Kids These Days

Ever hear someone say in dismay “kids these days?”   I certainly have with my grandmother being a veteran teacher of 35 years in 7^th grade and retiring at the age of 70.    However, even I find myself thinking the same thing in disbelief at the age of 28.   When I was in school the bully wrote something nasty about you on the bathroom wall not on his/her, your  or everyone in the entire school’s facebook wall.   No longer can our janitors police the opinions of the bullies on everyone else’s reputation.  If a can of spray paint and a reassuring teacher are no longer be there to help mend the wounds from the school bully, then how are we to do it?  

It use to be that once a student went home they could hopefully find comfort among his/her family away from sometimes tormenting life of a middle schooler.  However today’s bully has found a way around the comforting walls of the family home. Bullying someone using the internet, instant messaging or some type of virtual communication technology is called cyberbullying.  Some schools try to be proactive by offering a “Say No to Cyberbullying” class only to find it backfire on them.  I have even heard in some cases of students hearing the horrible stories of cyberbullying and then turning right around using them for ideas themselves.   Which leaves me asking the question why do students do this to begin with?  Well the reasons for cyberbullying may not be all that different than the reasons for the bully who wrote nasty things about other students on the bathroom wall.  According to the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPA) the following are reasons some students commit this “new fangled” harassment:

·         Don’t think it’s a big deal

·         Don’t think about the consequences

·         Are encouraged by friends

·         Think everybody cyberbullies

·         Think they won’t get caught.

Perhaps the most helpful thing that we as educators can do is empower the student that is neither the bully nor the victim.  Equip all our students with tools to prevent cyberbullying.  The NCPA recommends giving students ways with dealing with the situation such as:

·         Refusing to pass along cyberbullying messages

·         Tell friends to stop cyberbullying

·         Block communication with cyberbullies

·         Report cyberbullying to a trusted adult.

Some organizations such as i-Safe America Inc.  specialize in internet safety.  They even recommend giving students guidelines on how to communicate electronically.   For example, don’t send messages when you’re angry or forward messages from people you don’t know or that seem angry.   I remember the days when parents warned of telling someone on the phone you are home alone or telling a stranger your name.   The cyberbullying crisis throws a whole new spin on that lesson also.  

In light of all this new wonderful technology, it is important as educators that we do not lose sight of the importance of the daily interaction with our students.  Students may really enjoy and be motivated by the use of technology, but in my opinion, there is no replacement for learning empathy first hand.   Everyday classroom experiences provide this type of opportunities with the guidance of a teacher.

Works Cited

"Cyberbullying." iSafe The Leader in Educational Technology. i Safe Inc., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/CyberBullying.pdf>.

National Crime Prevention Council. Cyberbullying. National Crime Prevention Council, 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying>.