Week against bullying: trust in the teacher.

Week against bullying: trust in the teacher.

This year the anti-bullying week focuses on trust in the teacher. Parents recognize the importance of the role the teacher plays in bullying. We call on teachers and schools to involve parents more in tackling bullying at school.

Anti-Bullying Week 2018

This year the anti-bullying week is organized around the theme Let Yourself Be Seen! And this means the teacher. Students must know they can trust teachers so they dare to ask for help with bullying. By showing students that the teacher cares, their trust grows. This lowers the barrier to approach the teacher when something is wrong. And that is needed: the teacher plays a big role in tackling bullying.

Ouders & Onderwijs And Bullying

The information point of Ouders & Onderwijs receives many questions about bullying. Last year we paid a lot of attention to the topic. There was a webinar where parents could join, we collected signals that came through our information point and held a survey about bullying among the members of the Landelijk Ouderpanel.

Parents Recognize The Teacher’s Role

The theme of the anti-bullying week fits the signals we receive from parents. Polls showed that most parents see an important role for the teacher in tackling bullying in the classroom. Parents also clearly say the school takes bullying seriously and that they think their child is in a safe environment at school. Parents don’t hear everything, and teachers do not see everything. So it is important for parents that every report of bullying is taken seriously. If the school shows and lives this sincerely, parents trust their child is in a safe place at school.

Parents Want To Be Involved

Almost every child has faced bullying at some point. Four out of five parents in the survey said they had experienced a bullying situation. The webinar, the survey, and the collected signals again show that parents want to be more involved in tackling bullying at school. When parents face a bullying situation, they first go to the teacher or mentor. Then to the school management. But the division of responsibility remains difficult. Parents want the school to act quickly when something happens and see it as their own task to spot early signs and share them with the school. Together with the school, children, and other parents, they want to solve the bullying. The condition is that parents feel safe enough to be open and honest about the situation. The school, especially the teacher, can lay this foundation.

Stories, Information And Advice

Do you want to know how other parents manage a bullying situation? And with what results? Zapp talked with bullied children and their parents and made some reports.

Do you have a question about bullying? Or want to share your story? Then you can contact our information point. Do you also want to share your opinion about other school and education matters? Then sign up for the Landelijk Ouderpanel and make sure your voice is heard.