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Bullying is an unfortunate part of society and is seen in almost all aspects of society. While it has a certain effect when performed by adults in a workplace, it can be particularly harmful to children… primarily when it occurs in a school setting. Nonetheless, it remains a persistent menace that most jurisdictions and institutions have been unable to eliminate entirely from their schools.

However, one city has managed to develop a holistic approach to school bullying that has proven to be somewhat of a success. This article will highlight seven things you can take away from their approach to bullying, hopefully enabling your town to reduce or even eliminate it as much as possible. It will also include some general tips on how you, as a parent, can keep your children safe from the harmful effects of harassment and give you peace of mind that they will not become victims or perpetrators of harassment.

Develop And Enforce Clear Anti-Bullying Policies

As the King said in Alice in Wonderland, “Begin at the beginning,”! While this might sound slightly facetious, perhaps the first and most effective strategy any town can take is to develop its own anti-bullying policies and take measurable steps to enforce them. Lots of towns like Blairsville have taken a proactive step in this regard, meaning that families moving to Blairsville should be assured their children will be secure from the effects of bullying. However, many towns and school administrations will view this advice as having a meeting and creating a small list of points that need to be followed. However, if you want your policy to be effective, it must be wide-ranging, compassionate, and delve into the core issues that have made bullying so pervasive. An actionable and effective policy must include the following elements (some of these are discussed in more detail later):

• Establish a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying
• Develop strategies to prevent bullying before it occurs
• Ensure all staff are trained to recognize the signs of bullying
• Provide education on the effects of bullying
• Utilize restorative justice practices
• Create a system of consequences that is both consistent and fair

Furthermore, you must ensure that all stakeholders are aware of your new policy and take proactive steps regarding its enforcement. While your town must establish what it considers fair punishment, it could range from a slap on the wrists for minor infractions to the risk of job loss or expulsion for repeat offenders.

Educate Students, Teachers, And Staff About Bullying Prevention

While creating a policy is a significant initial step, it will be rendered moot without the proper education. School administrators must prioritize getting all relevant stakeholders to know about the procedure and what actions each individual must take.

1. Students: Due to their nature, students need frequent explanations regarding bullying, including the consequences if they are bullies and the support they can receive if they are victims. You can set up a daily or weekly assembly and hammer home these points at the start or end of the meeting.
2. Teachers: Educators must learn how to spot the signs of bullying and have an understanding of how to confront the bully and help the victim. This is trickier than it sounds, so you might want to hire outside help to support your teachers, particularly regarding the growing but esoteric threat of cyberbullying.
3. Staff: Bullying isn’t only limited to student-on-student interactions. It can happen in almost any workplace, including between staff members of the school itself. By letting everyone know what kind of recourse they have, you can encourage a less toxic environment.

Encourage Open Communication Between Students, Parents, And School Administration

If open communication is not fostered in your institution, bullying will become more prevalent and begin to fester. This makes it more challenging to confront when you finally choose to get a handle on it. Therefore, you should encourage communication among all facets of your school, from the students to the governing bodies. By enabling all participants to speak freely (within the bounds of good taste), you can understand where the problems are emerging from and take preventative or corrective action. Depending on your current status, this could involve a massive overhaul of how you do things. Nevertheless, the first step is to have an open-door policy where students and teachers can easily find the right people to speak to without hindrance or delay.

Implement Proactive Measures Such As Peer Support Programs And Conflict Resolution Training

Bullying takes many forms and can be hidden as well as in plain view. Regardless of how it is conducted, you need to take proactive measures to nip it in the bud if you want to eradicate it from your school. This could be in the form of peer support programs, religious events that teach compassion to your fellows, and confit resolution lessons.

Provide Ongoing Training For Teachers And Staff To Recognize And Address Bullying Behavior

Something as serious as bullying is not a static event, and you can’t expect it to disappear by simply creating a policy and leaving it be. Instead, you must ensure that all staff training is ongoing and encapsulates the entire spectrum of bullying, from the obvious to the less so, such as cyberbullying. Only by doing this can you slowly rescue the insidious effects that bullying has on everyone involved.

Take Reports Of Bullying Seriously And Respond Promptly With Appropriate Disciplinary Action

If your school is a passive receiver of bullying reports and opts to take things at a more sedate speed, you will quickly discover all other aspects of your anti-bullying policy will fall apart. You need to take all reports, regardless of severity, seriously and endeavor to follow through on threats of disciplinary action. This could involve a multi-step process of punishment that becomes increasingly more serious as the threats increase in number, severity, or both.

Continuously Evaluate And Adjust The School’s Approach To Bullying Prevention

Over the last 20 years, bullying has changed dramatically, and institutions that fail to keep pace risk having all their hard work become irrelevant. Consweutnly, you must take a proactive approach to the subject and attempt to keep up with how the world is changing. For instance, cyberbullying simply didn’t exist 20 yeast ago, but it’s now one of the most significant threats to students worldwide. Moreover, as students gain access to an ever-increasing amount of data, including misinformation, new threats will emerge that could begin to divide students along political and religious lines like never before. If you don’t take this seriously, you risk your school falling into chaos.

How You Can Prevent Your Child From Becoming A Victim Or Perpetrator Of Bullying

The actions taken by a school or district are only one part of the equation, and as with most things, compassionate education starts at home. Therefore, as a parent, it is your responsibility to be there for your child when bullied, teach them how to avoid becoming victims, and take corrective action if your child appears to be bullying others.

Teach Your Child To Respect Others And Be Kind To Everyone, Regardless Of Differences

As the nation becomes increasingly divided along various lines of thought, it is more essential than ever to teach compassion and kindness regardless of differences of opinion, views, or race. In spite of the fact that your child’s school should be doing this already, real one on one compassion can only be taught by parents. Although it can be difficult to see past some differences, you need to be a role model to your child and tell them that while they might not always agree with another point of view, they must respect the fact that everyone is different.

When Your Child Witnesses Bullying, Encourage Them To Speak Up And Report It

It is vital to not only be there for your own child, but you must also educate them on the importance of reporting bullying when they see in occurring. By ingraining this responsibility from a young age, you can encourage them to do the right things when the opportunity arises. They don’t have to get involved directly with the issue and risk their own reputation or physical well-being. Still, they should be confident they can report it anonymously to higher authorities before things get out of hand.

If Your Child Is Being Bullied, Teach Them To Stand Up For Themselves Appropriately

This tip can be slightly contentious, especially if you don’t teach them the correct ways to stand up for themselves. You shouldn’t take this advice as constituting fighting back, but you must tread the line carefully between teaching your child to be too passive or aggressive. You don’t want them to get in trouble, but they must also know when and how to stand up for themselves. One option could be enrolling your child in a martial arts school where they will learn conflict-resolution skills and techniques to subdue even the nastiest bullies.

Monitor Your Child’s Behavior And Intervene If You Notice Any Signs Of Bullying Or Aggressive Behavior

Most parents don’t want to hear it, but there might come a time when their child is the bully, and they need to take corrective action to stop it from spiraling out of control. Some key indicators include:

• An aggressive personality or demeanor
• Lack of compassion for others
• They have aggressive friends
• They are constantly in trouble at school for various reasons (although this might also indicate other issues aside from bullying)
• They have been bullied in the past and might choose to take out their friction on others
• They are aggressive toward their siblings
• They spend an inordinate amount of time online

While none of these are guaranteed to diagnose if your child is a bully, they can provide a good indication and enable you to dig a bit deeper. If you discover your child is a bully, you need to take a step back and consider your options, some of which might be pretty unsavory.

Encourage Your Child To Be Inclusive And Make An Effort To Include Everyone In Their Social Interactions

As your child grows, you must provide them with the tools they will need to become well-rounded adults. One tool is helping them to understand how to include people from all walks of life in their interactions so that everyone feels included. The worst thing you can do is try and force them to do this, so educate them about the importance of it so they will do it naturally.

Teach Your Child Appropriate Conflict Resolution Skills To Help Them Manage Disagreements Without Resorting To Bullying

Conflict resolution is arguably one of the most crucial social skills you can teach your kids, and you must attempt it from a very young age. Not only will it assist them in avoiding becoming a bully or being bullied, but it’s also a great skill to nurture as they get older.

Teach Your Child To Be Resilient And To Develop Coping Strategies To Help Them Deal With Difficult Situations

Perhaps the most pernicious effect of bullying comes not from physical harm (which is detrimental in other ways) but from the mental anguish it can cause. In fact, it can even cause suicide when it becomes too much for a child to bear and can affect children of all ages. Therefore, if you can provide advice on how to develop coping strategies and deal with whatever might come their way, you will equip them with the ability to manage no matter what.

Encourage Your Child To Engage In Activities And Hobbies That Build Their Self-Esteem And Confidence

The unfortunate truth is that if your child suffers from low-self esteem, they imminently become a magnet for bullies. You should speak with them to help them overcome their confidence issues and find out what they enjoy. Once you have this information, you can work together to find hobbies or clubs to join, putting them in contact with other like-minded kids. This will cause them to hang around others who share the same interests and provide an outlet when things become too heavy at school.

Foster Open Communication With Your Child To Ensure They Are Able To Confide In You

As with the third point at the beginning of this article, you must endeavor to foster a culture of open communication. When your child feels comfortable confiding in you, they will open up about the things affecting them. This can help you both develop solutions and prevent problems from escalating.

Hopefully, this article has illuminated the issue of bullying in schools and provided a few pointers that other wons have taken on board. By being proactive in your approach, you can prevent escalation and create an enjoinment where everyone feels safe and comfortable, thus fostering a conducive learning environment.

The concept of the Dunning-Kruger Effect can be easily explained, especially if we use a graph to show how it works.  It’s not rocket science.  Not that I know much about rocket science, but I do know enough to admit that I am far from being an expert.  See what I just did there?  I showed that I am not experiencing the Dunning-Kruger Effect on that subject.

You see, even though I possess very little expertise about the subject of launching rockets into space, I have seen them launched in TV.  I’ve watched movies on the complicated math equations it takes to launch a rocket.  I am fully aware that to be involved the process I need to know light years more than I do.

Contents:

• What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect?
• Who are Dunning and Kruger?
• Dunning-Krueger Effect shown with a graph
• How to Avoid the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Not falling under the spell of the Dunning-Kruger Effect does not mean that I am smarter than anyone else. It’s possible for anyone to find themselves under the Dunning-Kruger Effect when thinking about other issues. The key to not falling victim to faulty thinking is acknowledging this simple fact:

‘the more you don’t know about something, the more likely it is that you will think you know a lot about it than you really do.

What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect?

In very simple terms, the Dunning-Kruger Effect happens when someone knows so little about a subject that they believe they are somewhat of an expert.  The more a person learns about anything at all, the more they realize how much they don’t know.  As they gain more knowledge through reading, listening to experts, and taking classes on the subject, they gradually cross a threshold where they are on their way to becoming a true expert and not just one who thinks they are.

Essentially, anyone can find themselves under the Dunning-Kruger effect when they have no expertise on an issue or subject.  Someone who is not musical has no business expressing their strong opinions on whether and popular singer or musician is talented or not.  Yet, you hear it all the time from opinionated people.  Again, this does not mean they a low IQ.  It simply means that on some subjects, their lack of expertise will make them sound foolish if they express their opinions on the subject. The same is true of politics and sports.

In addition to knowledge, the Dunning-Kruger Effect happens when people overestimate their abilities and are overconfident.

Incidentally, men tend to be 30% more confident about their abilities and women tend to downplay their abilities by 30%.  This leaves a large confidence gap between the sexes.  For children, things are more equal. However, as as girls and boys become teenagers the gap grows.

Who are Dunning and Kruger?

David Dunning and Justin Kruger are psychologists at Cornell University.  These two well educated men were intrigued by the story of a bank robber named McArthur Wheeler.  He believed that video surveillance cameras would not be able to record his face because he had covered it with lemon juice.  This is what initially peaked Dunning and Kruger’s interest in the idea of how a total lack of knowledge about something can blindly lead a person into thinking something that is totally incorrect.

The story is a bit crazy and this video better explains how the Dunning-Kruger effect came to be:

Dunning-Krueger Effect shown with a Graph

Let’s recap.

• The less someone knows about something, the more likely they are to think they know a lot about it.
• The more knowledge they gain on a subject, the more they realize that they are inadequate in their limited expertise.
• As knowledge grows, they cross a threshold to where they actually are closer at becoming an expert.
• Eventually he moment arrives, through education, experience, or both, that they have legitimate expertise.
• Being a true expert about something does not mean you won’t fall under the Dunning-Kruger effect in other areas.

A mentioned, these concept also apply to a lack of confidence and over estimating confidence in one’s abilities. However, self confidence is a positive thing that should not be confused with being overconfident.

This graph shows the progression of how one moves through this process. 

The confidence of a person who knows nothing is on the peak of ‘Mount Stupid’, while their competence is in the Valley of Despair.   As they become enlightened, whether though education or experience, they are closer to being an expert – even though they may never get close to it.

An example of a person gaining some insight on a subject through education may be as simple as them watching a NOVA program on space and getting their mind blown by the vastness of space.  Therefore, they would say to themselves.  “There is so much to know about space I realize how far I am away from being an expert on it”.

Sports is an example of a person who gains insight through experience.  If they never play the sport, they may naively think… “That looks easy enough”.  But when they actually play the sport and fail miserably against those are much better, they will correctly acknowledge their lack of competence.

How to Avoid the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Here are something things you can do to ensure you don’t succumb to the trap of making an expert opinion on something you know very little about, and possibly being ridiculed by your peers.

• Do some research from reliable sources on a subject before you give an opinion on it.
• Acknowledge that without education and experience, you are more than likely know very little to nothing about any topic.
• Remember, great expertise on one subject does not mean you won’t fall under the Dunning-Kruger Effect on another subject, especially if you’re not careful.
• Take Heed!  Nothing is ever as easy as it looks.  Try to understand something in a much broader capacity than you already do.
• In the case of activities, try to do an activity more fully before relying on what experience you already have.
• Utilize all the resources at your deposal to be life long self learner.

Plagiarism is unacceptable whether it happens in academic circles or on online websites. In academic circles, you may receive a zero grade or even face expulsion. If you plagiarize in web articles, search engines won’t rank your content, and it will become invisible. Here is more about plagiarism, why it’s unacceptable and how to prevent it.

What is Plagiarism? 

Plagiarism is when you present the work or ideas of another as your own without the consent of the original author or giving the author any acknowledgment. You may not even do this intentionally, but it is still unacceptable.

Why is Plagiarism Cheating?

Professors in academic institutions want to evaluate your original work and not the work of others. Plagiarism is stealing intellectual property. It is unethical because you benefit from someone else’s efforts. The uniqueness of your work is important as a student. The whole point of your assignments is to evaluate your progress. If you present the work of others as your own, it not only shows poor scholarship but defeats the object of learning.

How to Test for Plagiarism

If you want to know how to avoid plagiarism in books, articles and other academic writing, checking your work for plagiarism is essential. You may not even realize where you are guilty of plagiarism. The highly popular FixGerald tool for students and teachers is a plagiarism checker that will list any instances where you copy directly from an online source or don’t use quotation marks for a quote. A plagiarism fixer gives you an opportunity to reword content that’s too close to an original source and make it unique.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

When you’re a student and you have to write essays, book reports etc., you need some tips to help you to avoid plagiarism.

• If you have to read books and write book reports, you can’t just use the words of an author to make a point. You must place the words in quotation marks. You also need to include a footnote or an in-text citation to show the source. If you don’t do so, it looks as though the words are yours and not those of the author.

• You can’t use the ideas of others in your essays without proper citation. Your instructors will want to know what ideas you came up with yourself and which ones came from consulting different sources. You must acknowledge all the sources of ideas that aren’t your own.

• If you paraphrase, you need to do so carefully. Just swapping words around is not enough. It is important to present the ideas you found in a source accurately, but you need to describe them in your own language.

As you progress in your studies, you will understand how important it is to use many different sources. You may want to add to existing research you find in scientific literature, such as journal articles. You may argue that existing research is inadequate and discuss why. To do this, you need to be familiar with important research in your field. You will have to refer to many different sources. You will need to cite them correctly using a specific citation style.

Prevent Plagiarism in Web Articles

Bloggers and website owners also need to ensure that their articles are 100% original. Search engines rate original content highly. Any instances of plagiarism will result in lower rankings in search engines. If you have a website for a business, this means less organic traffic to it and fewer chances to convert consumers to customers.

Do Not Use AI Tools to Write for You 

There’s nothing wrong with running your essays or research papers through some tools like grammar and spelling checkers or the Hemingway App. This can help you to reduce errors and make your writing clearer. It’s when you use AI tools to write your work for you that it can be a problem. A teacher who knows your writing ability and style is likely to identify that you didn’t write the work but used AI to write it. Educational institutions also now using AI detection tools.  In addition, many AI tools paraphrase existing copy from multiple other websites and this is also a form of plagiarism (cheating), especially if you don’t cite your sources.

Conclusion 

Plagiarism is not acceptable in academic institutions, and the consequences can be severe. You need to avoid it in online articles and on websites, too, because search engines don’t like unoriginal content. Hopefully, the above ways of avoiding plagiarism will help you. You should always check for plagiarism, as you may have done it without realizing it. If you check and find problems, you can still fix them before you hand in a paper or publish an article.

Six sigma has enabled large corporations like Google, Amazon, and Wipro to grow significantly. Six sigma is no longer simply associated with manufacturing companies. Enrolling in a lean six sigma course can help in various industries like finance, healthcare, hospitality, etc.

Obtaining your lean six sigma certification will ensure you gain the essential skills to begin your six sigma career.  For those new to these terms, Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variation and enhancing process control.  Lean Six Stigma includes a focus on driving out waste and promotes work standardization and flow.

Let’s check out the benefits of lean six sigma to understand why it’s important for accelerate your  career goals.

1.   Gain an advantage over other applicants

Employers get hundreds of applications for different positions, but they only select certified professionals. Since lean six sigma certification is globally recognized, you will gain an edge in the competition. The certification will prove to employers that you have the relevant skills and experience to improve business operations. Your application will stand out from inexperienced professionals and will make you closer to landing your dream job.

2.   High salary opportunities

Before taking up any position, you must negotiate the salary and other perks. A lean six sigma course will ensure you can stay on top of your bargaining game at the negotiation table. You will see a significant gap between your salary and non-certified professionals.

The salary potential will continue to increase as more businesses warm up to the lean six sigma methodology. Moreover, your salary will increase according to the different levels of the certification. For instance, an individual with six sigma black belt certification will have an average annual salary of $1,06,000 in the US.

3.   Obtain real-world experience

One of the major benefits of a six sigma course is that you learn how to apply the acquired skills. The course will allow you to work on a real-world improvement project with mentoring and support. Additionally, you will become an expert at managing lean projects and implementing process improvements across types of businesses.

4.   Help improve organizational efficiency

All companies following the lean six sigma methodology desire to improve their organizational efficiency. The methodology ensures that all employees are on the same page and are focused on identifying bottlenecks in the process as the process enables companies to produce more with minimal effort, efficiency, and profitability increase.

Team members collaborate better by following the six sigma principles, and employers notice higher productivity and morale. Customers begin receiving products faster with proper measurement of quality standards, which can lead to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Lean six sigma certified professionals are a major win for employees, customers, and the organization.

5.   Transform into a leader and influencer

Similar to all project management tools, leading a team and managing stakeholders is crucial for lean six sigma certified professionals to succeed. Besides the methods and tools, lean six sigma certification is also about managing change, improving project quality, and producing more efficient work.

A lean six sigma online bootcamp ensures that you can easily manage change and handle your team members. You can improve your leadership capability by better understanding team dynamics and change management.

Furthermore, the lean six sigma certification offers you better analytical skills to assess and handle change. You will be able to ensure that your team members have an improved sense of responsibility and ownership for their projects and work. Applying the lean tools and methodology will ensure you have a greater influence on your team members.

6.   Streamline systems and processes

Due to the growing complexities in businesses, improving processes and systems has become crucial. By making systems and processes more effective and efficient, the lean six sigma methodology can help businesses. The certification ensures you become familiar with all the tools and techniques required for effective change management.

The lean six sigma course will teach you to spot improvement opportunities, build execution plans, and track progress. You will also learn to maintain effective communication with stakeholders for guaranteed buy-ins from different levels of the organization.

7.   Solve complex problems

The lean six sigma methodology is based on continuous improvement to drive more customer value. The only way to ensure continuous improvement is by easily solving complex problems. The lean technique enables you to improve your thinking skills. The course is a blend of theory and real-world practice to solve problems with a structured learning approach.

8.   Reduce errors and mistakes

Once you get into leadership roles, you must constantly improve your team. The different techniques from a lean six sigma course make it easy for you to handle the errors and mistakes of your team. For instance, you can map out the steps of a process to determine where mistakes are highly likely. Identifying these areas will help prevent errors from taking place again.

9.   Enhance organizational culture

Managers trained in the lean six sigma online bootcamp can create a healthier, happier, and more productive work environment. The skills imparted during the course will ensure you develop a firm grasp of change and quality management. You will become more efficient at identifying and removing roadblocks that prevent the productivity and efficiency of teams.

You can create a work environment conducive to employees by applying lean six sigma principles. A culture of continuous improvement will ensure that managers can motivate employees to work toward fulfilling a shared goal. Organizations adopting the lean six sigma methodology ensure you can enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.

Final Words

A lean six sigma online bootcamp can help you build a robust career in quality management. The live classes delivered by leading experts from Simplilearn will ensure you gain in-depth knowledge of change management. You will also get to work on a capstone project to gain real-world experience.

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