When I think about bullying in general, but especially cyberbullying, I am reminded at how invisible it can be, yet it can leave deep internal bruises and scars. I am further reminded of a picture of two apples I once saw as a illustration of bullying. The two shiny red apples looked almost identical - from the outside. Yet, when cut into, one apple has bruises in its flesh; it had visibly received trauma, but this trauma was not visible to the human eye from the outside. Cyberbullying, because it occurs in the digital world, may give the initial impression that it is more noticeable. However, it too often goes unnoticed by outsiders who are not paying attention or who do not want to pay attention. As a teacher in a K-12 setting, I have dealt with bullying issues every one of my eight years of educating middle school students. Within the last two years, the number of cyberbullying accounts I have learned of has increased. And if the statistics are true, then there are many more instances of cyberbullying that I am unaware of as one researcher notes that "many students are unwilling to report the bullying or cyberbullying to adults, particarly to school officials (Faucher, Cassidy, & Jackson, 2015). School officials, including teachers and librarians, can however have a huge impact on combating the cyberbullying issue with increased education, early intervention, and a culture of authenticity and accountability. Confirmations and Surprises of an Educator
Being immersed in the education world, I often associate cyberbullying with students. After all, they are still learning netiquette and many of them are not mature enough to handle social media and other online platforms where a great deal of cyberbullying takes place. However, as I was reading the Faucher, Cassidy, and Jackson (2015) article, I was struck by how prevalent cyberbullying is beyond K-12 education. Additionally, hearing testimony of adult cyberbullying within the Seven Deadly Sins website further solidified that cyberbullying is not an age-related problem, but instead a human problem. For example, studies of college students and staff show 25-60% of this group faced some type of bullying, as well as 30-40% of adults in the workplace (Faucher, Cassidy, Jackson, 2015, p. 117). Such statistics serve not only as a reminder that bullying and cyberbullying is highly prevalent, but that education at an early age is essential in curtailing the high instances of bullying in all age groups.Another startling piece of information about cyberbullying, but not altogether surprising for an educator, is the lack of trust students feel towards adults to open up about cyberbullying. Faucher, Cassidy, and Jackson (2015) cite several studies that show students do not go to adults for a variety of reasons “including fear of repercussions such as retaliation or having restrictions imposed on their access to technology, as well as the belief that adults will not understand, will not believe, or will not be able to help” (p. 115). This is heartbreaking for a parent, educator, anyone who works with students to hear. As is often said in teacher preparatory programs, relationships are important to teaching. When students have a relationship with an adult, they are more likely to talk to that adult, something I have witnessed as a teacher. However, even when good relationships are formed, many students still struggle to come forward when they are facing cyberbullying situations.. Finding creative ways to help students feel comfortable with open discourse on the topic is vital as the Orech (2012) article highlights through the Digital Citizenship Project. Through the Digital Citizenship Project, high school students were mentors to middle school students, corresponding back and forth about issues like cyberbullying. As the project showed, middle school students in the program were “willing to open up themselves, ask questions, and [were] truly interested in what the high school students have to say” (Orech, 2012, p. 18). Even if a student does not want to talk about cyberbullying with an adult in the building, giving students an avenue to discuss these issues with a peer is still a valuable learning experience and a possibly even a life or health saving measure for many students struggling with bullying.
Strategies for Educators
Certainly, just telling students to not engage in cyberbullying is not effective. I tell students daily to be respectful, but I often do not see real gains in their behavior until later on in the year after months of teaching, consistent practices, and collaboration with parents. Similarly, simply telling students that cyberbullying is harmful and that they should refrain from it will not be an effective way to deal with the issue. Instead, I plan to do following to better support students, connect with them, and teach them about cyberbullying:1. Engage in Authentic Learning
The Digital Citizenship Project has shown success because it provides an outlet for students that is “intended for an authentic audience and purpose” (Orech, 2012, p. 18). If students feel they are just completing another lesson or fulfilling a requirement, they will not take the topic seriously. However, if students are engaged in real-world experiences, their learning will be more meaningful and more impactful.
2. Start Early and Don’t Stop
Cyberbullying and digital citizenship is not something that should be taught in 1-2 days or even a week, reviewed, tested, and then put away. Students need to see the importance of the topic, and if it is not constantly revisited and discussed, it will become just another lesson among hundreds of lessons.
3. Take it Seriously
Children - younger and older - feed off of their teachers attitude and disposition towards a topic. If the teacher is not passionate about something, then the students will similarly be lackluster. As the aforementioned studies and statistics have shown, cyberbullying does not end when students graduate from K-12. Therefore, showing students the real and lasting impacts of cyberbullying now is important to curtailing the problem for future generations. Cyberbullying can have a myriad of negative health effects (Faucher, Cassidy, Jackson, 2015, p. 117). Therefore, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation is important for helping students understand the implications of their actions both present and future.
Teacher/Librarian Resources
- A resource geared toward grades 3-5 with interactive scenarios to help teach ditigal citizenship - https://www.digitalpassport.org/
- A similar resource for older students (grades 6-8) that is also interactive. I have used this with my students and found they were extremely engaged and learned a lot! https://www.digitalcompass.org/
References
Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.
Orech, J. (2012). How it's done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.
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