Ratting vs. Reporting

Students need to know the difference between ratting and reporting. Fear of looking like a tattle-tale often stops students who are being bullied from reporting the bullying. You must give students options to let adults know what is going on.

1.	Use timely news articles about events where no one reported and/or where someone came forward with information about a crime or bullying. Talk about the need to report and reasons why someone might keep quiet. Help students realize that if everyone is part of a support team, then bullying behaviour will always be identified. The reporter can’t be shamed or feared into silence.
2.	Have a "Something’s Bothering Me Box" in the class. This gives students an anonymous way of reporting bullying incidents (or any other concerns they may have), especially at the beginning of the year when trust might not yet be established. Set aside time to discuss issues as a class (without naming names) or with individuals as required.
3.	As all teachers know, positive reinforcement is almost always much more successful than negative reinforcement in curbing students "bad" behaviour. Create opportunities for students to have their acts of kindness and respect reported and rewarded. Next to the "Something’s Bothering Me Box", have a "Reporting Respect Box" for student to share things they did or saw others doing. Perhaps they stood up for themselves assertively but calmly in the face of a student who bullies. Perhaps they came to the aid of another student who was hurt or need help. Perhaps they told a student who was bullying to leave that person alone. Take time each week to read respect reports with your students. Talk about other positive things the students could do in the incidents being discussed. Discuss things they might have done that would only have made matters worse.