Tag Archives: stand up against bullying

Anti-Bullying Song Stronger by Megan Landry

Canadian Singing Sensation Megan Landry Pixel Dust

Hear 15-year-old singing sensation Megan Landry perform her anti-bullying song on YouTube
You are awesome, Megan!
Here are the lyrics to Stronger by Megan Landry

Stronger Megan Landry

Go ahead and load a gun with all your bitter words
Guarantee it’ll be the loudest gunshot heard
Sticks and stones will break your bones
but one day they will cure
nothing hurts, nothing’s worse
than the taste of hurtful words

No need for bullets, no need for knives
Your sharpest weapon is your drunken lies

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder
Yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

Go ahead and huff & puff and blow my house down
Go ahead and sink my boat but you’re never gonna see me drown
Go ahead and mark me up with bruises and scars
Go ahead and push me but you’re gonna be behind bars

No need for bullets no need for knives
Your sharpest weapon is your drunken lies

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder, yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

Tear me down, I won’t fall to the ground
Don’t say my name, like it belongs in your mouth
Don’t try to break me, don’t try to shake me today, yeah.

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder, yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

See Megan’s amazing YouTube video by clicking here:
http://youtu.be/Nf_7hfA5Pgk

We offer musical school bullying prevention talks, workshops & assemblies:
www.standupnow.ca

Peel school board visit – using emotions to counter bullying

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Here is a bullying tip we shared with students in a Peel District School student workshop:

Talk about feelings and emotions to diffuse a bully. This is known to sometimes stop bullies in their tracks. Most people who bully others are not comfortable hearing about feelings. Here is an example:

Mean Person: I think I’ll punch your lights out after school today.
Other Person: I’m sure you could do that. I would be really bummed out if you did attack me.
Mean Person: Yeah, well, I might just do that.
Other Person: I guess you’re feeling a bit disappointed about the game today?
Mean Person: Leave me alone.
Other Person: You did play really well though, even if you did lose.
Mean Person: Whatever.
Other Person: See you around.

In the above dialogue, you can tell that the bully is starting to soften in response to the ‘Other Person’. This can actually happen in real life. Just be careful how you chose your words. Don’t let the bully think that you are taunting.

Try to ignore the bully’s words and feed back the feelings behind his comments.

Being honest and straightforward with your feelings can make a bully sit up and take notice. Sometimes they completely change direction and leave you alone.

We offer workshops and assemblies to deal with bullying head on.
Stand Up Against Bullying / Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go
Visit www.standupagainstbullying.com
Bruce Langford, Bullying Prevention Presenter

Winston Churchill and how to Stand Up Against Bullying Using 5 Key Character Traits

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Winston Churchill was a man known for his strong character traits. When we talk about ways to beat bullying, just imagine how Winston Churchill would have done his part to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

He had
COURAGE. He was willing to move forward regardless of whether the majority of people agreed with him or not. That kind of courage requires an underlying
CONFIDENCE that is gained from experience and strength of character. Confidence can also be built through self-talk, study and
DETERMINATION. Think of a laser beam pointing in one specific direction and never wavering from its target. That is like the determination of Winston Churchill when he became Prime Minister at the age of sixty-five. It is also like the determination of a person who is focusing on making the world a better place by eliminating bullying. Winston Churchill also had tremendous
PERSEVERANCE as he wasn’t willing to give up easily. His perseverance helped him move through his election defeat in 1945 when he was voted out by the same people he had earlier led to victory. In spite of that defeat, he remained grounded and stayed on as leader of the opposition. Later he was elected as prime minister again in 1950.

Think of Churchill and these four character traits when you deal with bullying situations. What would Churchill have done? Would he have given up, or continued to persevere?

We visited Winston Churchill Public School in Chatham yesterday and were impressed with the students and the serious attitude they had in regard to Standing Up Against Bullying. Principal, Leslie Boulton was very pleased with the three assemblies and told us they were “even better than our last visit to her school”. That was when she was principal at Harwich Raleigh Public School (Lambton Kent District School Board) in 2005.
Remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

6 Ways to Keep From Crashing Due to a Pre-Teen Dilemma

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1. Assess the situation rationally by writing down the details in a factual way
2. Talk over the dilemma with a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, councillor, friend or other relative. Call a confidential counseling service like ‘KidsHelpPhone’ if you don’t have anyone else to talk to.
3. Continue to eat regular, nutritious meals and snacks. Stress can cause many people to lean to junk food or foods and drinks containing ‘uppers’ like caffeine. So called ‘energy’ drinks can also throw your body out of equilibrium.
4. If you have pets, they can help lower your stress level. Walk your dog, play with your cat, watch your fish or ride your pony. Spend extra time caring for your pets and you may start to feel more relaxed.
5. Make sure you maintain your sleep schedule so you don’t get over tired. That can add more stress to a situation that is already difficult.
6. Keep up your regular schedule of physical activities. Consider adding more activities if you are not a very active person. Even a simple walk can help you feel better.

We offer ideas to help kids deal with bullying situations and other challenges. Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca

Ottawa School Welcomes Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies

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Charles Hulse Public School in Ottawa

Charles H. Hulse Public School in Ottawa is filled with enthusiastic children and a friendly, welcoming staff. That was certainly our impression when we visited yesterday while on an Ottawa tour. The children understand bullying and want to do something about it. We shared songs and videos as well as stories and role-plays. After the assemblies we talked to the children and asked them what they learned.
“I learned what to do if someone calls me names.”
“Now I understand what to do if someone leaves me out of a game and they keep being mean to me.”
These are some of the comments we received. One teacher came out of her classroom to speak to me and said, “I just want to thank you for what you do with these assemblies. This is really needed”.
Principal Suzanne Denney obviously pours herself into her work at Charles Hulse. Staff members talked about her exceptional efforts with the children and gave specific examples of how she goes over the top to make hers a caring school.
Thanks to Charles H. Hulse Public School for your warm welcome and generous spirit!
Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies are designed for children in Kindergarten to grade 8.

Mississauga Public School has MAGIC formula to beat bullying

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Meadowvale Village Public School in Mississauga recently hosted Stand Up Now Productions with speaker Bruce Langford. We focused on bullying with emphasis on Meadowvale MAGIC. What a great way to help focus on important concepts that all kids need to live by. Here is the ‘magic’ formula:

M anners
A chievement
G ood Sportsmanship
I nitiative
C ooperation

Meadowvale Village MAGIC Logo

We shared our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ songs and videos with the students who were filled with enthusiasm. Later, one of the teachers came back to comment on the show.
“I loved it! It was great. You kept me and my class totally engaged for the entire time.”
Barb Linton, Grade 2 Teacher, Meadowvale Village Public School, Mississauga.

We talked about initiative and how it related to our role plays where one person takes the initiative to make a difference. The outcome of a scenario can be totally changed by the decision of one person to handle things differently from the crowd.
Meadowvale Village Vice-Principal, Sara Damasco said she was very pleased with the bullying prevention assemblies presented by Stand Up Now Productions.

Contact info is: www.standupnow.ca or 519-269-9837

Assemblies Motivate Students to Stand Up Against Bullying

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Bullying – It takes hard work and determination to prevent bullying. Bullying Prevention starts with one word – RESPECT.

Treat others with respect and you will usually be treated with respect in return. But how do you know how to be respectful in the first place?

There are some basics to follow when it comes to respect:

Be honest. Tell the truth even if you are the only one who could possible know the difference. You see, honesty is part of who you are, deep down.
Be considerate. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Sometimes you really have to stop and think how you would feel if you were in the other person’s shoes. That’s called empathy.
Help others. That means, don’t just stand by and do nothing if someone is being treated badly. There are usually a few different things you can do to help like; speak up when the meanness is happening, talk to the person later and tell them you care, tell an adult you trust. Reaching out to offer your friendship is one of the greatest things you can do.

But what if you do these things and you still feel like you are being bullied? That’s a tough question. The fact is, this happens too many times. Hang in there. Realize things will get better. Change things in your life. Hang around different people. Spend time in different locations. Find people to be friends who really make you feel good and are not being mean, even in a teasing kind of way. Believe that things will improve and then go about changing things you can change. Like your attitude about life. That doesn’t mean the bullying is your fault. It just means if you start by changing what you can change in your life, sometimes good things will happen.

Maybe you sometimes bully other people. Make up your mind to stop doing that. It might not be easy, but you can do it. Keep reminding yourself that you want to change and use your determination. This really works for most people. You will find that your own life will improve if you stop being mean to others.

Most of all, don’t give up. Believe that things can be different and make the effort to make it happen. Be motivated by others. You can learn from them. Learn tips from assemblies or from people you admire. We can be inspired by others and learn how to improve our own lives. Who knows, you may end up inspiring others!

www.standupagainstbullying.com

Action Steps to Stop Being Bullied

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List all the places where you have ever been bullied
Describe how you dealt with the bullying each time
Write down different ways you could have dealt with each incident
List places where you have never been bullied
Name the activities that give you the happiest feeling

Vow to stand up against bullying by making the decision to speak to someone you trust following any upsetting bullying experience.

Read over your answers to the above and be determined to work toward a better life by letting others help you.

York Region Bullying Prevention Assemblies and Parent Presentations

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Ontario’s Bullying Awareness and Prevention week will be recognized at Julliard Public Schooland Elder’s Mills Public School in York Region District School Board with guests from Stand Up Now Productions. Bruce Langford will be presenting Stand Up Against Bullying at Julliard and Stand Up For Respect at Elder’s Mills. He will also be guest speaker at a parent workshop at Elder’s Mills called ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’.

The focus will be on using common scenarios to teach what to do in specific bullying situations, whether you are a bystander, target, teacher or parent.

Stand Up Now Productions visited Julliard last year to present ‘Stand Up For Respect’ for students and a parent bullying information presentation. They have been invited back this year for a follow-up presentation.

Poplar Bank School in York Region Visited by Stand Up Now Productions

Here are some comments from York Region Schools:

“The ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies were excellent! Bruce Langford presented three different programs all geared to our specific grade levels here at Julliard French Immersion School(Toronto). Bruce has a lovely manner with the students and covered many points about bullying prevention using terminology we use here at Julliard. The assemblies were just the right length for our students. We would like to have Bruce back to present his ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies. Our parent evening was also a big success!”

Judith Goldberg, (Vice-Principal)JulliardPublic School, Maple

“The role-plays really drove home the points about misrepresentation on the internet and I loved your songs as well. We were very pleased with the Stand Up Now assemblies at Coledale!”

Donna McGann (Principal) Coledale PS, Markham

“Bruce Langford tapped into the multiple intelligences with his dynamic, clear, engaging way of reaching the audience. This was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen at all the schools I’ve been at!”

Karen Monteith (Teacher) Coledale PS, Markham

“Bruce Langford’s parent/children ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’ presentation is a wonderful program. I think that the entire audience will benefit from watching the show. It was very entertaining; it grabbed their attention and was filled with valuable information for all of us!”

David L. Tenn (Parent Council) William Berczy PS, Unionville

“That was fantastic! I was very impressed. You totally engaged the students! I loved your format with the gr 7 & 8’s. I would encourage any school to host Stand Up Now Productions bullying prevention programs.”

Mary Salvarinas (Principal)CoppardGlenPublic School,Markham

“I would recommend this 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)BrownridgePublic School, Thornhill

Stand Up Now Productions has visited many York Region District School Board Schools including:

Sharon PS, Grey Owl PS, Nobleton PS, Sir Wilfrid Laurier PS, Lake Wilcox PS, Henderson Avenue PS, Redstone PS, Northern Lights PS, Poplar Bank PS, Red Maple PS and others.

Stand Up Now Productions would be pleased to visit your school.