Cyberbullying
It is a well known-fact that bullying in schools is neither new nor on the wane. Students have picked on (as the saying goes) other students while on the schoolgrounds since schools as we know them came into being. Bullying was not then, nor is it now, tolerated. The bullies, however, were identifiable and physically present to suffer the consequences of their misbehavior.
With the advent of the Internet, a new, more insidious form of bullying has appeared: cyberbullying. Patchin and Hinduja defined cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text” (2006). Because cyberbullying, unlike earlier forms of bullying, can be anonymous and disseminated worldwide, it has caused tragedies that have ranged from defamation of character to suicide. Not only students but also teachers and administrators have been subjected to these vicious verbal attacks. Several cases are pending in Florida courts that involve students using electronic media to deride principals and teachers. To find out more about the current state of affairs that encompasses the use of email, chats, the social networking sites, and other forms of electronic media to maliciously inflict injury on their victims, go to cyberbullying.us at
http://cyberbullying.us.
Once you are familiarized with the impact cyberbullying has on the lives of those people who are preyed upon, the question becomes what can be done to prevent cyberbullying. Literature, both traditional and online, contains authoritative, commonsense, and extensive coverage of means of stamping out cyberbullying. The National Crime Prevention Council has launched a public advertising campaign devoted to deleting cyberbullying. The Council’s web site, http://www.ncpc.org/newsroom/current-campaigns/syberbullying is written to teenagers. It lists ways teenagers have suggested to prevent cyberbullying and how teenagers can stay cyber-safe. Examples of the suggestions are that teenagers should never pass along cyberbullying messages, should tell others not to be cyberbullies, and should report cyberbullying to an adult. This web site includes many easy-to-carry out ways to thwart this form of abuse. The pervasiveness of it can be seen in the results of an empirical study (2005) that shows that over 1/3 (33.4%) of the 1500 youth studied had suffered fro cyberbullying. Since 2005, the popularity of social networking sites has increased exponentially so that it is reasonable to assume that the reprehensible figure of 33.4% has now surpassed that percentage.
Hinudaja, S. (2007, January 15). Cyberbullying research news events anecdotes resources services cyberbullying.us. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from http://www.cyberbullying.us.
Cyberbullying is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. How would you handle a student who is caught cyberbullying one of his/her classmates? Explain your reasoning.
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If a student is discovered to be cyberbullying and is not confronted, his behavior may become habitual and his patterns of aggression toward others who are vulnerable may become ingrained. He may continue to use control and intimidation and draw others into such behavior. Immediate attention and implementation of school sanctioned consequences are necessary.
There is an immediate need to open dialogue. Information gathering is critical. Find out as much about the problem a possible. Determine the role of the cyberbully. Is he the leader or is he acting with others? What is the extent and nature of the cyberbullying? What is the impact on the victim?
The resolution should involve notifying the school administration. Also, notify the guardians of both the victim and the cyberbully. Don't assume that they are aware of the issue or that they don't care. Allow them to use their discretion in establishing boundaries and monitoring outside of the classroom and offer suggestions if they are requested. Encourage them to communicate with you regarding any further related issues. Implement restrictions in the classroom, discuss dispute and conflict resolution, diversity and assertiveness training and , if necessary, refer for professional counsel.
Each day is new. Sarah
How would you handle a student who is caught cyberbullying one of his/her classmates?
If this were my students’ first incident I would confront them with the allegations and/or evidence to give them an opportunity to agree to or deny the allegations and/or evidence. Then I would have the victim and perpetrator together to see if we could establish some type of resolution. Once we reach a resolution I would have the two make amends and have them to sit next to each other so I could watch for any indicators that the situation is not resolved.
I would then inform the class that it has been brought to my attention and that if anyone had fell victim to this type of harassment not to be afraid to confide in me. I always want my class to feel that they are in a safe environment and to see me as a confidant. After this discussion I would report the incident to the administration and inform them of the actions that I took in resolving the issue.
If this was not the first incident I would immediately take away the electronically device, copy the evidence that was used in this sinister act. Escort them to the office and notify the parent (s) of both the victim and the perpetrator. Then I would suggest that it was time to implement a practice that attended to this issue.
I look forward to your feedback
Brenda Anderson
Sarah,
I agree with everything you said and would like to add that studies show that anyone that avoids punishment for their actions are prone to repeat the same evince but their acts would intensify. Notification is essential, but boundaries should also be set within the schools to show that acts of this magnitude will not be tolerated. I would also like to add that professional counseling should be deemed necessary for both the victim and the perpetrator.
I look forward to your feedback
Brenda Anderson
Brenda,
While we agree that prompt intervention is necessary, I do not believe that professional counsel is always required. I do believe that some bullying and harassment is a manifestation of deep seated psychological problems, however, others are isolated acts for attention or just some poorly thought through sense of justice.
Both must be addressed with consequences, education and monitoring. The impulse to harass is the same today as it was when you heard of children stealing lunches, it is just the method that has become sophisticated. It must be made clear that such behavior is not acceptable but the need for professional counsel should be assessed on a case by case basis.
Each day is new.
Sarah
Sarah,
Thanks for your response. The reason that I suggested for the victim to seek counseling is because we as educators can’t determine how bullying had affected the victim or if this was the first incident. We can’t say that the victim is or did not contemplate thoughts of suicide or at least encounter some low self-esteem issues due to the bullying.
I look forward to your feedback.
Brenda Anderson
Cyberbulling is a serious offence. Personally, I believe this form of bullying is more cowardice than the traditional face-to-face. The availability to use text in this capacity has broadened the spectrum of students, and even parents, that might choose to use this type of bullying.
Schools should have a zero-tolerence policy in dealing with bullying whether written or verbal. Each offence should have a consequence depending on the severity. Documentation on the administration level should be kept on each offence. Suspension and a parent meeting should be included when the offence infers physical harm. The school counselor should be involved at the initial offence and for follow-up counseling. Lesser offences can involve in-school spension and research on cases involving serious cyberbullying. Researching more serious cases might prevent the minor offences from moving to a higher level. This type of behavior issue can greatly benefit from knowing your student and assigning a consequence based on your knowledge as an educator. In any case, the student should know without a doubt that there will be a consequence for each offence.
As with any behavior plan, consistancy will be vital. The schools administration should have a clear plan that administrators and teachers adhere to without exception. We have all read in recent years of the terrible and sometimes fatal incidents invloving the child that showed signs in advance that were ignored. Cyberbullying will not disapear, we must be diligent to adress it.
Sorry again the above comment is mine!
Ann Hitchon
Brenda and Sarah,
I am always interested in obtaining new perspectives with student discipline. As I made mention, effective teachers know themselves and their students, and this can often lead to successful resolutions to serious behavior issues. A teacher in my school successfully uses "pairing" of students that have a history of conflict together.
I agree that counseling in a situation involving bullying is always appropriate. Speaking to a school counselor should always be included. I believe outside counseling would be reserved for repeat offenders and incidents involving threat of physical harm.
Ann Hitchon
Ann,
I applaud the teacher that found away to pair the students with conflict together, but he/she should keep in mind that this might not work for all situations, and should have an alternate plan.
I agree that the school counselor along with administration should all be notified of this action. But I disagree about outside counseling; the victim may not have been physically assaulted but may have been mentally devastated by the action (s) and should have a professional opinion if not this could become a scare that the victim will carry into adulthood.
I look forward to your feedback.
Brenda Anderson
To address a student that is cyberbullying you would need to involve the children, administrators and the parents of both children. Cyberbullying is as harmful to a child as physical bullying and cannot be tolerated. There is a commercial that comes on sometimes that has a student standing in front of the entire school saying some of the most horrible things about another student you can imagine. At the end of the commercial a tagline comes on that says "You wouldn't say it in person so don't say it online" or something to that effect and it is a reasonable argument. It is our responsibility as adults to see to it that no child in our care is subject to abuse. You should notify both sets of parents and school administration with proof in hand and then follow up as much as possible to make sure the child being bullied is safe.
David Perry
I agree with Brenda that school councelors should also be notified. They have training and are many times much more capable of follwing up with the issues and assuring that the parties involved are taught the proper way of handling issues that may come up with other students.
David Perry
If I caught one of my students in the act of cyberbulling I would immediately confront them and try to have an open conversation as to why they were wanting to hurt this other person. I would then let them know how serious this act was and let them know that I would need to have a conversation with the school principal to determine what consequence there would be. With the principals permission I would notify the student's parents.
Although I know that the student whom is being bullied needs to be addressed I don't know if I would immediately make them confront the person who was harassing them. I would have the school counselor or administrator meet with him or her and get details of the "cyber" exchange. I would then let the "victim" decide if they wanted a face to face confrontation.
Susan Hutchens
Anne,
I agree, schools should have a zero-tolerance policy toward cyberbulling and there should be a written policy for consequences. We are fortunate to have the technology that we have in our world and in our schools but with this new resource teachers and administrators need to step up and take the steps that are necessary to make sure that these resources are not abused.
Susan Hutchens
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