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Dear Educator,
As a former elementary school principal, I know firsthand that bullying is not a new problem. For years, I watched students struggle with teasing, exclusion, intimidation, and the hurt that can follow a child long after the incident is over. I also remember how difficult it could be for school leaders and teachers to know exactly what to do—especially when bullying happened quietly, away from adult eyes, or looked like “just kids being kids.” We wanted every child to feel safe, welcomed, and excited to come to school, yet we knew that for some students, school could be a place they dreaded.
That is why I wanted to share this article with you this month. It begins with a poem written by a student named Natalie, who experienced bullying herself and describes how peer mentors helped change her experience at school. Her story is a powerful reminder that while bullying has been part of the school landscape for generations, how we respond to it matters.
The article explores what bullying really looks like, how it differs from ordinary conflict, the impact it can have on both the student being bullied and the student doing the bullying, and what research tells us about addressing the problem. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it—and perhaps let it spark a conversation with your staff about what we can do differently, and better, to help every child feel that school is a safe place to belong.
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