Cyberbullying Blog 7

 Cyberbullying

When someone hears the word bully, classic images of the mean girl or the big boy stealing your lunch money come to mind, but the problem is much more nuanced than those images. Bullying and cyberbullying are becoming is becoming more prevalent in society. Once thought to be only a school problem, research shows that bullying and cyberbullying is prevalent in higher education institutions and the workplace (Faucher, Cassidy, & Jackson, 2015). Bullying has three main components: it must be repeated, it must be intended to cause harm, and the victim(s) must have less power to defend themselves. Cyberbullying can be even harder to defend against because the perpetrator can remain anonymous.

According to stopbullying.gov , of the 20% of students who reported bullying, 15% reported bullying being bullied by text or online. (ASPA, 2020). One idea from the readings that stuck out to me was that most children do not report bullying to adults for fear of repercussions. This statement makes me wonder how accurate the data truly is. Is the 20% closer to 50%? We may never get an accurate response to this question. 

Infographic courtesy of American Society for the Positive Care of Children 

The question then becomes how do we stop bullying. Faucher, Cassidy, and Jackson (2015) offer some suggestions. 

1.  Education and Awareness

Students need to "better understand the nature, extent, and impacts of the problem" (p. 118). A social- emotional learning (SEL) curriculum can help students understand the nature of the problem.  As  students become aware of the problem, they can work together to find solutions. In my role as the school librarian, I can help curate resources that teachers can incorporate into the existing SEL curriculum. As  I teach my library standards, I need to incorporate digital literacy and digital citizenship into the lessons in order to spread awareness. Bullying prevention programs cannot be a one  time assembly or lesson to comply with a certain number of prescribed hours (Orech, 2012). By focusing on digital citizenship and digital literacy, students become aware of the problem, find solutions, and model proper digital behaviors for others. 

2. Reporting system

     

Students wished for a program to anonymously report bullying incidents (Faucher et. al, 2015, p. 118). As the school librarian, I can help create a form for students to report the bullying incidents. The results from the form can be shared with administration and the school counselors to make sure that the bullying incidents are being addressed. 

3. Policy Development

The school community needs a strong anti-bullying policy that is not punishment based but is geared toward prevention. All stakeholders (students, teachers, administration, and parents) need to be    included in the policy development. Once a policy is in place, training needs to occur to make sure that all policies are implemented correctly. As the school librarian, I can provide resources to help create the policy. I can also facilitate professional development sessions to ensure that all teachers know the policy and how to implement it. 

4.  Creating a School Climate

    

The school climate needs to be a safe place where all students can learn. In order to accomplish this, the    school must create a place where all students. A school wide SEL curriculum is the first step in creating a positive school climate. Bystanders also need to be addressed. According to Faucher et. al,  "[b]ystanders experience physical and mental health impacts that are similar to (though less severe) the impacts on the primary targets of the bullying" (p. 117). As students lean the impact of bullying and how it effects others, they will be more apt to stand up for each other. As the school librarian, I can help create a positive school environment by making sure I have resources and books for students to check out. As students read about bullying in novels, the will be more empathetic to the plight of others. Cart believes that empathy is "one of the most important lessons a young person can learn. And how better to learn this than to read good books that inspire the reader to feel empathy?" (Cart, 2016, p.173). 

Picture from the author's website

Resources

1. Facts about Cyberbullying
2. Digital Literacy Curriculum
3. Bullying Videos
4. Stopbullying.gov
5. Infographics about Bullying 
6. Seven Mindsets (one example of an school wide SEL curriculum)

Works Cited

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2020, August 12). Facts About Bullying. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/facts

Books for Young Readers. (2020, May 17). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://rodmanphilbrick.com/books-for-youth/

Cart, M. (2016). Young adult literature: From romance to realism. Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association.

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

Get the Facts - Cyberbullying. (2020, October 05). Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://americanspcc.org/our-voice/bullying/cyberbullying-get-the-facts/

Orech, J. (2012). How it's done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.