I thought I told you not to log back on to facebook Mcfly.

To me the definition of cyberbullying is the intimidation, persecution, or harassment of anyone by another using the medium of the internet or computer. I personally have no experience with this as a victim or a perpetrator. I have never used the internet or a computer to harass anyone nor have I ever been harassed using those means.

The problem schools face with cyberbullying typifies the problems the legal system faces with the internet in general. The veil of anonymity that the internet provides along with our constitutional right of free speech makes for a potent combination. Of course schools want to help when a victim or perpetrator of cyberbullying attends their school but what can a school really be expected to do. If the perpetrator is using a private computer to exercise her constitutional right of free speech and disseminate that message anonymously over the internet what place does the school have to do or say anything? The reality is they don’t. Often I feel like people see schools as the answer to everything having to deal with young children. The school should do this, the school should do that but the reality is that schools can only control children for the time they are there and their academic future. Yes, schools should attempt to teacher character and model behavior fitting of a good human being. However we cannot expect our schools to regulate things far outside of their walls.

My method of dealing with cyberbullying in my class room would be the same method I hope to
employ to teach character in my class. I hope to invest in my students. I hope to create an environment of acceptance and trust. I hope to use physical education as a vehicle to teach tolerance and understanding. Hopefully I can create this environment as a pre-emptive strike on all forms of bullying and intolerance. If an instance occurs I hope to use it as a teachable moment. I hope to generate group discussion about the problem and how it can affect a person. Maybe through discussion and understanding it would stop. Unfortunately short of that, I cannot MAKE someone do anything. All I can do is show them a path and hope that they take it.