Cyber Bullying

 Cyber Bullying, by Jerremy Aguilar

    This week I will be discussing cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is bullying someone by text, social media posts, and sharing pictures on the internet. As I talked about a week or two ago cyberbullying is a part of school violence. After watching the documentary "Dark Cloud" I was surprised to learn that peers are more likely to step in and say something to a bully rather than the teachers and other adults that were watching them (Dupej, 2020). This was really surprising especially since this study took place on a playground. The fact that the victim's peers were the ones telling the bully to stop caused the bullying to seize the rest of the time they were out on the playground. Knowing that the victim's peers were able to step up and put an end to the bully's power trip was great to see that the kids did not just stand back and watch. They decided to step in to help someone that was in trouble. Seeing that these kids were able to step up to a challenge instead of watching shows that kids don't grow up in the mindset of it's not my problem. I feel like we think that kids won't help because it's not something that we teach. We always teach our kids to go and get help if they are in danger or someone else is. Seeing that these kids stepped up to stop a bully is a hard challenge. 

    When it comes to bullying I have learned that you can ask other students for information on what is going on. Students are able to see what goes on outside of the classroom. As the school year goes on you are able to see who associates with who. Not every victim of bullying will be comfortable with talking to adults about what is happening. However, you want to question the suspected victim first. "If you think a child is being cyberbullied, speak to them privately to ask about it. They may also have proof on their digital devices. If you believe a child is being cyberbullied, speak to a parent about it. Serve as a facilitator between the child, parent, and the school if necessary." (Tips for Teachers, 2021). As future educators we have to make sure that we ask the student first and alert the parents. The parents may see a difference when the child is home and as an educator we won't know if there is a difference at home. It is also important to make sure that we are talking to the students when we notice a change in their behaviour. It can be a change in their body language, participation status, or even verbally. When we notice a change we should talk to the student to make sure that everything is okay so we can take the proper action to help the student feel safe at school.

    When it comes to bullying everyone can play different role. These roles are "bystanders, allies, or upstanders. A bystander observes the conflict or unacceptable behavior but does not take part in it. An ally is someone who responds to the bullying situation by supporting the person being bullied (e.g., checking in with them, being a friend to them, etc.). An upstander tries to stop the bullying by confronting the person who is bullying directly or by telling a trusted adult." (Wilkey Oh, 2019). We have to make sure that our students are allies and upstanders and not bystanders. In my educational experience my schools made everyone part take in bullying prevention week. It was a week where we were provided information on different types of bullying and what to do if we are a victim or if we know someone that is a victim. It is very important that if the school that we work does not have something like this that we implement a conversation about bullying in our classrooms. Some students feel very comfortable knowing that their school cares while sometimes some students may feel like their school doesn't care because they don't address the whole school. 

    It is also important to know who is more likely to get bullied. Unfortunately, LGBTQ students have a bigger target on their back when it comes to bullying and cyber bullying. "The study also showed that more LGB students (13.5%) than straight students (7.5%) reported not going to school because of safety concerns. Students who identified as "not sure" of their sexual orientation also reported being bullied on school property (26.9%), being cyberbullied (19.4%), and not going to school because of safety concerns (15.5%)." (LGBTQI+ Youth, 2021). Making sure to check in on students that are LGBTQ students is important because the study shows a wide margin between LGBTQ students and straight students. As educators we have to leave our personal opinions at the door when we enter our school. We have to be inclusive and make sure that all of our students are safe no matter their sexual orientation, sexual identity, or their gender identity. Students should feel safe at school and not have to fear that they will be bullied because of who they are. Schools should be a safe area where all students can come to learn and feel safe while they are there. No student should ever have to worry about bullies. I will leave you all with this question, what practices can/ do you implement in your classroom to make every student feel safe?

References

Dupej, H. & Embry, M. (2020). Dark cloud: The high cost of cyberbullying. TELUS Wise. 

LGBTQI+ Youth. (2021, September 10). stopbullying.gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/lgbtq. 

Tips for Teachers: Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying. (2021, May 21). stopbullying.gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/tips-for-teachersLinks to an external site.

Wilkey Oh, E. (2019, March 25). Teachers' Essential Guide to Cyberbullying Prevention. Common Sense Education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-essential-guide-to-cyberbullying-preventionLinks to an external site.