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Saying ‘no’ to bullying in classrooms

16 October 2015

Iman Dahweer teaches English and science to students in grades four, five and six at an UNRWA school in Lebanon. She is also a school counsellor and through her work recognized the ongoing challenge students face in confronting bullying in their schools. This year, she was instrumental in decreasing bullying in classrooms through her use of innovative programming and student-focused lessons.

Iman is just one of one 22,000 exceptional UNRWA education staff who are responsible for teaching almost half a million Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, and who the Agency celebrated this World Teachers’ Day. The UNRWA education programme is only possible thanks to the generous support of donors, the largest five of whom are the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway.

This is Iman’s story.  

Iman says she decided to implement an anti-bullying programme with grade five students because children at this age can be extremely competitive, with overachievers sometimes unintentionally bullying classmates who face learning difficulties. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Abdul Nasser Al-SaadiUsing the U.S. funded Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, and Tolerance teacher’s guide as a starting point, Iman worked with students to explore how they express themselves and to encourage students to share their personal experiences of bullying and its effects. “The students’ stories were touching and made us realize that this was no ordinary problem. We decided at that moment to announce a ‘No Bullying Day’,” she explains. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Abdul Nasser Al-SaadiOn ‘No Bullying Day’, parents and education staff were invited to listen to the kids share their heartwarming testimonies,” says Iman. “The students sang and delivered speeches that emphasized the importance of tolerance and accepting others, and the need to stand up against bullying. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Abdul Nasser Al-SaadiNo Bullying Day also allowed Palestine refugees from Syria to speak about their feelings and experiences after being forced to leave behind their homes, schools and lives. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Abdul Nasser Al-SaadiIman’s initiative helped improve communication between students in the classroom. It also helped her pupils understand and relate to one another, thus decreasing incidents of bullying among students. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Abdul Nasser Al-Saadi

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