Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is use of technology (cell phones, email, social networking sites, blogs, instant messages, etc.) to deliberately insult, harass, intimidate, threaten, or cause emotional harm or damage to a person and/or his/her reputation. Although I’ve heard of instances of cyberbullying, I do not have personal experience as a victim or perpetrator.

Cyberbullying is difficult to stop because it is difficult to monitor. It can take place anytime and from anywhere. Perpetrators can remain anonymous by hiding behind a screenname. Cyberbullying is also difficult to stop because of the legal gray area; schools risk being sued for exceeding their authority and violating the students’ right to free speech.

There may be ways to tell a student is being cyberbullied. A drop in academic performance or an increase in tardies and absences may be signs of cyberbullying. Victims may also be visually upset, angry, anxious, or depressed. Cyberbullying affects the learning environment; therefore, I believe schools should do everything they can to prevent and regulate cyberbullying, regardless of where it takes place.

I'm going to do my best to prevent cyberbullying in my classroom. Because I'll be incorporating technology in my teaching, I'm going to establish clear rules and emphasize respect and appropriate online communication. If cyberbullying does take place, I'll react quickly and appropriately to prevent the problem from escalating. Though I'd address the problem individually, I'd want the class (and possibly the school) to be aware of the seriousness of cyberbullying.