Slightly Sarcastic

I have two boys, 10 and 11.  Last year the oldest had a terrible time in school.  He absolutely hated his teacher.  This woman is loud and has the appearance of a “tough jock type woman” – if you know what I mean.  He would come home everyday with a knew story of how this lady would yell at so and so, thow bookbags across the room, slam things on desks and really, really upsest my son.  When his friend would spend the night I really started to worry.  I overheard them talking about some of things that went on in that classroom and I got really upset.  I went to the guidance counselor and she talked to the teacher and to the principal.  The teacher has had complaints in the past.  I made it very clear that if anything else happended to upset my son he was to go directly to the guidance counselor.  I was tired of him sitting through this teachers bullying because he didn’t know what to do – Now, my other son has this same teacher for Science this year and the same crap is starting all over.  I have to fight with him everyday because he doesn’t want to go to school – the bullying begins.

Don’t these teachers realize they don’t like kids BEFORE they start teaching?  Is it a control thing?  They only feel powerful when they are making a kid cry?  What are kids supposed to do when this happens – who is going to believe a kid over a teacher.  I feel like I need to wire him up and start covert operations regarding this woman.  My younger son was an honor roll student until this year – he used to get upset if I needed him to miss school for an appointement, and he sure as heck wouldn’t dream of going to school with incomplete work.  I swear I’d like to catch this woman yelling and threatenting him, I’d kick her butt!  I hate people like this.  They should be tarred and feathered (by the kids that they bully)  I never realized what an issue this was.  ALWAYS listen to your kids.  Do some snooping and find out what is going on.  I did some research and came across some interesting info:

“Similarly, it is deliberate, it is likely to distress the target, and it tends to be

repeated. Equally significant, the teacher who bullies usually receives no retribution or

other negative consequences. This too parallels peer-on-peer bullying. The classroom is

the most common place for such bullying to occur, although it may occur in any setting

where students are under adult supervision.

The process of targeting students and the consequences of being bullied by a

teacher may also be similar to peer-on-peer bullying. Victims may be chosen on the basis

of apparent vulnerability (e.g., someone who can’t or won’t fight back), or because the

target is seen as someone others will not defend (e.g., gay or lesbian), or because of some

devalued personal attribute. Once targeted, the victim is treated in a manner which sets

him or her apart from peers. There may be frequent references to how this student differs

from others who presumably are more capable or valued. As a consequence, the student

may also become a scapegoat among peers.

Teachers who bully feel their abusive conduct is justified and will claim

provocation by their targets. They often will disguise their behavior as “motivation” or as

an appropriate part of the instruction. They also disguise abuse as an appropriate

disciplinary response to unacceptable behavior by the target. The target, however, is

subjected to deliberate humiliation that can never serve a legitimate educational purpose.

Students who are bullied by teachers typically experience confusion, anger, fear,

self-doubt, and profound concerns about their academic and social competencies. Not

knowing why he or she has been targeted, or what one must do to end the bullying, may

well be among the most personally distressing aspects of being singled out and treated

unfairly. Over time, especially if no one in authority intervenes, the target may come to

blame him or her self for the abuse and thus feel a pervasive sense of helplessness and

worthlessness.

Similar to peers who bully, teachers who bully may employ a number of methods

to deflect anticipated or actual complaints about their offensive conduct. One common

method is trying to convince targets that they are paranoid or crazy, that they have

misperceived or misrepresented the behavior in question, or that it is all in their mind. It

is also common for bullies to impugn the motives or performance of students, colleagues,

and supervisors who register a complaint. For example, an abusive teacher may argue

that a student who complains is simply trying to excuse his or her “questionable”

academic performance. This shifts attention from the teacher’s inappropriate conduct to a

discussion of “standards” and to the student’s motivation for complaining. This also has

the minimizing effect of suggesting to others that what is at stake is merely a “personal

difference,” rather than a systematic abuse of power”

Read the whole paper here:  http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/teachers%20who%20bully%20students%20McEvoy.pdf

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