About the theme

Being good to one another; it sounds simpler than it is. Sometimes things clash, including at school. As a student, you are placed in a group with peers whom you did not choose yourself. Peers with whom you have things in common, but also many differences. And yet you have to do it together. The good news is: You can learn how to live together.

But how do you do that together? That is a shared responsibility. Everyone at school has a responsibility in this and can contribute positively to getting along with one another. In other words: forming a positive group in which bullying has no place.

The school as a place to practise

In a safe environment, you can practise treating one another with respect. The fact that this can sometimes involve tension may be uncomfortable, but it can also be enriching; after all, there is no polish without friction. It reveals the diversity of our society. Differences are part of a healthy democracy. Interacting with fellow students who are different or think differently helps students develop mutual tolerance and combat bullying. This requires practice and room to make mistakes. That is necessary to create a socially safe learning environment. And it is precisely by making mistakes that you learn and develop together.

The teacher’s role

Being a teacher means much more than simply passing on knowledge to students. You also teach them how to interact with one another, which behaviour is and is not acceptable, and what it means to be a citizen and part of society. In a safe environment, students can practise this. As a teacher, you play an important role in this.

You shape students through everything you do and allow:

  • What behaviour do you demonstrate?
  • How do you deal with bullying?
  • How do you make difficult subjects open for discussion?

The teacher’s attitude and actions are an important key to moral education. If you want to teach students tolerance and responsibility, you must set an example yourself. To enable students to take responsibility, they need your trust. This also includes the trust to be allowed to make mistakes. Because being good to one another requires practice and conversation. That is why it is so important to reflect on this together: how do we make it safe for one another to fall and get back up?

The Week Against Bullying offers free teaching materials, inspiration and activities suited to the theme, to help you as a teacher get started. These teaching materials can be downloaded here from 1 June.