I can vividly recall being in French class at my all girls Catholic high school, jokingly taunting Mr. Reilly and his Kermit the Frog puppet. As teenage girls we thought it was so amusing to ask Mr. Reilly odd/disruptive questions about the French language, his travels to France and whether or not he took Kermit with him as his travel companion. Seeing his frustration made it even more appealing. We did it out of our disinterest in French and to add some fun to an already boring class. The minute he told us to act right and explained that the material would be covered on our next quiz, we settled down and actually took the rest of class seriously.
I’m sure at some point most teachers experience unruly students who disrupt class as a way distract the class and the teacher. Cyberbaiting has taken that concept even further and involves intentional provoking of a teacher to the point where the teacher “acts out” or “flips out.” Students secretly video tape or record this “acting out” then post it online. They bait you then post it for everyone to see.These actions are another form of cyberbullying, only this time the adults are the victims and the students are the bully. Many students who want “revenge” or just find it funny, have been using these tactics to provoke erratic behavior from their teachers. In many cases the teachers are suspended or fired.
So what can be done? Sometimes the greatest revenge is never allowing the other party to get the best of you. It shows that their tactics are fruitless and proves who’s really in control of the scenario. More importantly, we must continue to teach our kids good digital citizenship and the appropriate use of technology.
Read more about cyberbaiting…