The Role of Teachers in Addressing Cyberbullying

Teachers play two important roles in addressing cyberbullying in
schools. They are primarily educators and are expected to convey credible
information and approaches to the students. But perhaps even more importantly
when cyberbullying is implicated, teachers are often the “trusted adult”
students turn to when they are targeted by cyberbullying or learn of others
being targeted.

In addition to teaching students not to lend their efforts to aid the
cyberbully, teachers can help encourage their students to report cyberbullying
when they encounter it. While it is wonderful that teachers are trusted with
this crucial information, they are often unprepared to advise their students on
next steps. With good cause, they fear legal liability for mishandling any of
these reports and don’t know how to preserve the student’s confidence while
reporting the cyberbullying. Teachers may be reluctant to turn them over,
especially if they promised the students to keep their identity confidential.

If an anonymous tipline or tip box is created, teachers can remind their
students to use it. School administration and school policing staff can act on
these tips and take action quickly as necessary to shut down the site or
profile or stop the cyberbullying itself.

Education can help considerably in preventing and dealing with the
consequences of cyberbullying. The first place to begin an education campaign
is with the kids and teens themselves. These programs need to address ways they
can become inadvertent cyberbullies, how to be accountable for their actions,
and not to stand by and allow bullying (in any form) to be acceptable. 

We need
to teach them not to ignore the pain of others.

Teaching kids to “Take 5!” before responding to something they encounter
online is a good place to start. Jokingly, we tell them to “Drop the mouse! And
step away from the computer! That way nobody will get hurt!”

Encourage them to “Take 5!” to help them calm down if something upsets
them online or offline to avoid their acting out online. This may include doing
yoga or deep-breathing. It may include running, playing catch, or shooting
hoops. It may involve taking a bath, hugging a stuffed animal, or talking on
the phone with friends. They can create a Take 5! Bulletin Board illustrating
their favorite Take 5! activities or discuss them with others in the class.

Each student has their own way of finding their center again. If they
do, they will often not become a cyberbully, even an inadvertent cyberbully.
This method even helps with offline bullying and impulse control in the
classroom.

There are several ways teachers can educate kids not to support
cyberbullying:

·        
Teach
them that all actions have consequences;

·        
Teach them
that cyberbullying hurts;

·        
Teach
them that they are liable to being used and manipulated by the cyberbully;

·        
Teach
them that the cyberbully and their accomplices often become the target of
cyberbullying themselves; and

·        
Teach
them to care about others and stand up for what’s right.

We need to teach our children that silence, when others are being hurt,
is not acceptable. If they don’t allow the cyberbullies to use them to
embarrass or torment others, cyberbullying will quickly stop. It’s a tall task,
but a noble goal. In the end, our students will be safer online and offline. We
will have helped create a generation of good cybercitizens, controlling the
technology instead of being controlled by it.

The more teachers know about cyberbullying and how it works, the better
they can address and prevent it. Art Wolinsky, WiredSafety’s Director of
Technology Education has created professional development materials just for
teachers. Check them out at WiredSafety.org.
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