Phase 2 - Interviewing
Alleged Bully Interview Form:
This form is used by the Student Support Center when interviewing an alleged perpetrator. Usually, the School Counselor will do this interview. When this interview happens the Student Support Center already have a lot of information. They must still maintain an open mind, however, as things are not always what they seem. The student is withdrawn from class for the interview, which is quite formal. It is usually one-to-one, but in particularly serious situations or where a student is likely to be uncooperative a second team member may be present as an observer. If so, a female teacher should be considered. (depending on the situation, may not always be the right choice). The sheets/forms used by the interviewer bear the School Crest - the student is being interviewed on behalf of the whole school. In this environment the student is usually fully cooperative.
The student is assured that if he/she were being bullied the perpetrator of that bullying would now be facing the same interview. They are then, in an indirect way given a chance to admit treating another student disrespectfully and they may do so at this stage. If they do, they are then invited to say what kind of disrespectful treatment was involved. Usually they do not offer many specific kinds of behavior and whether they do or not the interviewer now utilizes the - Bullying Behavior Checklist to get a more accurate picture of what was happening.
At this point the student is told that when the interview is over they will be asked to make a promise and keep it and if they do there will be no penalty. However, if they are not honest in going through the checklist such a promise could then not be trusted so the "no-blame" approach would have to be shelved and the matter handed over to a Head of Year, Head of Section, or the Head of School.
Following this clarification the student is usually happy to cooperate with the interview. When asked why the student was treating the targeted student like this, usually the answer is that the student does not know. This is probably largely true since the reasons why some people bully others are complex. Other responses like "he annoys me" or "we don't get along" or "I don't like him" or "he treated me badly first" are also fairly common. The interviewer now needs to know if the student, who has just completed an extensive checklist and may have admitted to several kinds of bullying behavior, really understands how hurtful and wrong this is so they can promise faithfully to stop.
Appealing to empathy may not work well as a bully may have little or none. Using examples with the student's mother as the object, offers a good chance of eliciting a response based on some level of loyalty, fellow-feeling, even love. A person who feels for nobody else in the world may still have warm feelings towards her/his mother and be able to clearly indicate what a mother's response would be if treated at work the way the perpetrator was treating the targeted student at school. They usually use words like "upset,""angry," "devastated" and the interviewer can probe further with questions like "would she report it to management" or "would she want to leave her job" or "would she find this unbearable or very frustrating." They may then be able to honestly indicate that they themselves would be very angry if they witnessed this. They can now admit to understanding how unfair it is to treat someone else that way and the interviewer can know if they are sincere in this.
When the full facts are revealed and read back to interviewed students, particularly the findings of the checklist, they are often quite surprised at the extent of the bullying and prepared to accept that it was bullying whether it was intended to be or not. Though they already know what bullying is from the awareness-raising exercises, some students genuinely do not bridge the gap in their own minds between what they know and their own behavior. Sometimes this seems to be because they act in small "instants" of behavior that are then forgotten and do not see the pattern. They often express genuine regret and are apologetic to the team-member. In this situation a team-member may ask "Do you not think that apology should be addressed to someone else?" (Sometimes the team member may hear back from the surprised and relieved student who had been targeted, later, that the apology was indeed delivered and that peace has been restored). The interview, then, is a very effective awareness-raising exercise in itself for those who need it most.
Bully Interview Behavior Checklist:
This form used by the Student Support Center as part of the above interview, lists kinds of bullying behavior grouped under various the headings. Alleged perpetrators are asked if they have done each of the things listed. They may be asked for clarification or examples in relation to any of their responses. At the end of this section of the interview the interviewer should have a very clear picture of the extent of any bullying that has taking place and be able to return to the – Alleged Bullying Interview Form to complete the interview.
Phase 1 - Establishing the Facts
Phase 3 - Resolution
Phase 4 - Rehabilitation
This form is used by the Student Support Center when interviewing an alleged perpetrator. Usually, the School Counselor will do this interview. When this interview happens the Student Support Center already have a lot of information. They must still maintain an open mind, however, as things are not always what they seem. The student is withdrawn from class for the interview, which is quite formal. It is usually one-to-one, but in particularly serious situations or where a student is likely to be uncooperative a second team member may be present as an observer. If so, a female teacher should be considered. (depending on the situation, may not always be the right choice). The sheets/forms used by the interviewer bear the School Crest - the student is being interviewed on behalf of the whole school. In this environment the student is usually fully cooperative.
The student is assured that if he/she were being bullied the perpetrator of that bullying would now be facing the same interview. They are then, in an indirect way given a chance to admit treating another student disrespectfully and they may do so at this stage. If they do, they are then invited to say what kind of disrespectful treatment was involved. Usually they do not offer many specific kinds of behavior and whether they do or not the interviewer now utilizes the - Bullying Behavior Checklist to get a more accurate picture of what was happening.
At this point the student is told that when the interview is over they will be asked to make a promise and keep it and if they do there will be no penalty. However, if they are not honest in going through the checklist such a promise could then not be trusted so the "no-blame" approach would have to be shelved and the matter handed over to a Head of Year, Head of Section, or the Head of School.
Following this clarification the student is usually happy to cooperate with the interview. When asked why the student was treating the targeted student like this, usually the answer is that the student does not know. This is probably largely true since the reasons why some people bully others are complex. Other responses like "he annoys me" or "we don't get along" or "I don't like him" or "he treated me badly first" are also fairly common. The interviewer now needs to know if the student, who has just completed an extensive checklist and may have admitted to several kinds of bullying behavior, really understands how hurtful and wrong this is so they can promise faithfully to stop.
Appealing to empathy may not work well as a bully may have little or none. Using examples with the student's mother as the object, offers a good chance of eliciting a response based on some level of loyalty, fellow-feeling, even love. A person who feels for nobody else in the world may still have warm feelings towards her/his mother and be able to clearly indicate what a mother's response would be if treated at work the way the perpetrator was treating the targeted student at school. They usually use words like "upset,""angry," "devastated" and the interviewer can probe further with questions like "would she report it to management" or "would she want to leave her job" or "would she find this unbearable or very frustrating." They may then be able to honestly indicate that they themselves would be very angry if they witnessed this. They can now admit to understanding how unfair it is to treat someone else that way and the interviewer can know if they are sincere in this.
When the full facts are revealed and read back to interviewed students, particularly the findings of the checklist, they are often quite surprised at the extent of the bullying and prepared to accept that it was bullying whether it was intended to be or not. Though they already know what bullying is from the awareness-raising exercises, some students genuinely do not bridge the gap in their own minds between what they know and their own behavior. Sometimes this seems to be because they act in small "instants" of behavior that are then forgotten and do not see the pattern. They often express genuine regret and are apologetic to the team-member. In this situation a team-member may ask "Do you not think that apology should be addressed to someone else?" (Sometimes the team member may hear back from the surprised and relieved student who had been targeted, later, that the apology was indeed delivered and that peace has been restored). The interview, then, is a very effective awareness-raising exercise in itself for those who need it most.
Bully Interview Behavior Checklist:
This form used by the Student Support Center as part of the above interview, lists kinds of bullying behavior grouped under various the headings. Alleged perpetrators are asked if they have done each of the things listed. They may be asked for clarification or examples in relation to any of their responses. At the end of this section of the interview the interviewer should have a very clear picture of the extent of any bullying that has taking place and be able to return to the – Alleged Bullying Interview Form to complete the interview.
Phase 1 - Establishing the Facts
Phase 3 - Resolution
Phase 4 - Rehabilitation