Burgess,Hubbard,Huens,Vincenzo1

AshleyBurgess,BethanyHubbard,
RyanneHuens,RachelVincenzo
Ms.Irons
EnglishIIPreAP
11May2013
ViolatingtheVictim
Youwatch(justwatch)avictimgettingbullied.Youwitnessthebullyharassandteasethe
victim.Thisisunfortunatelyisnotthatdifficultofanexperiencetoimagine.Whenyouthink
aboutit,allyouneedtodoisimaginetheclassroomyousitineveryday.Surelyyouwitnessa
teachergettingdisrespectedbytheclassclownonadailybasis.Althoughmosttypical
bullyingeventsinvolvetwostudents,teachershaveevolvedtobecomethetargetofthe
perpetrator.Thismaybesurprisingtosome,buttheproblemofteachersbeingontheother
endofbullyingteenshasbecomeanincreasingproblem.Infact,80%ofabout3,000K12
teacherssurveyedfeltvictimizedbystudents,studentsparentsorcolleaguesinthepast
year,(GoldbergWWW).Inordertominimizethenumberofinnocentteachersgetting
bulliedinCoppellHighSchool,studentsneedtorecognizetheamountofworkteachersput
inaswellastheirhighauthorityintheschooltoensurethatstudentsgainanewlevelof
understandingandrespectfortheireducators.

TeachersTargeted
Manyteens,includingthoseatCoppellHighSchool,feeltheneedtodisrespectoreven
harassteachersinordertogainapprovalfromtheirfriends.Althoughthisunjustifiablestunt
isveryinappropriate,mostpeersareamusedbytheshowputonbytherebelliousjokester.As
amatteroffact,amajorityofstudentsknowthatthisiswrongbutcontinuetolaugh,egging
thebullieron.Thevictimizedteachers,notknowingwhattodo,eithersendthebullyoutof
classorjusttellthemtobequiet.Beingateacher,[they]wanttoprotecttheirstudents,even
thoughtheyrebeingvictimizedbythem,andtheyreworriedaboutthereputationsofthe
schoolstheyworkat,(GoldbergWWW).Sowhatdoteachersdo?Notmuch,whichallows
thestudentstobelievethisbehaviorisokay.

TeacherTalks
Ateachersperspectivewasneededtofurthertheinvestigationinordertodefendtheirpointof
view.Withthisinmind,aninterviewwasconductedwithTownCenterkindergartenteacher,
LoriVincenzo.Themainproponentinbeingateacherisbeingabletoprovideasafe
environmentforall,toensurethesafetyandsuccessofalllearners,(VincenzoInterview).
Whentakingalookbackonherschooldays,sherememberswishingthatteacherswouldve
handledthesituation,sothatherlearningwouldnotbeinterrupted,(VincenzoInterview).

Burgess,Hubbard,Huens,Vincenzo2

Throughthisinterview,wegainedinsightontheopposingendsactionsandinternalthoughts
andfeelingsofthepersongettingbullied.Whendisrespectedbyastudent,Loriremain[s]calm,
ensure[s]thesafetyofthestudents,talk[s]withthestudenttodiscussthedisruption,while
collaboratively[thinking]ofideasonhowtoimprovefuturesituations,"(VincenzoInterview).
Thisissimilar,ifnotexacttowhatPeterLorainsaidinhisarticle,HandlingDisruptive
Students:ADelicateDanceforTeachers,whichstatesthatteachersshouldrespondtonegative
studentbehaviorinwaysthat"communicatethattheteacherisincontrol,thatthereare
parametersforacceptablebehavior,thattheclassroomissafe,andthatindividualrelationships
withstudentswillalwaysbepositiveandsupportive(LorianWWW).Dostudentsoftentake
intoaccounttheteachersfeelingswhentheyarebeingdisruptive?Dostudentsthinkabouthowit
iseffectingnotonlytheteacher,buttheirpeerslearningaswell?Althoughtheymaynotrealize
theeffectthattheirnegativeactionshaveontheclass,itisevidentthatthissituationhasthe
powertoimpactmorethanjustoneperson.

StudentsVoice
SeveralpollsandonesurveywereconductedatCoppellHighSchooltoinvestigatethevarious
perspectivesontheissueathand.Thefirstquestioninthesurveyaskedthestudentsifthey
thoughtteachersweretreatedrespectfullybythem.39studentsrepliedwithno,whileonly3said
yes(HubbardSurvey).Thesecondquestionaskedthestudentsiftheywouldstandupforthe
teacheriftheysawanotherpeerunjustifiablydisrespectingtheteacher.Theresponseconsisted
of4sayingyes,3sayingno,and35studentssayingtheywould,dependingonwhotheteacher
was,(HubbardSurvey).Theresponsesofthesetwoquestionsshowacrisisisoccurringinmany
schoolsthatisyetsosimpletofix.WhenaskedHowoftendoyouwitnessstudents
disrespectingateacher?3peoplechoseonceamonth,11choseonceaweek,butthemajor
concernisthat28chosemultipletimesaday(HubbardSurvey).Theseanswersshowthat
studentsdisrespectingteachersisanactivitythathappensoften,whilenoprecautionsarebeing
taken.
WhenseveralpollsweredistributedtostudentsatCoppellHighSchool,moreconcerning
responseswerecollectedaswell.Inoneofthepollsthatwasconducted,studentswereaskedif
theywouldeverdisrespectateacher.12of15studentssaidthatdependingonthesituationthey
mightdisrespectateacher,1studentreplied,ofcourse,andonly2saidtheywouldnever
disrespectateacher,(BurgessPoll).Giventheseresults,itisquiteevidentthatalargemajority
ofstudentswoulddisrespecttheteacheriftheyfeltittobenecessary.Onlytwopeople
recognizedthatteachersareauthorityandshouldberespectedatalltimes,nomatterthe
circumstance.Inanarticleregardingthisissue,theauthorstatesthatthough"violenceinschools
isnotunusualtomanyofus...violenceagainstteachersisnew,"(BurtonWWW).Whilevery
fewwoulddefendtheteacher,thesepollsproveandsupportthisauthorsclaimthattheviolence
towardateacherhasbecomeanissueandmanywouldparticipateinsuchataskiftheyfeltit
wasneeded.

PutIntoAction

Burgess,Hubbard,Huens,Vincenzo3

Inordertofurtherexaminethisproblem,asocialexperimentwasconductedtoobservestudents'
reactionstothebullyingofateacherinanenvironmentwherethissituationwouldn'tbeseenas
uncommonahighschoolclassroom.Theexperimentconsistedofastudentwhoisconsidereda
"classclown"amonghispeers.Inadditiontothis,anaveragehighschoolhistoryteacherwas
includedtostageadisrespectfulanddisruptivesituation.Thegenuinereactionsof31Coppell
HighSchoolstudentswererecorded.68%oftheclasssatquietlywhilewitnessingthisactof
bullying,26%ofstudentslaughedalong,4%ofstudentsjoinedinwiththebullier,whileonly
onestudentwhisperedtothebullierto"shutup,"(HuensSocialExperiment).Theseresultsmay
seemshocking,butsituationssimilartothisonehappendailyintodaysschoolsystem.This
experimentaccuratelydisplaysthelackofrespectforauthoritythatadolescentspossess.Ifthe
studentsgenuinelyrespectedtheirteacher,theywouldstandupforthemorfeelmoreguiltafter
thecruelactofpublichumiliation.Theproblemis,moststudentsdonotconsidertheseactsof
disrespectbullying.Peoplefailtorecognizethatthetermbullyingdoesnotsolelyclassifythe
actofviolenceputonasmallchildorscrawnyteenager.Nomatterwhoyouare,orhowoldyou
maybe,beingputdownormadefunofisneverokay.Whilebullyingbetweenstudentshasbeen
greatlybroughttopublicattentioninthelastfewyears,thevictimizationofteachersgoes
unnoticedeveryday.Thisbullyingisnotonlydistractinganddisruptivetothesafe,educational
environmentoftheclassroom,butisalsodetrimentaltotheteachersemotionalhealth.Inan
articlewrittenbyaNewYorkStatecertifiedscienceteacher,theauthorexploresthisissueand
statesthat,Studieshaveshownthattherehasbeenanincreaseinteachersundergoingmedicinal
treatmentfordepressionandanxiety,reportingclassroombehaviorasamajorcontributingfactor
totheirneedtoseekhelp,(SorgeWWW).
Likestudents,teachersshouldnothavetobeworriedoranxiouswhileintheclassroom.They
shouldbeabletofullyfocusanddevotethemselvestoeducatingadolescentswithoutfeeling
hatedbythosewhomtheyretryingtohelp.Thisunconventionalbullyingishinderingthe
learningenvironmentofthenextgeneration.Howcanastudentdesiretolearnwhentheydonot
evenrespectthepersonwhoisteachingthem?Howcanteachersfocusonteachingwhen
constantlybeingdisrupted,teased,andharassedbytheirstudents?Andmostimportantly,how
canstudentstaketheireducationseriouslywhenconstantlybeingdistractedbybullyinginthe
classroom?Eachofthesequestionsshareonecommonanswer:Theycannot.Thisiswhythis
problemmustbemadeapriority.Thisiswhyachangeisrequired.

Initiativeforchange
Theonlywaytominimizetheamountofteachersservingasvictimsintheschoolsystemtoday
isforanincreasedawarenessofstudentsdisrespectfulbehaviortooccur.Manyteachersand
parents,includingTynes,[Are]preparedtotackletheeyerollsandsharptonguesthatcancome
withmoldingyoungminds,butbeingpubliclyhumiliatedbyastudentisntin[their]lesson
plan,(GoldbergWWW).Workingwithhighschoolkidsisatoughjob,andstudentsatCoppell
HighSchoolneedtobecomemoreawareofthehoursandefforttheirteachersputin.Thiscanbe
donebyairingaTeacherAppreciationsegmentontheweeklyschoolnewsstation,KCBY.
Thissegmentcouldinterviewteachers,describingwhattheydoonadaytodaybasis,which
wouldallowstudentstorealizethetruthaboutwhatteachershavetodealwith.Alsothroughthis

Burgess,Hubbard,Huens,Vincenzo4

segment,studentscouldrealizethattheirbadbehaviorisamajorcontributiontothestressin
teacherslives,initiatingachangeinbehaviorofmany,ifnotallstudents.

TheLastSay
Itiseasytothinkofwhatsomeonemightdoinacertainsituation,butitisadifferentthingtosee
thegenuinereactionofapersonwhenahypotheticalsituationbecomesreality.Whileitmay
seemobviousthatstandingupforafriendorsomeoneyourespectissomethingyoushoulddo,it
isnotoftenthatthisisthefirstreactionofsomeoneinthatposition.Itisevenlessoftenthatyou
seesomeonestickingupforauthority.Peopleareveryeagertotalkabout(teacher
victimization)amongstcoworkersandamongstfriends,buttheyreveryhesitanttoreportitto
authoritiesortothemedia,whichshowsjusttheamountofdoubtpeopleconsiderbeforetaking
action,(GoldbergWWW).Butafterbeinggiventhisinformation,wehopethatyouhavetaken
thetimetoconsidertheeffectthatyouhaveonotherslivesaswellasthepoweryouholdto
changetheeducationalsystemasawhole.Nowwecannothelpbuttakeonelastopportunityto
askyou,ifyouwitnessedyourteacherbeingbullied,whatwouldyoudo?

Burgess,Hubbard,Huens,Vincenzo5

WorkCited

Burgess,Ashley,4pollsconductedviainternet.22April.2014.Poll.CoppellHighSchool,
Coppell.

Burton,Nsenga."Studentslearndisrespectingteachersgoesunpunished."CreativeLoafing
Charlotte.N.p.,23Apr.2008.Web.25Apr.2014.

Goldberg,Stephanie."WhenTeachersAretheBully'sTarget."SchoolsofThoughtRSS.CNN,
n.d.Web.24Apr.2014

Hubbard,Bethany.StudentBehaviorTowardTeachers.Survey.24April2014.

Huens,Ryanne.ResponsesToTheDisrespectofAuthority.24Apr.2014.Rawdata.Coppell
HighSchool,Coppell

Lorain,PeterM."HandlingDisruptiveStudents."Rss.NEA,n.d.Web.29Apr.2014.
Sorge,Sarah."TheBulliedTeacher:AnAmericanEpidemic."TheEducatorsRoom.N.p.,6May
2013.Web.24Apr.2014.<http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/05/thebulliedteacher/>.

Vincenzo,LoriM."DisruptiveStudents."Personalinterview.29Apr.214.