullying within my school?” In preparation for next month’s National Bullying Prevention Month, this week's blog uses the Martial Arts Against Bullying Organization (MAAB) resources to help address a nation-wide problem: Bullies.
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The definition of bullying is when someone tries to deliberately hurt other people with words or actions. Bullying is 97% psychological and only 3% physical. People who bully try to take other people’s power from them. Then they use this imbalance of power to try to harm others.
There are a lot of reasons why people feel the need to bully others.
The primary reasons are:
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They are trying to fit in and feel that bullying is the way to do it.
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They are trying to feel like more, by making others feel like less.
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They are being bullied as well.
It is important to remind our students that those who bully others aren’t necessarily bad people. They have their own feelings and are probably hurting inside. They probably aren’t as happy or confident as they appear to be on the outside, otherwise they wouldn’t find it necessary to bully others. Instead of hating them, or trying to get back at them, try to teach students to have compassion for them. This is really hard, but it is an important step in helping to solve the problem.
Here are some things you can prepare for October, starting today.
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Prepare a mat talk with your students on what it means to be a bully.
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Ask them why they think a person would be a bully.
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Reflect on past times where their actions may have hurt someone else.
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Schedule an Anti-bullying program for October and have students invite their friends and family
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Talk to nearby schools about how you can help support the cause through school talks
We have an excellent program through our nonprofit Martial Arts Against Bullying, please visit the website and join the cause. Start now and prepare your school ahead of time to support your community during the National Bullying Prevention Month!
