Tips for Teachers – How To Address Fat Shaming?

Last Updated on December 10, 2024 | Published: December 2, 2024 published by Jenny Tomei

Introduction

Teachers and school staff play an essential role in the emotional well-being of their students and are very often the first people that students will go to if they are experiencing any mental health issues. Even though resolving issues involving fat shaming is not required or included in a teacher’s job description, it is still highly consequential that these situations are dealt with urgently and appropriately with the best intentions for the student.

What is the role of a teacher when it comes to confronting fat shaming in school?

The role of the teacher has greatly expanded over the last few decades and in an ideal circumstance, it should not solely be the responsibility of any teacher to identify students who are struggling with their mental health or support a student with different social or emotional needs.

A teacher’s primary role should always be educating, however, it is often the teachers who are the first people to recognize when a child is being affected by a decline in their mental health state as their academics usually suffer as a result. 

There are multiple challenges that a teacher may be confronted with on any day surrounding their mental health and work environment including:

• A high demand for workload

• A challenging classroom dynamics or students,

• A lack of support given by their school or those around them

• Pressure to meet and maintain a certain level of standards.

Many teachers feel as if they are unprepared to manage mental health challenges due to a lack of proper training and resources provided to them. Therefore are unable to tackle the situation effectively. It is vital that teaching staff feel supported in the workplace so that they can produce the best outcome of performance and attention. 

Tip 1: When should guardians be contacted?

In the case of a teacher being aware of a young person being fat-shamed, guardians should be contacted at their earliest convenience. Whilst it may not be considered an emergency in essence, parents and carers need to be informed. It is important to keep guardians informed to discuss in depth the situation with their child in a safe environment, where the child may feel more comfortable discussing the bullying. Keeping consistent communication with the guardian is vital to work together to support the young person.

Tip 2: How should children experiencing fat shaming be approached?

Young people experiencing fat shaming may find the topic of what they are experiencing sensitive and difficult to articulate to another person, therefore when a teacher or adult wants to approach their bullying, it is vital for the sake of the student that it is handled with consideration and kindness.

• However, many students may find it easier to talk about how they’re feeling about the bullying to an adult.

• Many students benefit from the use of expressive tools to access a form of communication that assists them in effectively expressing their emotions in a way that may be easier for the student.

• Providing students with an enjoyable and accessible device motivates young people to feel as though they can convey their feelings and ideas, but also releases dopamine, allowing them to further investigate and confront their authentic perceptions and experiences. 

The topic of fat shaming should be introduced within the curriculum education during lessons like PSHE or life lessons. Schools should also be encouraged to allow students to engage in interventions that can be used as a preventative, before the action rather than having to be a resolution to an incident after it’s been done.

• Schools must become more proactive than reactive to a situation to eliminate the idea that fat shaming of any kind is acceptable anywhere. 

• The topic of fat shaming should be introduced within the curriculum, like PSHE or humanities/life lessons, interventions which can be used as a preventative before the action, not used as a resolution after it’s been done.
• It is essential to be proactive rather than reactive when confronting fat shaming and education on fat shaming should be more widely accessible for both students and teachers in schools. 

Tip 4: How can schools better support young people experiencing fat shaming?

Fat shaming can be addressed by using more proactive approaches, and gaining a better understanding of each student’s needs could prevent many escalations from occurring.

As a way to resolve this for students the following could be done:

• The school nurse could be contacted (if there is one available) and the situation should be discussed with members of the senior leadership team, to discover whether there are any strategies that could be enforced within the school environment to support the young person who is struggling.
• Ask the school to record bullying incidents, including those related to appearance
• Help students understand the harm of fat shaming – Highlight the damage that fat shaming can cause and that it is never acceptable.
• Create an open and supportive environment where students feel they can open up staff members.

Tip 5: How to reach out for support?

There are many procedures that teachers can utilize to prioritize their mental and physical health. Teachers must allow themselves to set boundaries both personally and professionally to ensure that their mental and physical health is maintained to a good standard. It can also benefit a teacher to create social interactions and mutual support with colleagues friends and family outside of the working environment. Importantly, teachers deserve acknowledgment of the critical role that they are playing in the lives of young people within schools. 

Where can you find out more?

• 4 Ways Teachers Can Support Students’ Emotional Well-Being (edutopia)
• How To Support A Struggling Teacher (The Teaching Couple)
• The effects of fat shaming on health (Medical News Today)

By Amelia Whent