Creating Socially Fit Heroes and Reducing the Incidence of Bullying in Elementary Physical Education

Abstract

Physical educators are not immune to incidents of bullying since confrontations are likely to occur in the settings in which they teach. Children do not recognize themselves as bullies because they often benefit from mistreating others, they don't suffer serious consequences along the way, and their victims don't know how to respond to their aggression. Bullied children may require assistance to see that they are capable of growth to get beyond a victim mentality. Long-term bullies continue to mark passive individuals for abuse, signaling the urgency in developing social skills at an earlier age. Fostering heroism includes three steps: (1) to encourage awareness; (2) to recognize that students have the power to resolve issues; and (3) to foster action in place of passivity. Physical educators can take the lead to initiate school-wide reform by teaching, encouraging and giving children opportunities to practice prosocial behaviors such as being friendlier, more aware of others, and better able to recognize verbal and other forms of abuse. Since physical educators teach all the children in the school, the potential exists to effect a positive societal change within the school building. This article highlights the characteristics of elementary students who engage in bullying behaviors and their victims, along with strategies to promote prosocial fitness within the elementary physical education curriculum and learning environment.