Staff Room Bullying
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School A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
s can be instigators of bullying within a school environment, and the subject of
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...
by others.


Teachers bullying others

According to an article, a high percentage of teachers admit that they bully their students. Students with learning disabilities may be especially at risk for teacher bullying.


Others bullying teachers

Comprehensive research carried out in the UK found that
teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...
was one of the occupations at highest risk from bullying: * 15.5% of teachers stating they were currently being bullied * 35.4% saying they had been bullied over the last five years. In another survey, the
Economic and Social Research Institute The Economic and Social Research Institute (Institiúid Taighde Eacnamaíochta agus Sóisialta in Irish) is an Irish research institute founded in 1960 to provide evidence-based research used to inform public policy debate and decision-making. ...
found bullying to be more prevalent in schools (13.8%) than other workplaces (7.9%).BULLYING in the staffroom is having a deeply traumatic effect on some teachers and their families, new research reveals.
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
April 14, 2009
A common manifestation of teacher bullying is staffroom bullying where teachers are bullied by other teachers or school managers. Field Tbr>Staffroom bullying
The Times Educational Supplement (TES) Magazine 21 June 2002


Complex dynamics

There are complex issues with reporting bullying by teachers, not only for children, but also parents. By means of their position of power over the child, power that enables them to impact the child's present and future, children and parents are reluctant to report. There are specific signs that parents should watch for as their child is unlikely to disclose that the teacher is in fact the bully. Furthermore, a teacher who bullies may present as a Jekyll and Hyde figure: they are often celebrated and popular so their abuse can go on for long periods of time undetected. Research on teachers in classrooms is lacking and it is unclear how much these activities go undetected or rewarded by teachers in the classroom. For coaches teaching a sport, it can be seen that adults are often rewarded for bullying conduct that would never be tolerated or condoned if done by a child. Parsons identifies teacher bullying as often being part of a wider
bullying culture Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggressively dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the percep ...
within a school, with a complex web of dynamics such as:Parsons
Bullied Teacher, Bullied Student: How to Recognize the Bullying Culture in Your School and What to Do About It (2005)
/ref> * Teachers may be bullied by: other teachers,
students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...
, office staff, principals,
school governor In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions: *Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction *Holding the headteacher to account for th ...
s or parents * Teachers may bully: other teachers, students or parents * Teachers that bully others, may be subject to bullying, in return, from those they target


Manifestations

In investigating teacher bullying, it is important to differentiate a teacher or coach who is demanding versus one who is demeaning. So "yelling" for instance can be highly productive and motivating, but if it involves belittling and is laced with putdowns, personal attacks, and insults, it becomes abusive. Bullying by teachers can take many forms in order to harass and intimidate including: * Swearing, or yelling, especially in close proximity to the child * Using homophobic, sexist, racial slurs, or direct personal attacks, comments targeting a child's disability or difference * Humiliating * Berating * Ignoring or shunning * Throwing objects * Raging * Expressing disgust at the child through gestures or facial expressions * Muttering obscenities so only the targeted child or children hear * Hypocrisy (ex: telling a student not to say "well" despite using the same word while communicating) * Physical assault Bullying of teachers can take many forms in order to
harass Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and ...
and
intimidate Intimidation is a behaviour and legal wrong which usually involves deterring or coercing an individual by threat of violence. It is in various jurisdictions a crime and a civil wrong (tort). Intimidation is similar to menacing, coercion, terror ...
including:Lepkowska
The shocking stories of teacher-on-teacher bullying
Secondary Education News (SecEd) 11 Nov 2010
* Face-to-face confrontation * Memos *
Cyberbullying Cyberbullying (cyberharassment or online bullying) is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Since the 2000s, it has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers and adolescents, due to young people's increased u ...
(including the use of
text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktops/laptops, or ...
or
social networking A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...
sites) Bullies often exploit positions of seniority over the colleagues they are intimidating (see
rankism Rankism is "abusive, discriminatory, and/or exploitative behavior towards people because of their rank in a particular hierarchy". Rank-based abuse underlies many other phenomena such as bullying, racism, supremacism (often white supremacy), ...
) by: *
Criticising Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...
their work * Making unreasonable demands on workload (see
setting up to fail "Setting up to fail" is a phrase denoting a no-win situation designed in such a way that the person in the situation cannot succeed at the task which they have been assigned. It is considered a form of workplace bullying. There are also situation ...
) *
Sarcasm Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflectio ...
and jokes aimed at the victim * Undermining them by over-ruling their decisions and views In some cases, teachers are ignored and isolated by colleagues in the staffroom or turned down for
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
or training courses (see
silent treatment Silent treatment is the refusal to communicate with someone who is trying to communicate and elicit a response. It may range from just sulking to malevolent abusive controlling behaviour. It may be a passive-aggressive form of emotional abuse i ...
). Other times, teachers are ostracized as
whistleblowers Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...
when they report to administrators on students' reports of bullying being done by their colleagues.


Impacts

The power imbalance of teacher to student is greater than peer to peer and may well intensify the impact. The possible impacts on a child of bullying by teachers include: *
Victimisation Victimisation ( or victimization) is the state or process of being victimised or becoming a victim. The field that studies the process, rates, incidence, effects, and prevalence of victimisation is called victimology. Peer victimisation Peer ...
and
victim blaming Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as ...
*
False accusations ''False Accusations'' is the third studio album by the Robert Cray Band, released 1985. In the same year, Cray won the Blues Music Award, W.C. Handy Award for best male artist of 1985. Critical reception ''The Boston Globe'' listed the album am ...
and fabricated formal disciplinary action * Stress symptoms such as
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...
,
headaches A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Head ...
,
nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...
,
palpitations Palpitations occur when a person becomes aware of their heartbeat. The heartbeat may feel hard, fast, or uneven in their chest. Symptoms include a very fast or irregular heartbeat. Palpitations are a sensory symptom. They are often described as ...
, and
hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...
* Symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
(PTSD) such as a compromised
immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...
,
sleep problems A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder affecting an individual's sleep patterns, sometimes impacting physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for diagnosing sle ...
, excessive
guilt Guilt most commonly refers to: *Guilt (emotion), an emotion that occurs when a person feels that they have violated a moral standard *Culpability, a legal term *Guilt (law), a legal term Music * ''Guilt'' (album), a 2009 album by Mims * "Guilt" ( ...
,
irritability Irritability is the excitatory ability that living organisms have to respond to changes in their environment. The term is used for both the physiological reaction to stimuli and for the pathological, abnormal or excessive sensitivity to stimul ...
,
hypervigilance Hypervigilance is a condition in which the nervous system is inaccurately and rapidly filtering sensory information and the individual is in an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity. This appears to be linked to a dysregulated nervous system whi ...
(which feels like
paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...
, but is not), constant anxiety,
reactive depression Adjustment disorder is a mental and behavioral disorder defined by a maladaptive response to a psychosocial stressor. The maladaptive response usually involves otherwise normal emotional and behavioral reactions that manifest more intensely than ...
and
suicidal thoughts Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas or ruminations about the possibility of dying by suicide.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal i ...
* Loss of
self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...
* Loss of job "If bullying is performed by a person who is supposed to be a caregiver and a role model, it can be assumed that the consequences may be even more devastating for the exposed child"


Notable incidents

In April 2012, Stuart Chaifetz, a father of an autistic boy, released a video on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
providing evidence that his son was allegedly the subject of emotional abuse at the hands of his teacher and aide at Horace Mann Elementary School, in the
Cherry Hill Public Schools The Cherry Hill Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Cherry Hill, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020–21 school yea ...
district. The evidence was secured when Chaifetz wired his son with a microphone before sending him to school. When he listened to the audio recording, according to one news report, "Chaifetz says he caught his son's teachers gossiping, talking about alcohol and violently yelling at students. He took the audio to the Cherry Hill School District, where officials fired one of the teachers involved after hearing the tape. Chaifetz's son was relocated to a new school, where Chaifetz says he is doing well." However, it appears that students with learning disabilities may be especially at risk for teacher bullying. In June 2014, Britain proposed the "Cinderella Law" which would put emotional abuse in the Criminal Code.


In popular culture

Teachers being portrayed as bullies have made into popular culture, along with works with teachers being bullied by other teachers, students, and even the principal.


Films

* ''
Kids in America "Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her Kim Wilde (album), self-titled de ...
'', a group of students with help from some teachers tries to stop their bully of a principal from becoming Superintendent, realizing the harm she can cause. * ''
The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor may refer to: * ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963 film), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis * ''The Nutty Professor'' (1996 film), directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy ** ''The Nutty Professor'' (soundtrack), sound ...
'', The School Bully bullies the Professor. * ''
Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...
'', based on the novel of the same name, a student with psychokinesis helps her fellow students and a teacher to stop a cruel principal's reign of terror in the school. * ''
The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American independent teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. The ensemble cast includes Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ring ...
'', Principal Vernon is often seen as a bully to the students serving detention. * ''
Mr. Woodcock ''Mr. Woodcock'' is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie, and starring Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton, Susan Sarandon, Amy Poehler, and Ethan Suplee. The film was released on September 14, 2007 to mostly negative revie ...
'', the film focuses on a man who is outraged that his former gym teacher, who bullied him and his classmates, is about to become his stepfather. * ''
A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas ...
'', the main character is the target of a corrupt principal at a boarding school. * ''
The 400 Blows ''The 400 Blows'' () is a 1959 French Coming-of-age film, coming-of-age Drama (film and television), drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut, who also co-wrote the film. Shot in the anamorphic format List of anamorphic forma ...
'', Antoine Doinel is tormented by his insensitive teacher Guy Decomble. * '' Whiplash'', Andrew Neiman is bullied by his abusive teacher Terence Fletcher.


Books

* '' The Harry Potter series'' features bullying teachers, mainly
Severus Snape Severus Snape is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. In the first five novels, he is the professor of Potions at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the sixth book, he teaches Defence ...
and
Dolores Umbridge Dolores Jane Umbridge is a fictional character from the ''Harry Potter'' series created by J. K. Rowling. Umbridge is the secondary antagonist of the fifth novel, '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,'' where she has been stationed a ...
. * ''
British girls' comics British girls' comics flourished in the United Kingdom from the 1950s through the 1970s, before beginning to decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Publishers known for their girls' comics included DC Thomson and Fleetway/IPC. Most titles ap ...
'' often featured bully teachers and principals in serials and regular strips. Examples can be found in ''Wee Sue,'' ''The Girls of Liberty Lodge'' and ''The Four Friends at Spartan School'', ( Tammy), and ''Hard Times for Helen'' (Judy). ''Patsy on the Warpath'' (June) reversed the trend to show a teacher being bullied by toughs in her class.


TV

* ''
iCarly ''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...
'': there have been episodes, like "IHave My Principals", where Ms. Francine Briggs and Mr. Howard clearly bully students, including the main characters, one of whom, Sam, is a bully herself. Mr. Devlin and Lauren Ackerman also bullied the students. * ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ned's Declassified'') is an American live action sitcom on Nickelodeon that debuted on the Nickelodeon Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The serie ...
'', Mr. Sweeney, a science teacher, appears to be evil until the third season, where he appears to reform himself to the point of saving his students from Vice Principal Harvey Crubbs, who also bullies the students, mainly the main characters. * ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
'', Coach Bieste is bullied by staff, including
Sue Sylvester Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through t ...
and students. * ''
Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...
'', Casey Braxton is bullied by Mr Dave Townsend in Summer Bay High. * ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode, Black Eyed, Please, Lisa is bullied by a jealous substitute teacher, Miss Cantwell. **Later in episode
Blazed and Confused "Blazed and Confused" is the seventh episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and 559th episode in the series. The episode was directed by Rob Oliver and written by Carolyn Omine and Willia ...
, Bart is bullied by his cruel and sadistic new teacher, Mr. Jack Lassen, who shaves off the boy's hair in class. * ''
Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...
'' (season four, episode four) Christopher Stewart is bullied by P.E. teacher Mr. Hicks, to the point of physical injury.


Music

* "
The Happiest Days of Our Lives "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It appeared on their eleventh studio album '' The Wall'' (1979). Composition The song is approximately one minute, 46 seconds in length, beginning with 24 seconds of ...
" by
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
– song about abusive teachers who are themselves abused by their wives at home.


See also

*
Mobbing Mobbing, as a sociological term, refers either to bullying in any context, or specifically to that within the workplace, especially when perpetrated by a group rather than an individual. Psychological and health effects Victims of workplace mo ...
*
Personality disorders Personality disorders (PD) are a class of mental health conditions characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts and deviating from those accepted by the culture. T ...
*
School bullying School bullying, like bullying outside the school context, refers to one or more perpetrators who have greater physical strength or more social power than their victim and who repeatedly act aggressively toward their victim. Bullying can be ver ...
*
School violence School violence includes violence between school students as well as attacks by students on school staff and attacks by school staff on students. It encompasses physical violence, including Fistfighting, student-on-student fighting, corporal punish ...
*
Sexual harassment in education Sexual harassment in education is an unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with a student's ability to learn, study, work or participate in school activities. Sexual harassment encompasses a range of behavior from mild annoyances to ...
* Sexual harassment and abuse of students by teachers *
Workplace bullying Workplace bullying is a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the workplace that causes physical and/or emotional harm. It includes verbal, nonverbal Nonverbal communication is the transmission of messages or signals through a non ...


References


Further reading

Books * * * * Academic papers * * Barnes CA A study investigating the opinions and experiences OF selected teachers regarding teacher bullying - 2007 * * * Monsvold T, Bendixen M, Hagen
Exposure to teacher bullying in schools: A study of patients with personality disorders - Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 2011 Feb 25
*


External links

*
Teacher suicide rate doubles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullying In Teaching School bullying Workplace harassment and bullying School and classroom behaviour Education issues Teaching