October is officially recognized nationwide as Bullying Prevention Month, a time when schools, families, and communities unite under a common goal, ensuring that every single student feels safe, valued, and connected when they walk through the doors of every school in Canyons School District.
Statistically, school-bullying rates have steadily declined since the mid-2000s, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Some student groups, however, are more vulnerable to identity-based and biased-based bullying. Also, online bullying in the digital space presents new challenges since it’s no longer bound by physical space or time and can have broad reach.
“At Mount Jordan [Middle], we’re trying to be really intentional,” says school counselor, Jaycee Wickham. “We have a Caught Being Kind, kids or staff can nominate anyone to have random acts of kindness done towards them, or that they witnessed or experienced. But being really intentional about being kind towards others and recognizing it because a small act of kindness can also change a day for a kid.”
The middle school years can be a pivotal time for teaching students to identify and respond to bullying and be upstanders for their peers.
“Middle school is difficult,” Eric Garder, Principal of Albion Middle School said in a recent episode of Connect Canyons. “It is difficult to transition, and it’s that time in life that you’re making new friends, losing old friends, navigating some social things. And so we just try to make it as a positive environment as possible for the kids every day.”
Definitions are important. There’s a difference between bullying and being mean or rude, Gardner notes.
“When someone does something unintentionally and it offends you or hurts your feelings, it’s rude or mean,” Gardner says. “And then the one that we try to teach kids is when someone’s saying and doing something intentionally repeatedly after you’ve asked them to stop multiple times, that’s when we get into bullying.”
Wickham encourages students and parents alike to reach out to teachers, administrators, or counselors if they’ve seen something or have concerns, or using the SafeUT app.
“We’ve noticed attendance could be a sign,” says Wickham, “if they’re not wanting to go to school or they’re having stomach aches or trying to find any excuse to not go to school. Anxiety just increases stomach aches, headaches, or, withdrawing a little bit too.”
They also encourage parents to keep open conversations with their students, noting it can be hard to get more than one word answers out of teenagers. Wickham recommends ‘high, low, buffalo,’ where each day parents ask their children to tell them about a high and a low point of their day, along with something random.
“You know, we put so much stock into when something bad happens,” Gardner says, “but if you were to calculate it, there are 100 good things that happen every day in the school to one bad thing. And if you focus on the good, and make that mindset shift, there really are so many good kids doing so many great things every day.”
Episode Chapters
2:05 – Setting The Tone At School
Our guests talk about the efforts faculty and staff make every day to encourage kindness and respect in school.
11:16 – Steps to Take Action In School
Principal Gardner shares the process schools take when bullying has been reported, from gathering information, to actions taken by administrators, and help for students.
15:24 – Signs Your Child Might Be Struggling
From making excuses to miss school, to not engaging, our school counselor explains signs to watch for that a student may be experiencing bullying
17:46 – Parent Takeaways And Staying Egaged
We learn how keeping an open line of communication between parents and their children, as well as students and their teachers, helps to provide a safe space for reporting bullying.
