5 Facts About Bullying Every Teacher Needs to Know

As a teacher, you want to make sure that every student in your classroom feels safe, included, and cared for. Unfortunately, bullying can make even the brightest student want to skip class—and bullying might be more common than you think. Read on to learn five facts from StopBullying.gov that every teacher should know.

• Bullying is an everyday occurrence. Bullying isn’t just something that happens in movies and TV shows. About 70 percent of young people say that they have seen bullying in their school, while about 30 percent have admitted to being a bully themselves.
• Anyone can be a bully. Many teachers have a preconceived notion that a bully is always popular and well-connected to his or her peers. However, the truth is that anyone can be a bully, no matter their social standing. Many bullies are also bullied themselves by other peers or social groups.
• Bullying is moving online. “Cyberbullying” is a new type of bullying in which the bully uses social media to harass, threaten, stalk, or demean a victim. Online professional development for teachers in Montgomery County focused on cyberbullying and internet usage can give teachers the power to fight back against cyberbullies.
• Bystanders can stop bullying. A bystander has the power to stop bullying in its tracks. When a bystander intervenes in a bullying situation, the bullying ends within 10 seconds 57 percent of the time.
• Most bullying happens in schools. As a teacher, you may assume that students are less likely to bully when there are authority figures around. However, the truth is that most bullying takes place at school. In a large-scale survey of middle schoolers, 29.3 percent said that they saw the most bullying takes place in their classrooms, while another 29 percent said they saw bullying happen often in the hallways.

Are you looking to learn more about fighting bullying while also getting your Act 48 hours? The Teacher’s Academy’s cyberbullying course offers professional development for teachers in Montgomery County as well as important tools that teachers can use to fight bullying in their classrooms. Browse our website to learn more or get started today!