Taking the Punch Out of Bullying

Cyberbullying is using technology to intimidate, make fun of, or otherwise socially terrorize (bully) another student. It differs from traditional bullying because it employs the use of technology to carry it out. It also diverges from what people think of as bullying because it is typically strictly emotional and not physical. Cyberbullying is not a fight in a school yard or giving someone a swirly to get his lunch money but is the act of demoralizing an individual through words on cell phones, in chat rooms, on social networking sites, through email, and other internet based communication forums. Though I did have some experience with traditional bullying in fifth grade, I have not had experience with cyberbullying. In fact, the term was new to me as of our class discussion. I didn’t realize that bullying has transcended its former vision of playground fights and now can follow students into their homes and onto their phones.

Schools face potential disruptions and issues when it comes to cyberbullying. Schools are to act as the parents in the parent’s absence. Schools are also to provide an atmosphere that promotes learning for students and is safe. The emotional effects of cyberbullying cause an educational disruption and disturbance and are visible as students become depressed, angry, anxious, and suffer from increased absenteeism as a direct result of bullying. Schools are legally responsible for protecting their students, and so free speech may be limited when it detracts from the learning environment. Even though this bullying occurs off of school grounds and after school time, the effects upon the individual are felt at school and so the school needs to intercede on the part of the victim. Teachers should absolutely step in to protect a victim from cyberbullying. The teacher should attempt to obtain as much information as possible from the student, reassuring the student that she is the victim in the situation and it is ok to talk about what is going on because it is not right. Teachers should also report the bullying to the child’s parents and to the school administration so that the bully can be confronted. The downside with cyberbullying is that if a student being bullied won’t talk about it, it is almost impossible to know that it is going on and to protect that child. To raise awareness and potential parental involvement surrounding this issue, it would be advantageous for schools to address cyberbullying (what it is, how to find out, how to stop it) and charge parents with watching for possible cyberbullying of their children at home.

I plan to hopefully preempt cyberbullying in my classroom with a discussion on it. I want students to know that it is not ok to engage in bullying and that if they are being bullied that it is not their fault and that they can talk about it. I also plan to make the clear connection that cyberbullying is congruent with real bullying and is equally offensive. I want to take power away from bullying by having an open discussion about it. I plan to discuss cyberbullying as a group but also address it one on one with students that are potentially being bullied. I will involve much more than my classroom by talking about the topic with parents and administrators. In fact, the more I think about it, the more appropriate a topic it seems to discuss with the PTA and with the school board. The entire community should be involved in eradicating this technological plague of meanness.