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I have written quite a bit in the past decade about workplace bullying. The stereotype is that adult workplace bullying is more prevalent in high pressure, business organizations. We don’t typically associate workplace bullying with the seemingly congenial school environment. However, research and discussions with teachers – at both the elementary and high school level – suggests that teachers are easy targets for bullies, that the bullying of teachers is on the rise, and that the bullying is coming from several sources.
Students as Bullies. Some experts argue that student bullying of teachers is reaching epidemic proportions. Students can bully teachers in various ways – acting out in the class, challenging the teacher, or in more subtle forms like spreading rumors. The rise of social media provides an easy platform for students to cyberbully teachers.
Parents as Bullies. The amount of “helicopter parents," or those who are exceedingly protective of their children, is rising and in some cases these parents cross the line with teachers. Some of the bullying is subtle – demanding more and more from a teacher, asking for exceptions for their child, or tearing down the teacher’s reputation to other parents. Sometimes it reaches extremes. In one high school, the parent of a first-year student confronted each of the student’s teachers, and told them, “My daughter is going to be the valedictorian, so I expect you to give her an A.”
Principals as Bullies. A principal’s job is to support her or his teachers, but in certain instances, the principal is a bully – targeting specific teachers for abuse. Just like other bullying bosses, principals who bully single out a target for constant criticism, can make unreasonable demands, and provide critical and inconsistent directions. [Here is a test for determining if a boss is a bully].
Here is more about principals bullying.
Teachers provide an important service in educating children, and the everyday pressures, responsibilities, and stresses of teaching are well known. However, no employee, regardless of their position, should be subjected to bullying in the workplace, and teachers are easy targets for the children they teach, the parents they support, and the principals who are supposed to protect them.
Here are some additional resources.
