Cyber Bullying Program
Stefanie Behrens, the Prevention and Education Coordinator for the Family Crisis Centers, presented the "Cyber Bullying" prevention curriculum to the third and fourth grade classes.
You may have heard about the bullying and cyber bullying in the news recently, It has become an important issue for many youth and their families. As Internet and cell phone use have become an integral part of our daily lives, abuses of these technologies have also grown.
This cyber bullying prevention curriculum included five sessions designed to teach students how to recognize cyber bullying, how it affects students, what to do if cyber bullying happens to them, and how to prevent it from happening. Students were engaged in classroom discussions, small-group activities and projects to gain an understanding of how cell phones, text messaging, web sites, and e-mail can be abused and wheat they can do about it. Students were also encouraged to develop a sense of empathy for students who are bullied in the traditional sense and/or cyber-bullied.
Cyber bullying is a matter that concerns us as the school and it should be discussed at home. There was a parent/guardian component to this program. Each family was encouraged to talk the time to read the materials that were brought home and to do the homework activities with their child. Included in this homework were some web sites the parents and their child could visit together to learn more about what they can do in increase Internet safety and prevent cyber-bullying. the students returned the homework assignments for daily incentives.
Contact information is below if you have an questions or concerns about cyber bullying.
Stefanie Behrens
Prevention & Education Coordinator
Family Crisis Centers of Northwest Iowa
Phone: 712-722-4404
E-mail: fccstefanie@yahoo.com
