Anti-Bullying Campaign

My school has a big bullying problem. Middle schoolers are already in a weird middle-ground, where they are battling new feelings, hormones, and independence, but now they are dealing with another beast--bullies. On Friday there was a theatrical performance by the Taproot Theater, who put on a play about how bullying affects others. After the performance there was a conversation between the audience and the actors. We had two performances; one for 7th graders, and one for 8th graders. I took my 7th grade science class, and when we made it back to the classroom I asked if they enjoyed it and learned something. Most of them said they had a good time, and learned something. However, when I asked my 8th grade math class, they laughed saying, "it was stupid."

The 8th grade class is responsible for most of the bullying at my school. It is really sad to see how they treat each other--putting up a facade in front of their peers, then spreading rumors. Students even meet up at the local park off-campus to fight. There was a recent video posted online about the fight, and several of my students were suspended. So not only is the bullying hurting feelings, but it is affecting kid's education because any bystanders are also suspended if caught partaking in the fight.

My Reaction: Mostly, I am shocked because I never dealt with any of this when I was in school (I went to school in the same district in which I teach). It has only been 7 years since I was in high school---not that long ago! How have things changed so quickly? I was never involved in off-campus fights (as a bystander or fighter) and so maybe I didn't even know it was happening then...Who knows!? But what I do know is that middle school kids, especially girls, say extremely mean things about each other all the time, and think that is the norm.

How can I teach my kids that it is not normal? When I hear negative things said in my classroom, I tell students that those comments are disrespectful and uncalled for. They are asked to stop, but I know that is not enough. I need to show them a different way. Empathy is such a hard concept to teach. If you have found a successful method to teach kids about bullying, please share! I would love to hear about your experiences with and battles against bullying.