Increasing number of teachers being bullied or abused online

Teachers and parents have been harping on about the dangers of MySpace and Bebo for ages now. A year ago it was all about how students were using the sites to bully eachother. Now, it’s more a case of students using the internet to bully the teachers.

Last week saw a young teacher suspended from her duties after students uncovered a video of her on YouTube before she became a teacher.

The video was an advertisement for construction apparel and allegedly showed the teacher in question simulating sex with a construction worker on a desk.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said that it now receives at least one call a day from teachers or lecturers claiming they are victims of online bullying or abuse.

The union has warned members to be careful about what kind of content they have up on their Facebook pages as students are always on the lookout for teacher related content online.

A survey by the Teacher Support Network found 17 per cent of teachers had suffered cyber-bullying with students being responsible in more than a third of cases.

There have been several cases in the last year or two which have involved teachers getting stick from pupils over the internet. Some students have even set up Facebook or Bebo pages for the sole purpose of heaping abuse on teachers or lecturers. Many people are of the opinion that if teachers or lecturers have webpages or profiles that they should be prepared to let students see it. However, there are those of the opinion that students should treat teachers with the respect they deserve.

Kids these days. . .