Anti-Bullying Day is a day when the world joins together to stand up against bullying in our schools, on the playground, and online on social media. It’s recognized at different times of the year depending on what country you live in. These are special days that bring awareness and focus to help stop bullying, as well as standing up for those who are currently being bullied.

Parents, teachers and kids of all ages can all work together to ensure no one is ever bullied. Kids can do their part by being a friend to those who are victims of bullying and including them in activities with their group of friends. Even the simple act of sitting with someone in the lunchroom can go a long way to help them feel like they are not alone.

The Origins of Anti-Bullying Day

The idea of Anti-Bullying Day began in Canada in 2007. It’s also called Pink Shirt Day in Canada and takes place on the last Wednesday of February. It began when people came to the defense of a boy who was bullied simply because he wore a pink shirt to school. This is why there is also another day called International Day of Pink, which is held the first week of April.

Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand will honor “International STAND UP to Bullying Day” on February 28th or 29th. Schools may call the day by different names, but the goal is always the same; to stop bullying and help those who are currently being bullied.

The United nations declared every May 4th as International Anti-Bullying Day. Regardless of when any country commemorates this important day, it’s vital for all of us to speak out against bullying. It’s a reminder to stand along side those who are bullied – regardless of their age, race or gender.

Bullying has been around since there have been schools, or when any group of friends throughout history have gathered together to play. It only takes one person who feels the need to ‘get their kicks’ out of picking on someone in the group. The invention of the Internet has rapidly spread the problem. Bullies now have the ability reach their victims at home through social media. This is called Cyber Bullying. On the Internet, the effects of cyberbullying can cause even more hurt and damage and it can happen more quickly.

Things You Can Do to Stop Bullying

No matter where bullying takes place, on the playground or online, it’s important for kids to also stand up against it.   If you know of someone who is being bullied, tell let your parents, a teacher or school counselor. There are also other things you can personally do to help. As mentioned, sometimes helping means just being a friend to someone who doesn’t have one.

On social media you can stand up for someone by speaking out against harmful comments about another person. It may be by making simple comment in defense of someone. If you see one of your friend connections taking part in bullying, you may want to talk to them about what they are doing. Ending your social media connection with a person who is bullying you or others is also be a very healthy thing to do.

If you being bullying, the first step is to tell an adult you trust. They can guide you in what you can do to help it stop. Sometimes bullying can happen within friendships. If you have a friend who are being cruel to you, this is called a toxic friendship and a toxic relationship. Distance yourself from them. They are not a true friend who cares about you.

Don’t Be a Bully Bystander

You’ve probably heard the term used for people who are watching something happen but are not part of the action. They are called bystanders. If you were walking down the street and an old lady drops her groceries, and you do nothing to help her, you may be called a bystander in a negative way.

The same can be said for bullying. Of course, you always have to make sure you are safe when you help someone, but whether you see injustice against another person in the school yard or on social media, you have to decide. Will you be a bystander who does nothing, or someone who will step in to help? The same can be said for cyberbullying on social media.

Making a Difference on Anti-Bullying Day

So, whether your school asks teachers and students to wear pink on your own Anti-Bullying Day or not, it’s important to remember that everyone can make a difference. Remember, a large group of people saying NO to bullying is made up of individuals. If everyone said they can’t make a difference just because they are only one person, many great causes around the world would lose their power. That’s often be referred to as “The Power of One”.

Do you see someone who needs a friend?

Do know of someone who is being bullied?

Maybe you are the one who being bullied.

Talk to someone about how you can stand up for yourself in a safe way, or do something else to prevent it from happening again. Don’t be afraid to block or hide someone from view on social media. You may even decide that a particular social media platform is not for you and delete your account altogether. Talk to your parents about this if you need help.

It’s also ok to have compassion for the bully. They are human too. Why do they do what they do? Which brings us to our final comments on the subject of bullying.

A Final Word for Bullies

Are you a person who is bullying someone else? You may wonder why it makes you feel better to be hurtful to others. Perhaps you are involved in other destructive behavior. Maybe you are being bullied or hurt by an adult. Teachers and school counselors are there for you too. Talk to them.

Read about cyberbullying in fan culture and who to help stop it.

It can be challenging to create the ideal workstation for your students. Even the most ergonomically designed settings have plenty of distractions. Today, technology is among the biggest offenders. In some cases, it’s technology that stalls students from beginning their work.

In other cases, it’s technology that diverts the students’ attention away from their work once after they’ve finally obtained focus. Video games, push notifications, you name it. These are all technological features that are distracting to educational modes. However, lowered student performance is not the only result that can stem from an intrusive work environment. 

Distractions can lead students to stress and anxiety, condition them into a mindset that deprioritizes education, and even influence them to lose interest in their studies. Still, our society is heavily reliant on technology, so ridding screens from educational settings isn’t the best solution. 

Perhaps learning the long-lost art of concentration can assist in remediation, as well as taking some time to understand how the role of sleep contributes to productivity. Mind wandering is so natural that we often don’t even realize we’re drifting focus. 

Does a child’s IQ have anything to do with their ability to stay attentive and focused?  Learn what an IQ test can teach parents and teachers about kids by measuring reasoning, memory and a brain’s processing speed.

A study by Microsoft Canada found that our average attention span is 1 second less than that of a goldfish! 8 seconds! Furthermore, The Journal of Neuroscience found that continued lack of sleep could destroy our brain cells. For example, when mice are deprived of sleep, neurons in their brains begin to die. 

Although distractions are impossible to completely vanish, simple steps can point your students in the direction of success. Take a look at the infographic below for a complete reference guide on how to help students focus better.

In educational institutes, a parents-teachers meeting (PTM) is essential to inform the parents about their child’s growth in school. Often, the arrangement does not take place with effective measures leaving miscommunication, partial communication, or no communication.

As well, in the current scenario, both parents are mostly working; hence, they do not make it up for the PTM sometimes.

If you are looking for tips and tricks for improving the parent-teacher school meeting, you have landed at the right spot. Here, we are listing the top tips that will enhance the overall PTM experience.

#1. Use school management system

While you want to strengthen parent-teacher communication in the meetings, you should use a school management system. The system offers a quick and easy communication facility where teachers can send direct notifications or updates to the parents. Apart from this, they can make students’ results and progress reports available online, so parents can view the details without visiting the school.

In fact, the use of such software is being increased day by day. The educational system insists on delivering a high-quality experience to the students and parents, which can be fulfilled by online learning effectively and efficiently.

#2. Offer personalized meeting experience

Each student is unique, so the teacher needs to inform all parents of different details. In this instance, it would be a great idea to deliver a personalized experience for all guardians. This will enable in maintaining the privacy of students’ improvement and allow parents to converse openly. Besides, personalized meeting conversations will enhance the school’s reputation and image among all the parents.

#3. Design shorter, frequent communication

Do not opt for one long communication or wait until the end of the term to reach out with an extended recap to communicate with parents. This will not only create complications in the communication but also create flaws in informing the details.

Just as schools have shifted to more frequent evaluations of students, school communications should also be short and frequent to keep parents in the loop on a continuous basis. A school management app is the best way for this type of communication, where parents and teachers can stay connected frequently.

#4. Allow flexible meeting schedule

This is one of the highly demanded options by the parents. As both parents are working (in most instances), they might not be able to make up at the designated time for the PTM. If your institute’s goal is to strengthen parent-teacher communication, flexibility in the meeting schedule should be there.

Furthermore, in today’s digital world, parent teacher communication can also take place online via school management software. The accessibility of communication with teachers from anywhere, working parents admire this type of facility from a school.

#5. Keep students’ report ready beforehand

 If a teacher has prepared the students’ reports beforehand, it will be a lot easier to communicate the details effectively. With the complete record and progress report on hand, teachers only need to focus on emphasizing having an effective conversation. Moreover, they can present students’ work quickly so that parents can get an overview of their child’s progress at the school.

#6. Provide actionable information

Providing information to keep parents up-to-date is recommended, but schools also need to make sure they share information that parents can act on. This can include opportunities for parents to encourage or prepare their child for classroom assignments or learn about forthcoming extracurricular activities and special events.

Apart from the above mentioned tips, here are some other consideration that helps in improving parent teacher communication;

• Encourage teachers to be proactive about communication with parents. If parents are not participating actively, send them reminders and ask them to join a meeting.
• Build a report with the parents and inform them about their child’s overall behavior or progress at school. If required, teachers should connect with specialists for the betterment of students.
• Arrange for the translator if there is a requirement for making the communication a flawless process.
• Assess family dynamics for students who have parents no longer living together and ensure proper communication for both households.
• Make sure a teacher is using appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Do not forget to mention the positives about each student to their parents.
• Take advantage of technology where possible and needed.

Effective communication between parents and teachers is crucial for the betterment of students. As teacher and parent relationships play a vital role in the development of a student, both of them need to communicate frequently and on a continuous basis. Once parents are aware of their child’s progress at school, they can take certain measures to notice visible improvements in the student’s progress.

In a nutshell, when you are trying to make parent-teacher communication an effective process, there are certain elements that play their role. For instance, if you opt for a tech-savvy approach, it will be a lot easier to share information with parents. Also, it will advance the manual tasks and create a positive impression. If a teacher keeps the above mentioned points in mind while conversing with parents, the PTM can be as effective as expected.

About the author:
Shobhit Srivastava is an avid writer. He holds spectacular skills in school automation, loyalty programs, marketing, and customer retention. Connect with him on Twitter!

The need for mental and behavioral health services among adolescents is high.  If left untreated, even the symptoms of behavioral or mental disorders that drop over time are more likely to return. In the light of these statistics, it is imperative to pay attention to your teen’s mental health and seek the relevant therapeutic solutions whenever necessary.

Studies suggest that the 12-month prevalence of mental disorders among patients aged 13 to 17 is 40.3 percent. Furthermore, teenagers experience high rates of recurrence. Online therapies are a widely-studied and efficacious treatment for various behavioral and mental health conditions among adolescents. But are they a viable solution?

What’s Online Therapy?

Also known as e-therapy, telepsychology, or internet counseling, online therapy allows patients to meet with a professional therapist in a virtual or online setting as opposed to face-to-face meetings in a psychologist’s office. The therapist may communicate through a mobile app, specific website, text message, or email. Online therapy for teens can also be done through a video chat.

There are many online therapy programs, but all share similar features. These programs are offered along with human coaching. This makes the therapy sessions more efficacious than self-guided programs.

Several studies have found that adolescents are more receptive to working with a therapist using computer-based therapy. A 2016 study of adolescents in Australia shows that 72 percent of teenagers said that they would enroll for online therapy if they were battling a mental health issue. 32 percent of the study participants revealed that they would prefer online therapy over face-to-face meetings.

In another study done in 2015, adolescent participants said that they would prefer e-therapy for discussing sexuality and other sensitive issues.

Benefits of e-therapy

There are many reasons you may want to consider e-therapy for your teenager as opposed to traditional therapy. The potential benefits of online therapy include;

Confidentiality

Patients often wonder about patient-therapist data protection in a traditional therapy setting. E-therapy follows the regulations of the Federal Council of Psychology. In other words, your data and conversations between you and the therapist will be secure through encryption. No one will need to know that you’re undergoing therapy. With online therapy care, the patient can carry out the sessions from a location of your choosing.

Time Saver

People who have already undergone face-to-face psychological counseling may have noticed that it takes time to travel to and from a therapist’s office. The client should be at the office before the session starts, and for that, the patient will be spending time in traffic.

With e-therapy, you no longer need to travel long distances. All you need to do is to schedule a therapy session at the best time for you and your therapist. During the session, each of you needs to connect to the internet, and that’s all.

Comfort

For therapy to flow seamlessly, a patient should feel at ease, and for that, there is nothing more comfortable than your favorite spot. Whether you are on a trip or office, you can easily attend your therapy sessions more productively.

Affordability

Most therapists charge less for online therapy sessions because e-therapy sessions have few overhead costs. The therapist may not need to pay staff members, rent office space, and other expenses.  Still, for families who don’t have insurance alternative therapy options for the uninsured, in addition to online therapy, are worth exploring.

How To Prepare Your Teen

Counseling for teens integrates appropriate communication styles and ensures a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment. These programs help them explore their identities and strengths, teaching them to overcome challenges. They learn how to manage stress, anxiety, and depression effectively and set objective personal and academic goals.

Many programs emphasize building support networks and constructive conflict resolution, improving interactions at home and school. Preparing for online therapy involves the following steps:

1. Explain the Purpose: Clarify why therapy is beneficial and how it can help them address their challenges.
2. Select the Right Therapist: Research therapists who specialize in adolescents and ensure the online platform is secure and user-friendly.
3. Prepare the Environment: Help them find a private, quiet space for sessions and ensure they have the necessary technical setup, such as a reliable internet connection and headphones.
4. Outline the Process: Discuss what they can expect during sessions and how communication will work, including handling any technical issues.
5. Assure Confidentiality: Emphasize that their discussions are private, which may make them feel more comfortable sharing openly.
6. Encourage Openness: Let them express any concerns or expectations they have about therapy. This can help adjust the experience to better suit their needs.
7. Promote Independence: Encourage them to take responsibility for managing their therapy sessions and goals, which can boost their engagement and confidence.
8. Offer Support: Be available to support them without intruding, allowing space for them to navigate their own feelings about therapy.

Don’t forget to check in periodically to ensure the therapy is meeting their needs, encouraging them to reflect on their progress.

Potential limitations of only therapy

There are some drawbacks a parent should consider before enrolling an adolescent in online therapy. Some of these disadvantages include;

• Technology-related challenges: If your internet connection goes down, the chances are that you won’t connect with the therapist. Cybersecurity threats could also be an issue.

• Medical insurance may not cover e-therapy services: Though your insurer may cover the cost of in-person treatment services, you may lack coverage for telehealth.

• Boundaries might get blurred: Sending text messages or chatting online may cause your teenager to think of the therapist as more of a friend than a professional. Such confusion could mean that the treatment will not be effective.

• Online Burnout:  If you child is already taking classes online, as well as spending a lot of time online for entertainment, be aware of potential online burnout to determine if online therapy is the best solution.

Therapy Alternatives for the the Uninsured

How much is therapy without insurance

The comparison between an average cost with insurance per session and an average cost without insurance per session

5 alternatives people can take advantage of

Summary

If you’re planning to enroll your teen in online therapy, first, talk to the child’s doctor. He or she should rule out the underlying health problems that might be causing the mental health issues. The doctor can also advise you about whether online therapy will be an effective solution.