Education >
Teachers & Administrators
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedAre teachers making students vulnerable to bullies?
Results so far:
| Yes | 63% | 31 votes | Total: 49 votes | |
| No | 37% | 18 votes |
Yes
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesI have plenty of experience dealing with this topic and based on what I have heard from others also, yes, teachers are making some students vulnerable to bullies. I was a victim of bullying done by a teacher that snowballed into me being bullied by the kids in my class and even kids in other classes and on the bus ride home. It started in my computer class in ninth grade.
This was back in 1994 when computers were not as widely used as they are now and I had never used one. When the teacher realized how little I knew, about computers, he called me names like stupid and idiot and made fun of me every time I didn't know how to do something. When the other kids saw him doing it, they also started calling me names, pushing and tripping me in the hallway and throwing spit balls at me. The teacher never said anything to these kids who were doing this to me. He let it go on and even contributed. Word eventually got around the whole school and soon almost everyone was torturing me on a daily basis. It got so bad that I started walking to school to avoid being tortured on the bus and I began skipping class to avoid being tortured at school. When my parents were notified that I was cutting class, the principal called a meeting with all of us. Despite hearing the reason for not coming to school, he still threatened me with suspension and nothing was done to that teacher who caused all the problems. He still works there last I heard. This same scenario plays out everyday at every school pretty much everywhere but maybe not as serious as my experience with a teacher. In a more subtle way, by segregating students and lumping them into groups, it is making certain groups more at risk of being bullied. For example, you rarely see football players and cheerleaders being bullied because teachers go along with the fact that they are worshipped and they hold events, pep rallies, to cement that belief among the student body. But, most times, the targets of bullies are the smart kids that everyone thinks are nerds.
Does anyone hold rallies for them, the ones who use their brains? Do teachers teach that smartness should be worshipped? No. And these kids are the ones who will most likely go on to contribute great things to the society in the future and they are being harassed and tortured in the hallways of their own schools, a place where they should be safe. It has to stop. The school system is backwards. All kids should be treated equally and should all be worshipped for their uniqueness and for what they contribute and bring to the classroom and society as a whole. Most of these kids who are bullied in school do get through it and go on to do great things but, unfortunately there are some who just give up. Some of them drop out of school and give up on following their dreams because they are unable to get the proper education they need because the circumstances at school are so bad. Some retaliate and bring weapons to school to defend themselves. And, sadly, more often than you think, some of these kids cut their lives short because they are unable to deal with the bullying anymore. There needs to be more done to protect all children in schools. Each and every one of them has a right to be there and that right should not be taken away from a single child.
Learn more about this author, Grace.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
Bullying has been around as long as man has walked the earth. One might say it is a natural instinct for survival. In the early days of human existence, aggression was rewarded with food, water, dominance, and choice mating. However, in the twenty-first century it is unacceptable for humans to bully their way into getting what they want, but it does not mean that the genetic makeup that fueled this natural desire does not still exist. In reality it does exist, except that we have evolved to carry out our aggression by use of knowledge, hence knowledge is power. We also learn to use restraint through unpleasant consequences for acts of aggression, consequences for which are less frequently carried out at home due to today's complex lifestyles, and less frequently carried out in schools due to complex bureaucratic systems rely solely on statistics to determine success or failure.
It is impossible to conclude whether or not teachers are making students vulnerable to bullies in a general sense. Schools, cultures, and circumstances differ so greatly from campus to campus, district to district, and state to state. It is certain that some teachers may hinder the process of prevention by not being attentive toward bullying situations. As well their are administrations that are reluctant to punish bullies because it will affect campus statistics in a negative way. Then there is the condition of a student's home environment which is the most common source of aggressive behavior (Bates).
From a teachers perspective, the process to remove an aggressive bully from the classroom is a long drawn out process. The process usually starts with a one on one student teacher conference, which is likely to do little to change a behavior that has been developing over a lifetime. The next step is to contact the parent and discuss the situation with them, which is usually ineffective because it is where the aggression most likely generates. The third step is to refer the student to his school counselor who is in most cases overwhelmed and may not be able to see the student for weeks. If the counselor is unable to do anything to change the student's behavior, then the teacher refers the student to the principal who may assign three days of in-school suspension. The process usually takes several weeks and mostly fails to produce any results. The student ends up back in the classroom where the behavior continues and the teacher must begin the process again.
To further complicate a teacher's effort to control often more than one classroom bully there is also a myriad of other issues involving students that also need attention. Let's not forget that the primary reason for the teacher's presence in the classroom is to teach, and bullying students consume a lot of this time while thwarting other student's ability to learn.
Ultimately frustrated, the teacher who has done everything according to procedure, feels unsupported by an administration that has allowed the situation to persist. The only thing left for a teacher to do is to tolerate the bully, try to keep him separated from other students in an often overcrowded classroom, and hold out hope that he might be able to say something to reach the student and encourage a change for the better. As far as questioning whether teachers are making students vulnerable to bullies, one can only agree that on a large scale they are doing everything possible to protect each and every student and give them a safe place to learn and grow.
Reference
Betsy , Bates. "The source of aggression determines treatment.." Family Practice News 09/01/06 1 Jan 2009 <http://www.artic learchives.com/medic ine-health/diseases- disorders-mental-ill ness-anxiety/740889- 1.html>.
Learn more about this author, Jeffrey Scott.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Difference of opinion? Debate now.
- Teachers & Administrators
- Are we giving students too much power over teachers?
- Should students be held accountable for their failing grades
- Teachers are an important force for positive change both locally and globally.
- Should teachers receive increased compensation for improving student performance from year to year?
- Should each culture honor teachers so students value their education?
