8-15 Strategies to stop Cyber Bullying

The article, “15 strategies educators can use to stop cyber bullying” explains that cyber bullying is different than in-person bullying in that is usually anonymous, hundreds of people can see it, it’s usually a repeated episode and the victim feels they cannot escape, and more females are victims.  With two-thirds of school violence beginning on social media sites, it is apparent that teachers need to acknowledge and be aware of cyber bullying. It can lead to can lead to school failure, psychological implications, depression, violence and illegal activity. To help prevent cyber bullying, teachers need to educate their students on how to be a digital citizen, and how to be cyber safe, that the same rules to safety and discipline apply in and out of the digital world. Teachers should raise awareness of cyber bullying to their students by talking about cyber bullying. Students need to be assured that it is ok to report cases of cyber bullying or abuse. Establishing firm policies so that students are aware of rules before a problem occurs help to clear up any confusion or guessing that the students may have about a cyber bulling situation. Teachers need to empathize with students and not minimize the student’s situation when it comes to cyber bullying. Students take cyber persona very seriously. To encourage camaraderie among peers, teachers can encourage team building through exercises and activities that call on students to work together as a team. Teachers need to stay up to date with technologies. As technologies change so do ways of cyber bullying. Getting parents involved and having an open line of communication with students can help to decrease cyber bullying. The more people students have to confide in, the safer they will feel. Allowing the use of technology and internet in classroom can help to decrease the problem of cyber bullying.

                In a nutshell teachers need to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to cyber bullying and create a safe environment for their students.

Yes, cyber bullying is a problem; it needs to be addressed. Social media site use at school should be prohibited, but with the use of cell phones, iPads, and all the other technologies out there, it is impossible to completely put an end to the use of these types of cites at school. The best thing a teacher can do is just talk about cyber bullying, create a loving community within his/her classroom, get parents involved, and allow open communication between teacher and student. These are things teachers should be doing anyway.