When schools implement anti-bullying programs, the focus is usually centered on student-to-student bullying. However, students aren’t the only bullies in school. Teachers sometimes earn the label when they employ questionable disciplinary and management practices. Teaching Tolerance has a new self-assessment survey to help you assess the power dynamics of your classroom. We encourage you to take the survey then reflect on the questions below or discuss them with your colleagues.
Reflection/Discussion Questions:
1. How do you feel about your score on the survey?
2. Have you seen or heard of examples of teacher bullying at your school?
3. How did you and your colleagues respond to the teacher bullying?
4. What new strategies might you try next time?
When addressing teacher-bullying it is crucial to document incidents as part of the intervention process. This Bullying Observation Form will help record and specify behaviors.
For more information on this subject, look at our Teaching Tolerance presentation Addressing Teacher Bullies. This online workshop will provide additional training and resources to help you combat teacher bullying at your school.
Comments
I Am Being Bullied
I am an African American teacher. I work in a predominately white student-body school.
My principal has found a way of bullying me by putting me on an "Plan of Action". She
says all kinds of derogatory remarks to me after she close her door in meetings with me. She does not
want black teachers teaching at her school. She only wants them as aids or janitors and not as
professionals. She has gone as far to bring a retired white teacher in now, to teach my
class and all I am allowed to do as she stated, is to sit in a corner and observe in my classroom.
Unfortunately, this is still how African American teachers are being treated in America's public schools today.
blackboard bully
I am always trying to address student-student bullying but I like a majority of humans teaching can be found from time to time to be the bully (verbal).
The survey said I was "lax",
The survey said I was "lax", though one point away from "balanced". When I read the descriptions I did not feel that "lax" was an accurate descriptor for me. I think I received that score because I struggled with many of the questions--I found a number of them difficult to interpret, and that I couldn't categorically "agree" or "disagree" with a number of the others. I would love to see the survey revised so it was easier to understand and provided for more shades of grey.
Administrator Bully
I have worked in a school for years where the principal bullies faculty members, support staff, parents, and students. She fits the profile of an adult bully perfectly. It has created an environment that is dysfunctional and lacks morale. Some of us have been told that we are too "nice" to parents and students. When the adults try to support each other, a parent, or a student, he or she is threatened with disciplinary action. No one wants a confrontation with this administrator, nor to be "written-up" and permanently ostracized in his/her personnel file, because he/she dared to disagree with or question this principal's opinion. It seems that central office has done nothing to remedy this situation, despite their knowledge of it (primarily through many complaints by parents). Has anyone else been in this type of working environment and found a solution to improve it?
teacher bullying
I have stood up to student-to-student bullying, teacher-to-student bullying, and student-to teacher bullying. But I don't think I have ever heard of any discussions on how parents bully teachers, or how administrators bully teachers, or how central office powers bully adminitrators. Bullying is an institution-wide problem. It comes from the top and as a teacher, I am at a loss of how to address the parent, adminitrator or central office powers doing the bullying. I'd like to know what others, everyone, thinks of the institution-wide bullying.
teacher bullying
I agree with this comment and feel that under the first principal I worked for, an extraordinary amount of bullying went on. She would ocnstantly remind teachers (who were mostly new teachers) that she could "97 day" you for any reason she felt like and that it was her right as a principal to not reappoint any teacher she wanted not to reappoint. I saw her "not reappoint" at least 1/3 of her staff for the 4 years I worked at her school. When I think of the resources wasted in training and mentoring those new teachers only to have them let go when they had only just begun, it makes me sick. Anyone who has been at this for awhile will tell you that you only get better as time goes by. Teaching is a juggling act and there are so many variables involved in developing a high level of skill for this job. Research supports the idea that seasoned, experienced teachers who are passionate about this career are far more effective than first year teachers.
Although the principal I have now is usually very encouraging and shows her staff a lot of respect, that is not always the case. Our school recently had a "site" visit from School Board members and downtown "central office" administrators. When the principal of our school shared their observations, she also went on a mini-rampage about our performance. The people from downtown had rated us only effective and were very critical of the work we were doing. The surprising thing to me and many of the people I work with is that their criticisms were directed at areas we either have not been given expectations about or have not had training in. I work at a Title 1 school and the demands on teacher time are tremendous. Many of our planning periods are given over to parent conferences (where we may be bullied as well) and to various district mandated trainings and professional learning community activities/requirements. That leaves actually writing our lesson plans, grading student work, and keeping up with the various demands of recording data, interpreting data, creating reports, assessments, etc. for our own personal time. I love teaching, but I do think that many people are unaware of the nature of the environment facing educators today. We are often considered the source of the problem when the reality is that most teachers are dedicated, caring, hard working individuals who are very committed to this profession. Who would else would do this often thankless job if it weren't something that they were personally driven to do?
Would love to take this again using some .5 answers
I scored 52, which made me feel awfully close to the 'lax'. I would prefer that to being too close to the 'top' score.
Survey
The survey is not perfect: Only 1 point made all the difference between being judged as Lax or Balanced. There are many shades of gray, which the survey does not allow for. It is very interesting though.
Bully at the Blackboard
Good article and survey. I'd like to see one that addresses the issue of what to do when your principal is a bully to the teachers and overly friendly with students.
principals
Sounds like my principal. Needs to be at the center of everything, micromanaging. Little respect for educators who have different views from her own. How can the students feel safe when their teachers don't feel safe?
Bully at the Blackboard
If you compare these teaching styles to parenting styles, you will find them to be very similar. Parents have a responsibility to appropriately guide and discipline just like teachers...the way you do this is very important. As always, with respect and dignity, you will get the results that you want from your children/students. The last thing you want is for them to perceive you as "a friend" -- meaning "equal" -- in either context. My work as a parenting therapist and also working as a counselor in school settings makes it easy to see the similarities and work from that perspective.
"power lax" vs. democratic
I found the description of the "power lax" teacher to be biased, if not insulting. The best teachers that I have seen as a student, parent, and educator give a lot of decision-making power to their students. The students become actively engaged and learn to function in a democratic environment. The developers of this survey made a subjective judgement to describe low-scoring teachers as "inconsistent" and "often quick to anger." Perhaps exploring the teachings of Paolo Freire, Marshal Rosenberg, and William Glasser would encourage them to look more closely at their apparent disdain for the teachers who they call "power-lax."
I would like to know more
I would like to know more about my score so that I can learn to be more balanced in my classroom. It was spot on with mine but now I have no idea what to do with that information!
I am a former teacher, turned
I am a former teacher, turned stay-at-home mom. I've always been aware of teachers behaving this poorly during my career. This has always been a troubling problem to me,however, it became even more important to our family when my husband and I discovered that my child's teacher was bullying her by singling her out because we voiced our concerns to the principal regarding her poor teaching. I have no tolerance for teachers who bully. They should be held to the same standards as the students. If they fail to comply they should be terminated immediately! I am so happy that some light is being shed on this dilemma. Just as student-to-student bullying has become a national imperative, teacher-to-student bullying deserves a platform as well.
Accountability
I am a school psychologist and a mother and I believe that teacher bullying is common and an unaddressed problem in schools. When it is reported, administrators trivialize it almost universally. One can be a very strict teacher without bullying and in many instances teachers who are favored by many are actually the biggest bullies to the children they don't like or who annoy them. Being in positions of power, teachers should be held to a higher standard than students. Students who are involved in a serious bullying incident often get a 10 day suspension and the kindergarten teacher in this article only got a one day suspension, that is ridiculous. I agree that teachers that have more than one incident of student bullying should be fired. It is student abuse.
Bullying at the Blackboard
I felt OK about my score. I try to be fair and consistant even though it is sometimes very hard with certain students. I have not seen examples of teacher bullying but I know it probably goes on. I might try to let the teacher know there is a different way to see the student's problem behavior. I might suggest the teacher walk away for a minute and I could watch the class.
Bully At The Blackboard
I provide training to school staff in bullying prevention and intervention. At almost every class I offer someone asks a question about how to intervene when the teacher is displaying bullying behavior (either toward a student or a colleague). We talk about and role play what can be said/done. I hope to incorporate this article and activity into my classes. Thanks Ms. Koenig and Ms. Daniels for capturing the issue so well and for eloquently sharing this information.
Teacher bullying
Hello !
I am a retired educator. I now volunteer as a tutor/mentor in a K-2 building in an urban district. Recently the school board asked for an emergency manager from the state because there is no more money! The teachers may not be paid after February 2012.
My heart goes out them them, but I cringe when I hear teachers demeaning, scolding and punishing students who need emotional needs met in a more postive way.
The Koenig/Daniels article says, "Every adult in the building needs to act when the bully in a teacher". What can I do?
Connie Widdis