A video of a pupil being bullied by another in full view of other students, while a teacher, completely unconcerned by the violent incident, continues with what looks like marking, recently aired on the national television news on 17 June.
Apparently the video has gone viral, with more than 2 million views.
What on earth was that teacher thinking?
Bullying should be stopped on the spot! It was the teacher’s responsibility – undeniable duty, to respond quickly and stop such behaviour. In doing so, he would have sent a clear message that behaviour like that is unacceptable.
But, the teacher, with his inaction, had created multiple victims in his classroom that day. Not only the apparent victim – the boy being beaten up, but also the bystanders who were inadvertent witnesses to such violent behaviour, and let’s not forget the so-called bully.
Bullies are not born. There are certainly factors that cause them to act out in an aggressive manner. In most cases these ‘bullies’ are victims of abuse too.
So, at some point the victim becomes the aggressor and so the cycle goes on. And to think that the teacher could have put an end to this.
As an ex-teacher, I know the stance the teacher chose to take is against school safety policy. It was further alleged that the teacher had given the bully permission to conduct the assault.
In my opinion, it is the teacher who should face charges. It is gross misconduct and he should be held accountable. And if this type of pupil supervision is the norm at the school, then the school should also be dealt with accordingly.
