Identifying Cyberbullying, Connecting with Students: The Promising Possibilities of Teacher-Student Social Networking

Cyberbullying, an emergent problem that most students face but few report, negatively affects students’ academic and personal development, disrupts the school environment, and usually peaks around middle school. The Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) suggests that successful middle schools should, among other things, ensure every student has an adult advocate to guide academic and personal development in an inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment. The Olweus Anti-Bullying Program denotes educators’ proactive intervention must first follow recognition of students’ misbehaviors and both identification and supervision of problematic school contexts. Without such recognition, identification, and supervision, educators’ proactive interventions are likely impossible. This article offers social networking to educators as a method to identify and, to the best extent possible, supervise cyberbullying. This identification and supervision method merges with youth culture and coheres with AMLE’s and Olweus’ philosophies to positively influence the school’s environment and facilitate students’ intellectual and personal development. However, it contrasts sharply with various school districts’ approaches to confronting cyberbullying. The authors intend for this premise to spark interest in potential pilot studies whereby educators conscientiously and deliberately construct a path to proactive intervention