Michelle Krell

How do we combat this problem? Many times we are unaware that bullying is occurring. The solution needs to come with education through the implementation of a school-wide behavior and bullying prevention program.

Our journey at Hartley Elementary School began five years ago with the implementation of WCRB, a school-wide discipline program: Work, Cooperate, Respect, and Belong. The goal was to create a safe, respectful, and responsible school environment conducive to learning for all. WCRB was designed and implemented around teaching students about responsible behaviors. 

• “Above the Line” behaviors are acceptable and expected behaviors at school. 
• “Below the Line” behaviors are unacceptable behaviors and may result in communication home and working with students on fixing the problem.

We focused on logical consequences and fix-its that followed the 3Rs: Related to the behavior, delivered Respectfully, and Reasonable. The staff also learned to use Love and Logic techniques when working with students. “Get sad, not mad,” was our motto. This was extremely effective. All staff members were trained and use a common language and agreed upon procedure for dealing with below the line behaviors. 

The following year we implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. This program taught our students several skills. The first thing it did was to define bullying: a person is being bullied when he/she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more persons. Our students learned quickly that they did not want to be known as a bully. The teachers read books on bullying and engaged in meaningful discussions on the effects of bullying and how they could stop bully behaviors.

We taught our students that when they are being bullied they should “Talk, Walk, Squawk.” 

• Talk:  Tell the bully, “I don’t like what you are doing, and I want you to stop.”
• Walk:  Walk away from the bully.
• Squawk:  If the bullying continues, “squawk”: tell an adult.

This strategy has been extremely effective not only in helping students become assertive, but also in knowing when to ask for help.

Anti-bullying programs must be comprehensive and school-wide, not just a curriculum. Key elements include: surveying the problem with students, parents and staff; providing training to all staff; identifying target behaviors throughout the school year you want to see changed; and implementing an anti-bullying message throughout the school. Our students read an anti-bullying pledge with four promises (below) each Monday to remind them to be respectful to their peers and to stop bullying behavior. 

• Promise 1: We will not bully other students.
• Promise 2: We will help students who are bullied.
• Promise 3: We will make it a point to include ALL children who are left out.
• Promise 4: When we know someone is being bullied, we will tell a teacher or an adult at home.

We have seen a dramatic decline in bullying behavior at Hartley Elementary School. We have less than four percent of our students reporting that they are bullied at school: in class, hallways, bathroom, and lunchroom. Systematic bullying prevention/behavior programs can have a significant effect on providing a safe, respectful school climate where students learn responsible behaviors and become positive citizens.