Week+5+(February+8+2010)

=Challenging Cyberbullying=

This article was interesting for me on 2 levels. First, it made me ** r eflect on my life in middle school and high school **, during those particularly difficult years when bullying was an issue. I went to a school with some particularly mean girls and, even without the internet, there were times when bullying really got out of hand. I can't imagine what it would have been like if they could have harassed myself or others online as well. This movie, Mean Girls, was filmed at a school down the street from where I grew up. In a lot of ways, it really did depict our neighbourhood quite accurately. (image accessed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnight_feelings/3259084929/)

Secondly, the article made me think about my role as a teacher. ** What can I do to stop bullying? ** It's hard enough for a teacher to be aware of bullying when it's right in front of you, at school. ** How are we supposed to be aware of what's going on online **? Of course the article gives a few suggestions (ie: if the child doesn't want to go to school or if they don't want to use their computer), but the reality of it is that kids don't want to feel that they have to go cry to mommy because someone is being mean. That can be even more embarrassing. In reflecting on all this, ** I thought about my teaching practices and how it could help kids **. One of my biggest goals as a new teacher is to ** create a classroom environment that is inclusive, based on respect and caring, and that is fun .** During my practicum I was constantly trying new techniques to get kids working together and sharing ideas, and I really saw the classroom come together as a "united front". Regardless of their differences, they always had lots of fun in French class because I was big on interactive games, where they had to work as a team to succeed. I think that this could be a good starting point for combating bullying. In bringing students together through common goals and activities where they enjoy themselves, I really do believe that they will grow to be more open minded, stronger individuals. This also builds confidence and it is through self respect that they will learn to respect others. (image accessed at http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/images/2008/04/10/realfriends.jpg)