Category Archives: School Bullying

5 Top Tips to Deal with Verbal Bullying

Part of the Gym Mural of McHugh Public School

We had a great time at McHugh Public School in Brampton a couple of days ago. The students did some excellent acting and we received positive comments from staff.
As part of our program, we talked about the
5 Top Tips to Deal with Verbal Bullying
1. Ignore
2. Tell an Adult
3. Walk Away
4. Speak Up
5. Get Your Friends to Help You

Here are a couple of comments we received after our presentations at McHugh School:
“The assemblies were great! They really tied in with our Peel character values. Very interactive and engaging with scenarios that help kids understand both sides of the issues from bully to victim.”
Saba Khan, Vice-Principal, McHugh Public School, Brampton

“The assembly was phenomenal! Bullying is such an important ongoing issue in schools and even the workplace. You covered all the important elements about bullying.”
Grade 5 Teacher, McHugh Public School, Brampton

Visit our website: www.standupnow.ca

Can School Spirit Help Reduce Bullying?

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Dorset Drive Public School has great School Spirit!

The children at Dorset Drive Public School were over the top with excitement as they watched ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ presentations earlier today. They showed excellent assembly manners and also incredible school spirit.
Actually, school spirit can help reduce bullying!
How?
Answer: When students become focused on positive things like upbeat school activities and fun spirit days, they become more positive with each other. They will encourage each other and support each other more. School Spirit can help make going to school a fun experience.
If you are a student, get involved and participate in anything having to do with school spirit. Be crazy on backwards day. Do an outrageous hair thing on wacky hair day. Let your personality shine through and enjoy yourself. This will help you grow your confidence and get more out of your school experience.
If you are a teacher or administrator; help plan some school spirit events, offer to coordinate some fun theme days, get involved. Your students will remember some of those off-the-wall events you planned, and they’ll smile later.

We offer off-the-wall assemblies about bullying, respect and cyberbullying. Call us today at 1-800-901-8831 or email Bruce Langford at info@standupnow.ca

Songs can help children deal with bullying

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Music can help us learn & remember

Why do we use songs and music in our bullying-prevention programs? Songs can provide a hook so that children remember the messages. We have all used songs to help us remember facts and details like the alphabet, planets, number of days in a month and so on. Repeated phrases in songs really get the point across and help children remember the message. One example is our Passwords song. “Passwords, passwords, keep ‘em to yourself, tell no one else.” When we visit schools a second or third time, students often come into assemblies singing “Passwords”, or “Stand Up” or “Confidence”. We have another song which is a good example of learning through music. It is called “Be Kind Online”. I’ve posted a video below featuring this song. It is in the style of boogie woogie.
In my opinion, children can learn to deal with bullying by remembering the songs in our programs and singing them over. This will trigger memories of other details from our presentations such as videos, stories and role plays.
To book assemblies for your school, call us at 1-800-901-8831 or email us at info@standupnow.ca.
Visit our website at http://www.standupnow.ca/

Evaluations of Bruce Langford’s Bullying Prevention Programs

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Bruce Langford, Bullying Prevention Advocate

Here are some of the most recent comments from Bruce Langford’s Character Education and Anti-Bullying shows.

“Excellent presentations with very relevant information on many different aspects of the internet!”
Carol Hagerman (VP) William G. Davis Senior PS, Cambridge

“I would absolutely endorse Bruce Langford’s assemblies. Your way of presenting really worked for our grade 7/8 students!”
Kim Stenhouse (Teacher) William G. Davis Senior PS, Cambridge

“Bruce Langford’s presentations have the wow factor. You really captured our students at Derrydown!”
Al Copeti (Teacher) Derrydown School, Toronto

“I really liked the way you tied the show into our Character Education focus here at Copeland. I also liked that you brought music into it!”
Lynn Dirks (Principal) Copeland PS, Brampton

“I would recommend the Stand Up Now performance to any other interested schools. Bruce Langford was fantastic and he delivered dynamic, energetic content which stimulated the interest of our students – even our intermediates!”
Ghada Sadaka (Vice Principal) Brownridge Public School, Thornhill

“Bruce Langford’s Cyberbullying assemblies were fun, interactive and informative. I would recommend this for other schools!”
Rita Santo (Principal) Santa Maria Catholic School, Toronto

“The Stand Up Against Bullying assemblies were really, really good! The role-plays really engaged the audience!”
Frank Thomson, (Occasional Teacher) York Region DSB (Kleinburg & Mt. Albert)

“Our students were completely engaged with the ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies! Your words resonated with the students, staff and parents. Thank you.”
Rob Samson (Principal) Father F.X. O’Reilly Catholic School, Tottenham

“The assemblies were fantastic. A very engaging way to deliver the message!”
Chris Konrad (VP) Hugh Beaton PS, Windsor

“What a special morning you provided for us! It will be followed up in our classrooms for months to come. This is such a crucial topic for Christian young people to ponder and experience. May the Lord bless your ministry!”
Karen Gerritsma (Principal) Beacon Christian School, St. Catherines

“Bruce Langford’s ‘Respect’ program was well received by the students. His poignant message is one for all ages.”
Jennifer Scudamore (Teacher) Valley Way PS, Niagara Falls

“Our school had the opportunity to participate in Bruce Langford’s presentation about what we can do about bullying and how much it hurts people when they are bullied. The messages really got through to my children!”
Cathy Stewart (Gr 4 Teacher) Brigadoon PS, Kitchener

Book Bruce Langford as a keynote speaker for teachers, parents or children. Phone Stand Up Now at 1-800-901-8831 or email bruce@standupnow.ca

Six Top Tips for School Trips from Bruce Langford, The Stand Up Against Bullying Guy

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Mapleview Heights School, Barrie Ontario

Listen closely to the instructions of your group leader.
Stay with your group and do what you are expected to do.
Include others in your activities when possible.
Be friendly to travelers you meet.
If the trip is an overnighter, stay in your designated room as directed.
Remember, you are representing your school. Always act in a way that would make your school proud.

We just visited Mapleview Heights Public School in Barrie where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’, ‘Stand Up For Respect’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’. Our assemblies received excellent evaluations from all the students and staff we spoke to. “The role-plays were extremely effective in getting the messages across and the music and videos were captivating.”

To book ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies for your school, contact our office at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail us at info@standupnow.ca

Tips about Put-downs in Respect Character Ed Assemblies

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Awesome Mural at Derrydown School

Remember to not be involved in put-downs. To do this, try not to use mean language, swearing or name-calling. Don’t even get involved in put-downs that are started by other people. Do try to include other people in activities and conversations and be friendly and respectful. I believe that if you make up your mind to avoid put-downs, you will earn respect.

We included these tips about put-downs in ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies at Derrydown Public School in the Toronto District School Board. Students and staff were very upbeat about the assemblies and we received these comments afterwards:
Bruce Langford’s presentations have the wow factor. You really captured our students at Derrydown!
Al Copeti (Teacher)

The kids just loved Bruce Langford’s ‘Stand Up For Respect’ presentations and so did the teachers. Really engaging. I hope you come back soon.
Dorothy Pienkow (Teacher), Derrydown School, Toronto
Alla Ostrovsky, (Teaching Assistant) Derrydown School

We would be pleased to present character education assemblies at your school. Contact Bruce Langford at Stand Up Now Productions at 1-800-901-8831 or www.standupnow.ca

Five Bullying Tips for Teachers from Bruce Langford

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Hi everybody!
I have five proven tips to help teachers encourage respectful behavior in the classroom.

1. Talk about how rules can be important to help maintain a cooperative and respectful classroom environment. Use group discussion time to help children come up with appropriate guidelines for your classroom.

2. Help your children get to know each other with games and fun activities. Children who know each other will be less likely to be mean to each other.

3. Encourage your children to work together cooperatively, rather than constantly competing with each other.

4. Teach and encourage diversity. We are all different, so emphasize that diversity is a positive thing.

5. Be open and willing to listen to your students. Let them know they can talk to you about bullying situations.

Have a community member come in to talk to your students about respect or have your class plan a school assembly on respect. You could also arrange for Stand Up Now Productions to come to your school to present musical assemblies. Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca for more information.

When is Bullying Prevention Week in Ontario?

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Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week is actually in November.

Any week of the school year can be chosen as your school’s bullying prevention week. You can raise awareness and focus on the issues, but Bullying Prevention Week in Ontario is actually the 3rd week of November.

Here are some tips for your Bullying Prevention Week:

1. Have a ‘Gotcha’ campaign. Gotcha awards are given to students who are caught being nice, including others or helping children. Publish winner’s first names in the school newsletter.
2. Include bullying tips in morning announcements.
3. Hold a poster contest on the theme of helping others to be safe at school.
4. Challenge your students to write songs about bullying prevention.
5. Invite guest presenters to your school to do anti-bullying assemblies. We will come to your school to do interactive musical Stand Up Against Bullying assemblies.

Soccer World Cup 2010, Racial Abuse and Respect

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The Soccer World Cup in South Africa will be an exciting sporting event and Samuel Eto’o is one of the players to watch. He has scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona. As a member of the Cameroon national team, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament. He is a Cameroonian who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Internazionale.
Eto’o has experienced racial abuse while playing soccer. He has been the subject of racist taunts by people in the stands when he is in possession of the ball. It is unacceptable that racial prejudice continues to be present in our world. Take a stand. Make the decision that you will have the integrity to stand up against prejudice of any kind against any group of people!

We talked about World Cup Soccer and Respect at Valley Park Middle School in Toronto yesterday. Vice-Principal, Sandra Larosa was ‘totally thrilled with Bruce Langford’s assemblies’ and said ‘our middle school kids really connected with the message!’

Remember to ‘Stand Up For Respect’ in your world and with your friends. We will be happy to present musical assemblies about respect at your school. Call Bruce Langford at 1-800-901-8831 or email at info@standupnow.ca.

How Do I Teach My Kids Consideration?

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How do my actions affect others?
How do I learn to think before I speak?
How do I make the right choices?

These are questions that your children may be asking themselves more often than you think.
The answer is to remember to show consideration to others. Try to practice empathy. Try to imagine what the other person is feeling. Just remember that these are skills we can practice every day. We all teach children to build character by our own example.

We have taught these character ed concepts through music, videos and role-plays at hundreds of elementary school presentations across Ontario. We will present bullying prevention programs at your school. Contact Stand Up Now Productions at 1-800-901-8831 or email Bruce Langford at bruce@standupnow.ca