Teachers, psychologists, and administrative bodies of schools are puzzling over the issue of bullying. They are trying to find ways to reduce the aggressive behavior of students and find appropriate organizational, psychological, and pedagogical measures to resolve disputes and conflict situations effectively. This task is not easy because the school is a mirror image of society, and society is literally saturated with violence.
One of the most challenging problems for the teaching staff of educational institutions is the problem of educating children to love peace, humane attitude to people, the desire to regulate conflict situations, or the ability to avoid them. It is worth noting that any child can become a victim of bullying, but usually someone who is weaker or somehow different from others is chosen for this purpose. The most frequent victims of school violence are children with physical disabilities. That is, those who cannot fight back and protect themselves are offended much more often.
Various ways to address the problem of violence in the school environment are currently being developed. It goes without saying that the best approach is prevention, which should begin with early adolescence. Because of their inexperience, adolescents are particularly susceptible to traditionally accepted stereotypes and hold the view that they should dominate and maintain their power through force and cruelty.
One of the most important measures to prevent violence in the educational environment is to develop students’ skills to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. To do this, the curriculum of an educational organization must contain educational programs that teach children skills such as managing their behavior, respect for peers and adults, constructive conflict resolution, recognizing manipulation and resistance to negative influence, and independent decision-making.
The training of students in countering violence can be entrusted to specially trained teachers or psychologists who have practical communication skills and are ready to discuss with students various topics, including “sensitive” ones related to interpersonal, gender, and sexual relations. These specialists should be provided with appropriate methodological, educational, and informational materials.