Bullying Prevention

As middle school counselors, we notice that certain problems or issues tend to reoccur more frequently than others. Because of this, we have developed a series of tips that we offer both to students and parents that we hope will help you resolve some of these problems together. Middle School students typically want to do things on their own, but they also need guidance from the adults in their lives. Here are some suggested strategies for a few common middle school issues.

Bullying

Your child may be able to get this to stop by trying some of these techniques:

1. Ignore the person or walk away—this is a good strategy to try first; sometimes the bully will stop if you do not react to their comments.

2. Be assertive—look the bully in the face and tell him/her to stop.

3. Stay with friends—it is harder for a bully to target you when you are with a group.

4. Tell a nearby adult—let your teachers know what is happening so they can watch for it and address it.

5. If you have told the bully to stop his/her behavior and it is still continuing, tell a principal or school counselor. They will help you with additional options.

Always feel free to ask your child’s teachers, principals or school counselors for additional suggestions!