October marks the beginning of the fifth annual National Bullying Prevention Month, sponsored and started by PACER. PACER is an organization devoted to helping children with disabilities, although National Bullying Prevention Month is designed to help all children who have been the victims of bullying. By educating parents, children, educators and others about what bullying is, how to recognize it and how to stop it, PACER hopes to reduce the instances of bullying around the country. Many states have enacted anti-bullying laws to help reduce bullying.
Bullying in Schools – PACER and National Bullying Prevention Month
Bullying in schools is a serious problem for many students, especially students who have disabilities or are gay, bisexual or transgendered. According to [SOURCE], LGBT teens are four times more likely than their peers to commit suicide. Reducing bullying is one way to help lessen the likelihood of teen suicides.
Bullying in schools is most common in middle and high school, and its effects can have a long-lasting impact on self-confidence, grades and emotional well being. Students who are bullied become less likely to graduate high school, and if they remain in school, their academics can suffer. PACER aims to educate individuals around the country about what bullying is and how to stop it.
National Bullying Prevention Month is designed to bring awareness to bullying in the classroom, as well as through media outreach and anti-bullying programs.
How to Recognize Bullying
PACER offers a number of events and ideas for teachers to use to discuss bullying in the classroom, including introductory and in-depth toolkits for teachers to use in teaching about bullying. These kits include information on what bullying is, how students should report it and what students can do if they are the ones being bullied. PACER also offers a music video for students to watch so that they can discuss bullying in a relatable way.
Learning how to recognize bullying is one of the easiest ways to stop it from occurring. Bullying frequently occurs outside the supervision of teachers, which makes it more important for students to learn how to react to bullying and how to report it to a teacher. National Bullying Prevention Month teaches kids and teachers how to stop bullies.
National Bullying Prevention Month – Activities to Stop Bullying
PACER advocates a number of groups and activities that can help reduce bullying and make school a safe and comfortable place for all students. PACER advises that schools start a student group where kids can speak on behalf of their bullied peers, and educate one another on bullying.
The group also advises hosting community events that deal with bullying in schools and other venues to help educate parents and community members on bullying. National Bullying Prevention Month lasts for the entire month of October, and PACER and other groups will host events throughout the month.
Source:
Caruso, Kevin. "Gay and Lesbian Suicide." Suicide.org (accessed September 25, 2010)
Bailey Shoemaker Richards - Bailey is a writer from Ohio. She is pursuing a creative writing degree at Ohio University, where she is currently a senior. Bailey ...
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