5 Portraits:
Reflection:
In reading these five portraits, it is easy to become discouraged and even angry when you see the similarities among them and ask, “Why couldn’t we see this coming?” Of course, each of the five portraits has their differences as well, but the same signs are present in each case, although they can often be elusive.
Cyberbullying is a complex issue, much more so than more traditional bullying because for one, it can easily extend beyond any one physical location like a school, playground, or hangout spot. And for every new advancement in technology, regardless of how good the original intentions were, there is the potential for it to be used to further advance the reach and damage that cyberbullying can cause. An example of this became apparent in my school with the introduction of Skype. We had thought of Skype as a great way for students to collaborate on group projects and communicate with experts outside of the classroom walls on topics they were learning about. We weren’t prepared for how easily this technology could be misused and abused to commit acts of cyberbullying.
One similarity I observed across the five portraits is that we as adults tend to fall into the trap of wrongly assuming that these teenagers and pre-teens think and rationalize the same way we do. As the complicated saga of Phoebe Prince illustrates, students say and do things without the benefit of fully understanding the consequences of their words, tones, and actions. Their perceptions are often one-sided and fail to acknowledge the possibility that what they’ve done could be interpreted differently from their original intensions.
Another similarity in the five cases is the role that we as adults play in these unfortunate circumstances. Let’s face it, it’s not easy for adults to gain access to the communication and culture that is student life. In many of the cases the student victim was strong in academics, into athletics and/or extra curricular activities, and a student who we would enjoy having in our classrooms. And yet behind these rosy pictures were stories unfolding that contained fear, despair, and hopelessness that would eventually conclude in a horrific event.
The mission that lies before us as educators is being able to identify the warning signs of bullying, and now cyberbullying, and developing an intervention strategy that involves the school, the home, and law enforcement.
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