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In the classroom bullying setting, Tasha, a new student, is in a friend group with two
other girls, Emily, and Keisha. The three girls get along just fine but become cruel once Emily or
Keisha tires of Tasha. The first type of bullying that I saw exemplified from the classroom
bullying setting was Emily and Keisha taunting Tasha. At lunch, Emily would not allow Tasha to
sit with the group. Essentially, they were publicly rejecting Tasha in front of other students. This
behavior empowered Emily because it allowed her to control the social environment. Emily is
the leader and a high-status student in the trio of girls. However, Keisha also joins in and brings
the lunchroom incident back to the classroom. In the classroom, Keisha writes a hurtful poem
about Tasha’s outfit.
There are multiple forms of bullying. The peer-reviewed article by Van der Ploeg
states that “bullying can take different forms, including physical bullying (hitting, kicking),
relational bullying (ignoring, gossiping), and verbal bullying (calling names, insulting), material
bullying (stealing or damaging things), or cyberbullying (via social networking sites) (p. 2). The
first form of bullying I observed in the classroom bullying setting includes a mixture of relational
bullying and verbal bullying. Emily and Keisha ignored, rejected, and insulted Tasha when
nothing she did required this form of reaction or behavior. I consider this to be social bullying
because this is an emotional encounter. They begin by being very friendly and accommodating to
Tasha. They change their attitudes when they tire of her and begin ostracizing and belittling her.
This can be emotionally taxing and causes students to fear for their well-being while at school.
This is due to the up-and-down emotions that the person being bullied goes through.
According to Burden, “Bullying is when a person, or group of persons, uses power to
harass or intimidate one or more people who have lesser power” (p. 191). There is a universal
agreement that bullying consists of two main criteria. It includes repetition and a power
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imbalance. This means that the person who is bullied will consistently bully a person and that
they are somehow more substantial or more prominent than the person who is being bullied.
According to the peer-reviewed research article by Zacharia and Yablon, it states that there are
many adverse effects and consequences that bullying overtakes. When a student is being bullied,
it has an “adverse effect on the student’s sense of safety” (p. 1). Unfortunately, these students end
up being fearful and not interested in school any longer. Tasha’s grades are failing, and her
participation in class discussions is waning. Because of all these factors, it is essential to tell her
parents about the changes that you are noticing as her teacher. Her mother, however, is not
supportive and ends up being dismissive when it comes to Tasha being bullied.
Actions that I will apply in my classroom to demonstrate how I will prevent this type of
bullying from occurring in the future are by letting students know upfront that I will not condone
any bullying in any form and that if I witness someone being bullied, there will be consequences
immediately. As a teacher, I will also ensure that I am teaching and modeling my students’
kindness, empathy, and social-emotional learning. I will create opportunities for connection for
us as a whole class. Fostering a sense of community is important because students need to get to
know one another. It is harder to bully someone if you know them personally.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 states, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up,
just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, English Standard Version). If my solutions are
effective, this is a new student behavior that I will see within my classroom. My students will be
active, alert, and purposeful in the way in which they treat others. Like 1 Thessalonians states,
they will encourage and build up their classmates. My classroom would feel like a family. A
group of like-minded individuals who love, trust, respect, protect, and maintain the well-being of
each other.
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The second type of bullying that I saw exemplified from the classroom bullying setting
was Emily intentionally hurting Tasha. Tash, Emily, and Keisha played a great game of
basketball, and because they played great, they won the game against a powerful team. They
would not have won the basketball game if it were not for Tasha, Emily, and Keisha. Tasha was
late when the game ended because she forgot her water bottle. As she was walking down the
aisle of the bus, Emily intentionally tripped Tasha by sticking her foot out. Because of that, Tasha
fell on her face, the water bottle rolled on the dirty floor, and her phone fell and cracked. I
recognized this as bullying because Tasha did absolutely nothing to provoke this type of behavior
in Emily. “Bullying is considered to be an intentionally negative behavior against a victim who
finds it difficult to defend him or herself” (Van der Ploeg et al., 2020, p. 1).
The peer-reviewed article by Van der Ploeg states that “bullying can take different forms,
including physical bullying (hitting, kicking), relational bullying (ignoring, gossiping), and
verbal bullying (calling names, insulting), material bullying (stealing or damaging things), or
cyberbullying (via social networking sites). All these are negative interactions” (p. 2). The type
of bullying stated above is physical bullying. Van der Ploeg et al. state that “a key ingredient of
bullying is understanding the social standing of the involved individuals” (Van der Ploeg et al.,
2020, p.1). The bullies are often high-status students regarding social standing, and the bullies
usually are low-status students. Bullies do often gain visibility and acceptance among other
students. Other students want to be like the high-status bullies, so they either join in and become
bullies themselves or they become passive students, meaning they just stand by, not helping or
joining in. If the passive students are on the bullies’ good side, then they are safe and protected.
Actions that I will take as a teacher to apply in my classroom to demonstrate how I will
prevent this form of bullying from occurring are, first and foremost, letting my students know
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that bullying in any form is unexcepted, but physically bullying someone will be enforced
promptly and consistently for everyone. Bullying will be addressed immediately; by doing this, it
sends a message to the bullies and bystanders that it will not be accepted. Calling out bullying is
extremely important, but modeling and encouraging positive behavior is just as important. When
witnessing positive behavior within the classroom, I will emphasize so students understand just
how important this form of behavior is.
New student behaviors that I will witness in my classroom are seeing my students
standing up for one another and just being passive bystanders. My students would stick up and
be there for their classmates. Isiah 1:17 states, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct
oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isiah 1:17, English
Standard Version). My students would live by and practice this scripture to the best of their
ability.
In all, as a teacher, it is essential to understand that there are many forms of bullying a
student may go through. As a teacher, there is so much you can do to prevent bullying, but
sometimes it’s unavoidable, and some students may encounter bullies. This is when you, as a
teacher, step up and ensure that all students understand that bullying will not be tolerated. It’s
vital for teachers to not only disapprove of bullying but also reinforce positive behaviors that
students may exhibit.
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References
1 Thessalonians 5. ESV Bible. (2001). https://www.esv.org/1+Thessalonians+5/
Burden, P. (2020). Classroom Management: Creating a Successful K-12 Learning Community
(7th ed.). Wiley Global Education US.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781119639824
Isiah 1. ESV Bible. (2001). https://www.esv.org/Isiah+1/
Van der Ploeg, R., Steglich, C., & Veenstra, R. (2020). The way bullying works: How new ties
facilitate the mutual reinforcement of status and bullying in elementary schools. Social
Networks, 60, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2018.12.006
Zacharia, M. G., & Yablon, Y. B. (2022). School bullying and students’ sense of safety in school:
the moderating role of school climate. European Journal of Psychology of Education,
37(3), 903-919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-021-00567-9
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