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Let’s Work It Out: Helping Young Children Address Teasing and Bullying

by Merle Froschl and Barbara Sprung
January/February 2008
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/lets-work-it-out-helping-young-children-address-teasing-and-bullying/5017912/

Stop before it starts

As a preschool teacher, you have a wonderful opportunity to help children develop positive first experiences in forming and joining social groups. By creating a climate of mutual respect, you can help children develop empathy and treat others fairly and kindly. You can help them to not tease and bully each other, to be able to stand up for themselves, and to stand up for friends.

School is not a friendly, welcoming place for a child who is teased and bullied. A child who is worried about what’s going to happen to her or him at school will have trouble concentrating, begin to dislike school, and may want to avoid going altogether. Children who are teased and bullied often develop physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomachaches. Emotionally, they can become sad, withdrawn, anxious, and depressed. In a classroom, teasing and bullying create a climate that makes it hard to teach and even harder to learn.

However, by establishing a classroom environment that fosters respect, kindness, and cooperation, and by engaging in a proactive curriculum to prevent teasing and bullying, you can make school a friendly, welcoming place for all children. You have a chance to address ...

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