Cyber Bullying

Ever since school has existed, bullying has been around and has been perpetuated through its classrooms. Unfortunately, with the creation of technology, cyber bullying came along. The more access students have to technology, the more likely cyber bullying is going to occur. This is why it is more important than ever to help prevent this type of bullying. More and more children of all ages are gaining access to devices, messaging, and social media. To add, in this day in age it is easier for children to get access to potentially harmful material and gain access to social media accounts without an adult knowing. However, not only is cyber bullying more likely now, its consistency for a single individually is more likely. This is because cyber bullying can happen any time of the day. With other forms of bullying, it can usually be avoided once a student returns home for the day. But with cyber bullying, it can start once a child reaches home. It can be perpetuated on the weekends, when a student is out of town - just about anywhere. This makes it more difficult to recognize when this is happening and challenging to take the measures to combat it. 

Examples of how students may experience cyber bullying.

There is a strong chance that a friend you know or your own child will be or has already been cyber bullied before. When I was in middle school, I was cyber bullied through social media on the way I looked. This was accompanied by in person bullying and was inflicted by two girls who I originally was friends with. I never told an adult about this while it was going on, so no one was aware of what I was experiencing. As a result, I know how easy it is for this to happen to a student, and I am aware that many students are not going to want to tell an adult. I think as teacher, I want to emphasize the importance of a student telling someone if they are being cyber bullied. If not, students can experience emotional issues, such as isolation, sadness, anger, anxiety, and much more. I want to equip my students with the knowledge of what cyber bullying is and how to approach it. During present times, it is so important that my students and their guardians be aware that this is an issue, and we can combat it together.