Over the past decade, there have been increasing conversations in educational circles about bullying and the influence that it has on students’ academic performance and socio-emotional development. Several high-profile cases of bullying have helped to raise greater awareness around the prevalence and severity of bullying among children and youth. One such case was of a young eight-year old boy named Gabriel, who was assaulted at school by a group of boys and knocked unconscious. He later hung himself. Unfortunately, in a number of these cases, children who have been bullied for their race, sexual orientation, disability or for simply having a “soft” spirit have attempted, and sometimes, succeeded, in taking their own lives. The public is often horrified to learn how a beautiful, loving child can be afflicted on a daily basis with little, if any, intervention from school personnel.
But what happens when the bully is not another child in the classroom or at the school, but a teacher? How does one know if their child is being afflicted on a daily basis by an oppressive teacher?
According to StopBullying.gov, bullying “is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school age children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.” According to this source, bullying is characterized by two primary factors — first, an imbalance of power, and second, repetition of unwanted behaviors. And while this definition certainly prioritizes child to child bullying, this is not always the case.
Unfortunately, for many black children (particularly black males), they are the recipients of teacher bullying. For these children, their classrooms are prisons of denigration and control.
Inherently, there is an imbalance of power between children and adults, and even more so sometimes between teachers and their students. This is because teachers are purveyors of knowledge and therefore assumed to be moral wielders of the power they hold in their classrooms. However, research on black males has repeatedly shown that these students experience educators who use their power to oppress the very children that they are charged with building up. More specifically, research has demonstrated that black boys and young men are often singled out for punishment, punished for minor age-appropriate actions, subjected to quicker and harsher punishments, publicly denigrated in front of their peers, and assumed to have "something wrong" with them. These patterns have been routinely highlighted in the research literature on black males, but have striking similarities with verbal bullying and social bullying.
Verbal bullying occurs when someone repeatedly denigrates someone with their words or in writing. Social bullying occurs when one engages in actions to hurt another person’s relationships and reputation. However, in the case of black children, many of them are bullied due to a pathological racial-aversion towards them. The severity of the bullying that occurs can range significantly. Sometimes, the bullying is done unconsciously and is therefore more subtle and harder to notice. However, it is still very damaging. At other times, the bullying is done consciously and is more obvious. Obviously, an openly hostile environment is also very damaging.
For the bully, their actions may fulfill a misandric fetish of having power over a black male body. For the young child, the experience is jarring and traumatic. Increasingly, our experience of late is that the level of conscious teacher bullying is pervasive and often unchecked by school administrators, especially when the recipients of the bullying are black children. Some administrators are aware of the patterns and simply avoid conflict by ignoring what is occurring. Others are simply unaware of what is taking place because of inadequate accountability for disciplinary license that teachers have for more minor infractions.
Unfortunately, many black children will experience teachers who will target them and pick on them. One common strategy employed is for a teacher to identify a young black child as the “bad kid” or “problem,” and then reinforce this narrative with other children and adults. To avoid being perceived as “bad,” other children are taught to avoid this child and, at times, to disparage them in order to demonstrate their adherence to the teacher. Other adults look for behaviors to reinforce the narrative about the child that the bully teacher has created — and confirmation bias ensues.
This year, even more than in years past, I have encountered countless black children who have been bullied by their teachers. I am talking about overt, direct racism that is unchecked. At one school, I have found the bullying to be both academic and disciplinary in nature. Some recent examples included black children being denied access to the bathroom and forced to urinate on themselves in class, given less homework than the “smart kids” (who are usually white), a teacher who referred all of the black children in her classroom to special education, teachers publicly denigrating children in front of other children to shame them for minor infractions and changing children’s names to white names rather than Afrocentric and/or Muslim names. In fact, the teacher bullying occurring at the school was so great in some classes that parents felt forced to keep their children home (at times) to protect them from their teachers.
Obviously, the influence of teacher bullying on black children can be deleterious. Children can learn early on to disassociate with school and become increasingly defiant as a mechanism for coping with their environment and protecting themselves. Both of these patterns only serve to reinforce the false narratives that are peddled by bully teachers. Another outcome is that children can experience school-based trauma — where they encounter stress that far exceeds their ability to bear. This can lead to intense feelings of hopelessness and fear. Unfortunately, I have seen the manifestation of such trauma in young children and it is truly a heartbreaking sight — a young child who is broken by his teacher.
So, how do you know who the bully teachers are who oppress black children? Well, during the public course Black Minds Matter, Professor Chance Lewis noted that black children can tell you who the bad teachers are, who treat children poorly. It is simply a function of asking them. The key is to make sure that the question is being asked. Recently, I decided to put this practice to the test. I provided a black male first-grader with a list of teacher names at his school. I said, “Here is a list of teachers. Tell me the ones who are really nice and the ones who are really mean. And if they fall in the middle, tell me that, too.” Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately began going through the list — first identifying teachers that were “so nice,” and then identifying the ones who were “so mean” or “picked on other kids.”
The young child identified several teachers who were marvelously kind, supportive and affirming. He also identified two teachers that were bullies. He then gave examples of these teachers singling him out for punishment, being mean to him, yelling at children and making fun of him in public. To be clear, every school has both of these groups — great teachers and bully teachers. And while many teachers are not bullies, strikingly far too many exist and thrive in our educational system. Interestingly, the teachers who he expressed concern about were also the same teachers that other children and their parents expressed concern about. He knew. The other children knew, too. Unfortunately, the bullying by these teachers was well known by the children at the school, but often this is not known because the question is not asked. Thus, the best way to know who is a bully and who isn’t is to ask your child.
Once you have learned who the bullies are, there are two options — fight or flight. For many, the first stage is to address the issue and hold the school accountable. Often, such efforts are exercised through parent advocacy groups. For instance, an advocacy group might compile testimonies of experiences and share these with school leaders. In doing so, these groups may raise awareness about bully teachers as a way of making public what the children already know. Of course, even if the school is responsive to the issues — one must consider how long it will take for their interventions with the teacher to lead to change. And, then one must consider how many black children will be bullied until a change ensues, if it ever does.
For others, flight may also be a necessary option, especially if staying in the school will produce or reinforce trauma. However, as a good colleague once told me, never leave your child in an environment that is unhealthy. For some parents, the decision to leave a school can be difficult. Issues of transportation, the risks of changing environments, additional costs and the sense that you have given up. For those who have children in specialized schools such as charter schools, private schools, magnet schools and language immersion, they may be even more reluctant to change for fear of losing an opportunity.
However, no opportunity is worth your child’s emotional health. Just remember, teachers can be bullies. If you don’t believe me, ask your kids.
