What would happen if we stamped out bullying for good?
'Yesterday's News' is a free anti-bullying resource, inspired by this question. We decided to look at this from the point of view of the bully - suddenly made redundant and looking for new employment...
What 'skills' would they have to offer? What are bullies really like? What sorts of newspaper small ads might they place to find new work?
As well as the above small ads posters, we've come up with four worksheets, a simple Powerpoint presentation ('What If?') and this blog post: Schools axe bullying jobs.
Hopefully they'll all serve to get your class thinking about the characteristics of bully, victim and, importantly, onlooker.
To make this a humorous resource was a big decision on our part. Was it making light of what is a very serious subject? We also grappled with the thought that the slogan 'Bullying's yesterday's news around here' may seem like a naive statement. In the end we decided to trust our instinct and trust the sparky teachers who download it. Think of 'Yesterday's News' as an assertiveness tool for your class. It's not about mocking bullies, but strengthening your pupils' awareness and self-confidence.
We realise that the world will always have bullies, but it's important every now and then to teach our children the resolve to be able to stand up and say confidently, "We don't do that round here."
If you appreciate the time that has gone into providing this resource for free, please consider making a small donation...
