Each time that I think I could never hear of students carrying out more selfish, hurtful acts, one comes along and bewilders me even more. Students can be very harsh and thoughtless toward other students and teachers alike. In my county, we have had teachers’ cell phones stolen, tires slashed, and cleaners placed in drinks.
However, it now appears that students are taking these acts of bullying to a new level. Technology is placing a new spin on how students can terrorize others. One teacher in Canada found this out the hard way. A group of students found her cell phone and immediately went to work browsing through her call list. This act could have been innocent enough had the children not taken the next step.
After finding her fiancé’s phone number, they proceeded to send him a text message (pretending that they were the teacher) and confessing to having an affair. The fiancé in return called the teacher and broke off the engagement. The distraught teacher had a nervous breakdown.
This is not the first case of cyberbullying that has occurred. Facebook and YouTube are also open for students to use against one another. Students and teachers alike have been ridiculed and insulted through websites. Until recently, there were no rules against website postings. However, the Ontario government has now issued that students can be suspended from school for cyberbullying. It does not matter where the bullying takes place.
Some parents have been upset at the thought of their child getting suspended for something they did on their home computer. However, the government says if the child completed a cyberbullying act that is hurtful to another student or teacher, it does not matter where the act occurred.
One supporter of the policy noted that if it were the teachers on home computers placing postings about the students, the parents would be outraged.
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