Thoughts On Bullying In A Pre-School Classroom
I recently came across an article on SCOOP, a New Zealand based online platform which shares articles and thoughts on a diverse range of news media. The article that I read was titled “Children’s Bullying Behaviour Impacts Teacher And Parent Wellbeing” . While reading this article, I thought about the flipside to it. What are the affects the children face when they become the target of bullying. Well, here are my thoughts.
Bullying in pre-school? Most people would find such an idea to be incredulous. Maybe there would be the occasional biting and scratching but not anything that could amount to bullying. However, contrary to popular belief, bullying does occur in pre-schools. At times it may be an unconscious act but that does not mean it is not bullying. As this matter grows, studies have shown that bullying is directly linked to learning difficulties and even health problems. Psychological bullying can severely damage children mentally as they grow older.
First, let’s cover the basics, what is bullying? Bullying is defined as an act of verbal or physical attacks at someone, often repeatedly or has the potential to be repeated, with lower social status or physical strength that usually results in negative repercussions. It occurs for a range of reason, be it the environment the child grows up in or even the imitation of his favourite cartoon character. Nonetheless, no matter what the reason, bullying is not a matter that should be taken lightly.
Name-calling is a very common form of bullying amongst pre-schoolers and is causing young children to become overly self-conscious. It is usually based on appearance at that age. Where children may make fun of one another based on the colour of their skin or their size. The “ever-so-perfect” characters and stereotypical ideas of beauty portrayed in TV shows aids in feeding these ideas. This makes children more aware of their actions and how they look. Children at the age of maybe three or four are barely able to express themselves and yet they are beginning to form feelings of fear and self-loathing which could only grow as the child gets older. They would not want to be themselves just so that they can fit in with everyone else. Talents and diversity will be lost just so that everyone will be what is considered “socially acceptable”. This is just one of the many possible outcomes.
Another one is exclusion amongst pre-schoolers which can be seen occasionally. Usually it is when one child doesn’t want to play with another which may lead to a domino effect of several children outcasting this one peer. This would make the child feel unliked and result in their self-esteem depleting which may even affect their studies as they begin to think of themselves as useless. It would cause the child to possibly become more closed off and afraid to try new things. Finding the motivation learn new concepts is going to be a challenge and at that young age, absorbing information about the world around them is crucial.
Lastly, when both the first two effects add up, the child is going to form the inability to trust themselves as capable individuals. This means that whenever a window of opportunity arises for them, they close it due to inherent fear that they are unable to step up to the challenge. With this in play, they would not be able to grow as a person. In fact, they will tend to give up in many situations, which in turn aggravates their thoughts of uselessness. For example in class, instead of putting out good work, they may think of themselves as incapable and instead present work that is not be up to par resulting in scoldings and negative comments which would lower their already low self-esteem. And it can grow and snowball into such a big problem that it even affects the future of the child. Thus, it is vital that we do all we can to stop this as soon as possible.
Both parent and teachers play key roles in terminating the act of bullying. However, before focussing on each of their roles, the most vital step is to find the root cause as to why the child is displaying such actions. Immediately condemning the child is never the answer. For example, if the bullying occurs because the child had witnessed such behaviour by an adult then we need to re-evaluate our own actions thus punishing the child would not be fair, would it? Children are very malleable. If they see that adults are able to get their way with children through shouting, shaming and punishing, they are sure to pick it up and use it as well. We need to lead by example.
From the perspective of the teacher, he or she needs to most importantly be aware of the signs of bullying. If these signs are seen amongst students, the teacher has to step in and put a stop to such actions immediately before they get worse. Also, parents of bullies or the victim should be engaged in the happenings of the event. This way, interventions can take place both in the pre-school as well as at home. Educators should be prepared to take advantage of teachable moments too even if it may divert from her actual lesson plan. If she is aware that bullying is taking place, she could stop her lesson and maybe instead introduce the topic of bullying to her students, pointing out the right and wrong ways of dealing with it. She could also make use of dramatic play, storytelling or any method she finds is most effective in connecting with the children to do so. Activities which allow the children to practice social skills when dealing with a bullying situation should be carried out as well.
On the other hand, in the home environment, children tend to feel safer and more at ease. If parents begin to notice negative changes in their child's behaviour or attitude, they should try to speak with the child to find out what has been going on. Working with the school would also be very advantageous as both the teacher and the parent may be able to get a better understanding of the child's situation if he or she is getting bullied or is a bully. However, although it is very understandable that parents would be angry and worried if they find out their child is being bullied, scolding the teacher and losing their cool would do no good. A better option would be to calmly talk things out and come up with ways to eradicate the issue as fast as possible. With this, they would be better able to help all parties involved. Parents should also try to limit their children to the amount of violence they are exposed to, be it through shows, games or even fights between siblings. These are all factors that may encourage a child to bully as he or she feels the need to vent their pent-up feelings. Lastly, if a parent does find that their child is being bullied, remember to remain supportive. Do not allow the child to feel as if they have to deal with the problem alone as that if what leads to more psychological complications in the future.
These are my thoughts on bullying amongst children. What do you think? I have linked the original article I read below if you are interested!
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