Bullying is prevalent in many schools in New Zealand. It's in the media here, here, here and here. But it's also prevalent in adult life here, here and of all places here. In fact it's been so prevalent that ERO have been tasked with specifically reporting on school culture in their reports.
So what do we make of what seems to be a clear culture of bullying that extends across all ages, races, cultures and both men and women? Are we really at the top of the heap as discussed in one article? How do we stop it?
If bullying is about power and control, the strong against the weak, the bad against the good - why are bullies often so popular with their peers? And it's not through fear. Children (and adults) that are at the top of the social tree, well-liked and from what we would say are 'good' homes, do bully other children.
The NYTimes has this to say: web of popularity weaved by bullies. This article matches most of what teachers see in the classroom and at play. Yes, there is bullying of the kind that needs to be stopped in its tracks. But the majority is as in the article: aggression aimed at gaining the bully status in the peer group.
So, if this is the case, we've been approaching the solution the wrong way. And there's an obvious reason why restorative justice works when done well. If most of our bullying is aggression aimed at jockeying for social status, then punishing the bully without involving the victim will never work, because we haven't changed the outcome: the bully has gained status from their actions. By involving the victim, giving them the chance to take ownership of the restitution process and then following through by ensuring that the bully makes restitution, we are ensuring that the bully does not grow in status among their peers.
The study also suggests that another strategy is to involve other students and persuade them to become actively involved by letting the bully know that their behaviour is unacceptable to the group. It's a powerful approach, because of the age group.
At Merrin School we are trialling a restorative approach because research has shown that schools that implement this well become much better places to be for everyone. Feel free to let us know how you think it's going. Syndicate 4 have redesigned the Yellow card to allow the victim more input into the process and we'll be looking for ways to positively involve their peers. Here is the new format.
So what do we make of what seems to be a clear culture of bullying that extends across all ages, races, cultures and both men and women? Are we really at the top of the heap as discussed in one article? How do we stop it?
If bullying is about power and control, the strong against the weak, the bad against the good - why are bullies often so popular with their peers? And it's not through fear. Children (and adults) that are at the top of the social tree, well-liked and from what we would say are 'good' homes, do bully other children.
The NYTimes has this to say: web of popularity weaved by bullies. This article matches most of what teachers see in the classroom and at play. Yes, there is bullying of the kind that needs to be stopped in its tracks. But the majority is as in the article: aggression aimed at gaining the bully status in the peer group.
So, if this is the case, we've been approaching the solution the wrong way. And there's an obvious reason why restorative justice works when done well. If most of our bullying is aggression aimed at jockeying for social status, then punishing the bully without involving the victim will never work, because we haven't changed the outcome: the bully has gained status from their actions. By involving the victim, giving them the chance to take ownership of the restitution process and then following through by ensuring that the bully makes restitution, we are ensuring that the bully does not grow in status among their peers.
The study also suggests that another strategy is to involve other students and persuade them to become actively involved by letting the bully know that their behaviour is unacceptable to the group. It's a powerful approach, because of the age group.
At Merrin School we are trialling a restorative approach because research has shown that schools that implement this well become much better places to be for everyone. Feel free to let us know how you think it's going. Syndicate 4 have redesigned the Yellow card to allow the victim more input into the process and we'll be looking for ways to positively involve their peers. Here is the new format.
