Pre-schools Breed Bullies
Pre-schools have become a breeding ground for bullies who are bolder than previous generations, researchers claim.
An international expert in early childhood told a conference in Melbourne yesterday many preschool teachers failed to respond adequately to bullying behaviour by three and four-year-olds.
“Preschool teachers who do not intervene at all and just think it’s part of playing can affect a child for life,” said Ester Ng.
“If the behaviour is not controlled, by the time these children go to primary school they will have mastered the skill in bullying in a more aggressive way.”
Speaking at the National Coalition Against Bullying Conference, Ms Ng said preschoolers often used group power to exclude a child from a game - or a more confident child would snatch toys from a vulnerable one.
She said, unlike previous generations, these children were far more bold in their expression.
“They say what they think. Preschool teachers say they do it discreetly, they either use an elbow or hand to push someone away and they are only three-years-old.”
Ms Ng called for early childhood teachers to be better trained to identify and discipline potential bullies.
She said how a preschool teacher responded helped determine if the child would master the skills of excluding or picking on someone - or targeting a weaker one…
Source: NEWS.com.au, Australia
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22697832-5006009,00.html
August 18th, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Dear Ms. Ng,
I worked 13 years long in a daycare/pre-school embassy supported association. Most of my knowledge was based on reading and observation. I believed in being strict and not support the loudest, most disturbed bully in the class. Unfortunately there is a firm belief in leaving the children to sort it out among themselves or just being plain tolerant as ignoring bad behaviour as/or so that this would stop on its own. They don’t, because the bullies need attention. You give it to them when you discipline them but according to the fashionable theory of leaving them, you don’t support the negative behaviour if you ignore them. Unfortunately, I believe in the law of gravity. All children, if you ignore bad behaviour go down to the lowest level. I mean a-l-l if not almost a-l-l. Victims become perpetrators and vice versa. They don’t like it but it becomes a habit. I challenge each and every one who has ever developed this laissez faire theory to work with two bullies whose parents don’t give them enough attention in a class. I find it irresponsible to offer other children’s arms, faces or anybody’s parts or anybody to be scratched, bitten and hit because you are experimenting on your theory of ignoring a behaviour. Save one and permanently damage (and I don’t mean physical either) the ones who started out in a loving environment at home. Yes, I do positive reinforcement but I don’t wait either till somebody gets scratched. Yes, I keep the children busy because bullying also comes from boredom but then here is this other theory which says do not teach them too much; let them play (so that when somebody does not know how to play, such as the bully) you’ll get your blocks trampled on, your toys snatched, hit and whacked. I think that a lot of these authors should go back to the drawing board. Even brain gym, which they criticise, helps. Poor normal kids - they become bullies themselves. With glee do they tell you that they don’t want to do what you ask them to do; they did not start out this way. Furthermore the only ones who believe in having the bully have a go at it are my very lazy colleagues who do not teach; let them play while they just supervise. I do not tolerate bullies and I want to have a book which supports me. I didn’t have damaged children when given the free hand to discipline. Ms. Ng, teach me if you have a better solution.