A New Breed of Bully

I just finished the bullying article and must say that it seems the biggest problem is the covert nature of much of the bullying that goes on. I think most (all I would hope) teachers would step in and stop any situation in which a student is clearly being teased, mocked, physically pushed or provoked, etc. I also try to be very conscious of the "fitting in" of new students. This may take the form of making groups for group work so that they have a place rather than get neglected by student-formed groups that may exclude them. It may just be asking them privately and discreetly how their day or year or adjustment to the new situation is going-- to let them know someone cares and is aware that there is more going on in their lives than just whether they have mastered the content of a subject. But I know that a lot of the bullying that goes on these days is cyberbullying and unless students make a conscious decision to talk about this, there is no way for a teacher to know about it. I had a situation brought to my attention a few years ago by a guidance counselor regarding two students who were bullying a third. I was asked to look for signs of it in my class. I feel as though I have a pretty good handle on the group dynamics in my classes most of the time and was surprised at this. I began to look for signs, and saw none. It turns out, most of what they were doing was spreading gossip (using the internet), and excluding her socially. There was really nothing for me to "see" or act on in my classroom. Nonetheless, she was very uncomfortable in their presence, and so obviously I needed to be made aware of that. These are tough situations to handle..