Tag Archives: bruce langford

5 Bullying Prevention Tips Offered at Lambton-Kent School Assemblies

Bullying, respect and cyber-bullying assemblies were all theme driven assemblies we presented at Gregory Drive Public School in Chatham on Wednesday (Lambton-Kent District School Board – LKDSB). Bruce Langford was also guest speaker at the parent evening session designed for parents and children on internet safety, parenting and bullying. We were impressed with the audience size for a school of under 300 students!

There were 46 adults and children present to see videos, student role-plays and participate in a discussion on the topic of bullying.

Here are some valuable bullying prevention tips we offered in the various assemblies:

Beware of on-line polls where anonymous comments can be posted. Comments can be mean-spirited, hurtful and devastating.
Unplug your web-cam when you aren’t using it.
If someone is bullying you, speak up in a non-confrontational way.
Build a small group of supportive, trustable friends. You can help each other if necessary.
Don’t meet people you have met on-line as they may not be the person they said they were. Internet luring has become a big problem.

Principal, Ms. Lynn Sulman administers an impressive school. Her staff and students obviously work together to create an excellent, safe school environment making it an amazing Lambton-Kent school! Kudos to you, Ms. Sulman.

Ontario Kids Get Bullying Help at Kids Help Phone

Leave a comment

Our ‘Stand Up Now’ workshops encourage bullied children to talk to a trusted adult about feelings and issues. Express yourself and don’t keep frustration and hurt inside. Tell someone!

We also say, if you don’t have a trusted person to talk with, call ‘Kids Help Phone’ at 1-800-668-6868.
The Kids Help Phone website at http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/ helps you with topics like:

Bullying – Being bullied? Don’t keep it inside. Tell someone.
Violence & abuse
Feelings
The internet
Money
My Body
Friends
Dating
Express yourself – Your space to write letters, share stories, and get stuff off your chest.

The Kids Help Phone Promise is here:
“We are here to help you, not get you into trouble. When you call us, you don’t have to tell us your name, address or phone number.”

We encourage you to call Kids Help Phone if you need to talk about a bullying situation.
‘Stand Up Now’ School Programs www.standupagainstbullying.com

Anger Management and Bullying Prevention in Toronto Ontario

Leave a comment

We have presented workshops to hundreds of children in the greater Toronto area.
Here are some tips about anger:

Try to figure out why you are angry. Ask yourself questions to find out.
Try to leave the situation that is causing the anger. If you can’t, take ten deep breaths and let each one out slowly.
Wait before you do or say anything. If you say or do something in anger, you may be sorry later. You are responsible for your words and actions.
Get moving. Be active. Anger is often released by exercise and activity.
Write down your thoughts. Let them pour out. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Keep this to yourself until you have read it over and some time has passed. Things may seem different by that time.
If you still feel angry, find a trusted adult to talk to. Share your thoughts and listen to the adult’s advice. If you don’t know who to talk to, call Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868.
Anger can cause bullying. Anger can cause people to be bullied. We all have anger at times. Try to deal with your anger without being mean to others. Bruce Langford presents workshops on bullying prevention to help with relationship issues.

www.StandUpAgainstBullying.com

Can facebook lead to depression, suicide, murder?

1 Comment

A study in the American Academy of Pediatrics says when teens spend hours on social networking sites they can start comparing themselves to others. That can lead to depression in certain

: Girls comparing friends lists on Facebook

personalities. The study states: “The intensity of the online world may be a factor leading to depression in some adolescents.”

I recently visited a school where 25 of 27 students in a grade 5 class were active on facebook.

Children that young don’t have the skills to deal with complex relational issues which can arise on social networking sites like facebook.
Parents need to be aware of what children are doing on-line. If you are a parent and are allowing your young children to be active on social networking, at least be on their friend list so you can keep tabs on what is happening.
Some children become devastated as a result of social networking incidents. That can lead to depression, suicide, bullycide or even murder.

Monday, we presented our ‘Cyberbullying – Got To Go’ assemblies at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Toronto (Mississauga). Those children have learned how to stay safe on-line and have received practical tips and advice on cyber-safety.
For information about our programs, visit www.brucelangford.ca

York Catholic School Welcomes Guest Speaker at Respect Assemblies

Leave a comment

Holy Bible at PJP II Catholic School

We visited Pope John Paul II Catholic School to present three ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies. We were inspired by the students and staff we met at the school.
A grade 8 student at PJP II shared the following story with us during our visit:
A younger child, who was a student at another school, expressed some frustration he was having with another child. The grade 8 PJP II student offered advice and acted as a positive role model to help the younger student learn how to improve his situation.
This is an excellent example of an older student using his wisdom and compassion to help a young child. Wisdom and compassion are two of the virtues taught at Pope John Paul 2^nd School.

We can all work at being positive role models. Set good examples. Share your knowledge and advice. Use compassion and wisdom just as the student at JPJ II did.

The virtues celebrated at Pope John Paul II Catholic School in Richmond Hill are:

Pope John Paul II School Virtues

Wisdom
Courage
Unity
Justice
Compassion
Hope

The shared vision of the York Catholic DSB is:
‘We are a Catholic Learning Community of collaborative partners, called to serve one another by being committed to and accountable for quality learning by all, with Jesus as our inspiration’

Pope John Paul II Catholic Elementary School, Richmond Hill Ontario

We experienced students and staff who showed they are committed to and accountable for quality learning at Pope John Paul II Catholic School.

For more information about the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies presented by Bruce Langford, visit www.standupnow.ca or call 1-800-901-8831.

Henderson Avenue School Welcomes Speaker, Bruce Langford

Leave a comment

Henderson Avenue Welcome Mural

The welcome mural in the office at Henderson Avenue Public School in Thornhill Ontario, welcomes all nationalities. Henderson Avenue School extends its friendship and goodwill to all people, regardless of their culture or heritage.

Respect is alive and well at Henderson and consistent examples of respectful behaviour are seen on a regular basis throughout the school.

Here is a respect tip I would like to share:
Never let a mean situation go by without doing your part. Here are five possibilities:

Speak up and ask the person to stop.
Change the subject or redirect the topic to something else.
Tell a supportive adult you trust.
Talk to a friend about what happened.
Share some words of support later with the person who was being picked on.

Henderson Avenue Public School, Thornhill Ontario

Today we presented ‘Stand Up For Respect’, ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ at Henderson Avenue Public School. After the assemblies, grade 6 teacher, Ms. Shannon Ostilly commented:

“We were very happy with all three assemblies by Stand Up Now Productions. Thanks so much for coming to Henderson Avenue!”

Cyber-bullying Q & A

2 Comments

Q. Why do you think children are more likely to bully on the internet, than in person?
A. Some children feel they can be anonymous when they are on-line and therefore no one will know about their cyber-bullying behaviours. Many people find it is easier to be sneaky when using the internet for bullying purposes.

Q. Do you think the technology of the internet encourages kids to bully?
A. Yes. The fact that children are intrigued by the internet and use it frequently for social networking can be part of the attraction. Also, sometimes on-line bullying goes unchallenged. That can encourage kids to continue to cyber-bully other children.

Visit www.atfm.ca for information about cyberbullying prevention assemblies.

Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander

Leave a comment

Garden Avenue Junior School, Toronto

Garden Avenue Public School, Toronto is a respectful school filled with great kids who understand the meaning of community. These students look out for each other and encourage each other. They understand the importance of speaking up. They know a bystander is a person who sees or hears mean things, but does nothing about it. Don’t be a bystander, do something if you see meanness. Talk to the person later, tell a teacher or encourage your friends to do the right thing.

The majority of Garden Avenue Junior School students know to …

Be an Upstander, not a bystander!

A story from an anonomous contributor:

It happened nearly twenty years ago.

I saw him do it. I witnessed it with my own eyes.

He knew I saw him, but then afterwards, I swore I saw nothing.

I was afraid. I thought I should keep quiet. I thought that would support my friend.

I was wrong.

Living a lie is never the right thing to do.

I could have quietly gone to a trusted adult and reported what I saw.

It would have been the right thing to do. It would have been the responsible, respectable thing to do.

We shared a story with the Garden Avenue students today. The story was about a girl who felt terrible about someone she had bullied at a past school. She decided to do something about it. She decided to share her message with the world, about how awful a person can feel who has actually bullied someone.

Garden Avenue students obviously felt empathy for the girl as we shared the story.

Be caring. Be sensitive. Be empathetic. Be an upstander, not a bystander!

Stand Up Against Bullying, whenever you can.

Garden Avenue Junior Public School Principal, Ms. Martha Peterson constantly encourages her students to show respect, make the right choices, and be ‘upstanding’ citizens. Be inspired by Garden Avenue; be an upstander!

Earnscliffe Step Team Performs at Bullying Prevention Parent Presentation

Leave a comment

EST = Earnscliffe Step Team

E S T – Earnscliffe Step Team
Amazing confidence. Precise rhythms. Spectacular showmanship.
This describes the Earnscliffe Step Team from Earnscliffe Senior Public School in

Earnscliffe Step Team Logo

Brampton, Ontario.

They came to perform. Parents came to be entertained by the step team and to learn how to deal with bullying from guest speaker, Bruce Langford of Stand Up Now Productions.

An audience of over eighty-five watched videos, listened to stories, and cheered on the student actors who performed anti-bullying role plays.

Dealing with bullying requires the same kind of discipline, confidence and respect shown by the members of the Earnscliffe Step Team.

D C R – Discipline Confidence Respect
All are needed to ‘Stand Up For Respect’ and do something, rather than just being a bystander.

Earnscliffe Senior Public School

Encourage others at your school the way Earnscliffe students encourage their Step Team!
That spirit of encouragement will grow into more confidence and more respect.
As visitors to Earnscliffe, this is the kind of respect we experienced from Vice-Principal, Claudio Moschella and Earnscliffe Principal, Gursh Budwal. Keep up the great work, Earnscliffe students and staff!