- Posted March 9, 2013 by
This iReport is part of an assignment:
'The Bully Effect': Making it stop
Protecting Children from an Unhealthy School Environment
The concept of teachers as bullies is a side of bullying
about which few people talk. Teachers shape our children's educational experience. But sometimes their
words and actions can hurt. Experts say that this kind of
emotional abuse can erode a student's self-confidence
and even lead to depression.
Imagine your child comes home and tells you she's being bullied & sexually harassed by her teacher! As a parent, you sit down with the principal but are told that if this allegation is presented to the teacher, that 'things could get worse.' That's exactly what happened to my child during her Freshman & Sophomore years in high school. After filing a formal complaint with the school, the teacher was assigned a one day workshop. As her mother, I filed a complaint with the U.S Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights. After a 9 month investigation, they put the district on notice indicating the district was aware, or should have been aware, of this teacher's behavior going back 20 years. I then filed a complaint with the CT Dept. of Education. The Commissioner of Education concluded after a 10 month investigation that the case of this teacher had risen to the level of revocation.
I am happy to report that the teacher will NEVER be able to hold a teaching certificate in CT or any other state in this country again!
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that between 10% & 30% of teachers engage in bullying behavior in the school context. Is it possible that our children are mirroring the behaviors of the teachers who maltreat or bully students?