This lesson provided by:

Author: Kristi Stacks

System: Trussville City

School: Trussville City Board Of Education

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A CYBERBULLY?

A girl named Vicky is checking her email in computer class. One of her emails says, “Where did you get that shirt? Your grandma’s house?”

Another email says: “What kind of body spray do you use? Toilet water?”

Another email: “Why don’t you go out with Trevor? His buck teeth and your glasses would be so ugly together.”

Vicky closes her email and goes to a Social Wall.

Social Wall posts say:

“Icky Vicky!! Get a life.”

“Hey Vicky there is a thing called a mall! Get some new clothes!!”

“Icky doesn’t even begin to cover Vicky!! How about stinky, gross, four eyes, yucky….“

The class lines up. Girls that line up behind Vicky are giggling and swapping places so they don’t have to stand by Vicky.

The class leaves and the teacher checks her email. One is from Vicky: “Mrs. Stacks, people are really hurting my feelings. They are sending mean emails and posting things on social walls that make me feel really sad. They are even sending texts to my cell phone. I am trying not to tattle, but this keeps happening.”

Teacher sends for Vicky. Vicky arrives in the computer lab.

Teacher: Vicky, I am glad that you told me about the messages and postings that made you feel uncomfortable. What is happening to you is called cyber-bullying. Cyberbullying is when someone makes you feel embarrassed or hurt, or keeps bothering you over and over. Cyberbullies use technology, like computers or phones, to do their bullying. Bullying is wrong whether you do it in person or with technology. You did the right thing by telling an adult. Let’s take care of this right now.

Why don’t you pull up your email and let me see the emails that you have been getting?

Vicky: But, I deleted them.

Teacher: That is okay. We can still pull them up, even if they have been deleted. We can print out every bullying email that you have received.

Look, each email shows who sent it and the time and the date that it was sent. This gives us proof of the bullying.

Let’s look at your social wall. See social walls, like Facebook and Twitter, have the date by each posting and the person’s name. We can print this too.

Vicky: Oh, good!

Various students hold signs with advice about cyberbullying. The signs say:

  • The words of others can make you feel frustrated, angry, or sad.
  • You should be able to go online or use cell phones without fear of being bullied.
  • Everyone has a right to be treated fairly and a responsibility to treat others fairly.
  • If you are the target of cyberbullying, block the bully, get offline, and tell a parent or teacher.
  • Don’t let your anger get you in trouble. Don’t respond to the bully.
  • Let an adult handle a bully