Bullying is cruel so don't act like a fool

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Sawatdee Kaa (Hello in Thai)

John Finch came into our class to talk about cyber bullying, informed consent and creative commons. I appreciate the fact that John took time to come talk to our class after he had come off a very long flight from Thailand. I completed my third placement in Thailand and I know first hand how long that flight was.

John talked about how cyber bullying may be blown out of porportion. The media has taken recent events and made them seem like cyber bullying is becoming the most common form of bullying. I found out that it is actully the lowest percent of bullying. This statistic was formed through an online survey from different schools called "Tell them from me". I can honestly say that since the media attention to cyber bullying I thought most kids would be bullied online. However, it is only 8-12 percent who say they have been cyber bullied. The media has a tendency to take something small and turn it into something big. I am not saying cyber bullying is not a problem. I am saying that other forms of bullying (social/ emotional/ verbal/ physical) are more prevalent.

Bullying  is a major problem in school but it is not just in school. Bullying can affect you on the street, workplace, home and many other places. Bullies come in all shapes and sizes, the big issue is how do we put a stop to it? I am currently taking Education and Law with Tom Skinner and he told us about a teacher who had made a couple of students in her class wear a hockey helmet saying I am a bully. Professor Skinner said that he was surprised that there was no legal action taken against the teacher. He regarded this as cruel and unusual punishment and infringed on the students rights. I am wondering what people think of this form of punishment? What would you do if you had a major bullying problem in your class? I am unsure how I would deal with the situation because I am a student teacher. I don't have the experience that other teachers would have.
Links to article on bullies and helmets
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2005/03/16/teacher-bully-050316.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bullying/

In regards to the cyber bulling I think we have to educate our students on their digital footprint. We need to show them that what they put/ say on the internet can impact their lives. What they say/post/write can effect themselves or other people. I think students lose that perspective because they are not face to face with people. They are staring at a screen and they are also not aware of social media policies or terms of agreement. Another big part of cyber bullying has been sexting. Kids sending inappropriate pictures of themselves to other people. In the states some kids have gotten charged with solicitation and distribution of porn. It may have started out innocent but these charges can stick with for a very long time. We need to be aware of how we are representing ourselves digitally.

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John also put a lot of emphasis on social media policy. He thinks every school should have a policy and implement it immediately. Social media is a huge part of our generation and how we use it in school greatly affects the school division, our students, and ourselves. If a policy is in place, as teachers we will know what we can and cannot do. Some school may have a policy of no Facebook. Therefore, as a teacher I wouldn't be able to create a facebook homepage for my class. If we have a class blog or do class videos we need to know what we all need from the students/ parents to post it online. I believe that social media policy is needed within a school because our generation is based in the social media dimension.

Thank you

Jen Falk

"Teach long and prosper"- Star Trek