Bullying is in vogue. The news is filled with stories of kids who face bullying every day in school, and the stories of those who are pushed over the edge. School walls are now adorned with "Anti-Bullying" campaign posters, and public speakers attend schools to speak to children and teens on the issue. Celebrities have also spoken out against bullying. So why is it that 83% of girls and 79% of boys reported being bullied either in school or online in 2014? Why is it that EVERY DAY 160,000 students stay home from school due to bullying? If we are bombarding kids with the Anti-Bully message, why is it still a problem of epidemic proportions?
Here is why.
1. Kids are tired of being ushered into the auditorium for another Anti-Bullying speech. They have heard it over and over a million times.
2. Many traditional anti bullying programs focus on the negative, causing anxiety in children.
3. No one likes to be told what they are doing wrong. Kids included.
So what can we do so solve this problem that plagues our schools and social media sites? One word. One word can make all the difference. One word can be the anecdote to bullying.
Here is why.
1. Kids are tired of being ushered into the auditorium for another Anti-Bullying speech. They have heard it over and over a million times.
2. Many traditional anti bullying programs focus on the negative, causing anxiety in children.
3. No one likes to be told what they are doing wrong. Kids included.
So what can we do so solve this problem that plagues our schools and social media sites? One word. One word can make all the difference. One word can be the anecdote to bullying.
Yes, people it is just that simple! Kindness is the cure. It is an age old concept, and yet it is somehow overlooked. Kids are tired of hearing the same speech, so let's approach it from a new angle. Instead of telling them that they are all wrong and bad people for bullying each other, let's teach them how to get beyond the B-word by adopting a new mindset focused on Kindness and Compassion. Let's teach KINDNESS!
There is even scientific evidence supporting this anecdote! Altruism and kindness have many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. The good feelings experienced when being kind are produced by endorphins which activate areas of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust. Being kind has also been found to release Seratonin, which affects learning, memory, mood, sleep, health, and digestion. Many traditional anti-bullying programs focus on negative actions that cause anxiety in children. When kindness and compassion are taught instead, it fosters positive behaviors and the natural side effect is that bullying decreases.
Not only that but here are a number of reported benefits to teaching kindness in schools.
1.Happy caring children
2. Increased Peer Acceptance
3. Greater Sense of Belonging and Improved Self Esteem
4. Reduced Depression
5. LESS BULLYING!
Blaming and shaming is not the answer to bullying. It is not the answer to anything. Kids and teens need an alternative, and encouraging kindness is just that. We must address the negative climate in our schools, and change it.
There is even scientific evidence supporting this anecdote! Altruism and kindness have many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. The good feelings experienced when being kind are produced by endorphins which activate areas of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust. Being kind has also been found to release Seratonin, which affects learning, memory, mood, sleep, health, and digestion. Many traditional anti-bullying programs focus on negative actions that cause anxiety in children. When kindness and compassion are taught instead, it fosters positive behaviors and the natural side effect is that bullying decreases.
Not only that but here are a number of reported benefits to teaching kindness in schools.
1.Happy caring children
2. Increased Peer Acceptance
3. Greater Sense of Belonging and Improved Self Esteem
4. Reduced Depression
5. LESS BULLYING!
Blaming and shaming is not the answer to bullying. It is not the answer to anything. Kids and teens need an alternative, and encouraging kindness is just that. We must address the negative climate in our schools, and change it.
which means changing the norms, values and expectations in a school so that students feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe.
I believe in this concept so whole heartedly that I have decided to make it my new platform! In retrospect I can see that this was the direction I was heading all along, but it just took me a while to get here.
More to come very very soon so consider this a Pre-Qual if you will! A little trailer as to what is to come. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What ways can we change the climate in our schools, homes and communities to perpetuate the message and benefits of kindness? How can we all teach kindness?
Delanie
More to come very very soon so consider this a Pre-Qual if you will! A little trailer as to what is to come. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What ways can we change the climate in our schools, homes and communities to perpetuate the message and benefits of kindness? How can we all teach kindness?
Delanie