JACKIE: Thank you for helping Ms. Dixon address Victoria's behavior! Of course, every classroom is different, and what works for one group of students may not work in every situation, but it's always important to address biased or bullying language as soon as you hear it.
Generally, if a student is acting out just to get attention, you don't want to reward their bad conduct. But choosing to ignore mean or discriminatory behavior can leave the target of that behavior feeling helpless and abandoned, and other students confused about what's okay to say.
This is why it's crucial to have consistent and immediate consequences for any use of biased language in school. Hearing ethnic-, gender-, or sexuality-based slurs in the classroom affects not only the immediate target, but all other students who share that background or fear they may be targeted too. If Ms. Dixon had ignored Victoria's language, that would have victimized not just Gabriel, but all students of Latino descent, damaging their ability to concentrate and feel comfortable participating, and potentially even impacting their performance on the exam.
To quickly put a stop to Victoria's biased language, Ms. Dixon relied on the Community Agreements her students wrote and signed at the beginning of the year.
Community agreements are an important tool to get students to buy into a standard of behavior for themselves and their school community. Ideally, the agreements are designed by the students, who decide together what values are important for them in the classroom.
Community agreements encourage students to show Upstander or Ally Behavior. They give students explicit permission to intervene if they see someone being mean or discriminatory. When possible, it can also benefit students to have lessons in the curriculum about standing up to discrimination. Hearing stories or real-life examples of people who speak out can empower kids to become upstanders or allies themselves.
So was what Victoria did today "bullying?" Biased language by itself doesn't necessarily constitute bullying, but it can easily be part of a pattern of bullying.
We can define bullying with the P.A.I.N., or PAIN, mnemonic.
Power Differential
Aggression
Intentional
Numerous Times
Bullying happens when there is a Power Differential between the students involved, and when acts of Aggression are Intentional and happen Numerous Times. To determine if Victoria was bullying Gabriel, Ms. Dixon will need to Follow Up and learn what's happening between them outside of this one class.
Ms. Dixon should take a few minutes after class to talk individually with Victoria, Gabriel and Sylvia.
When talking to Victoria, Ms. Dixon can reinforce community behavior standards and also find out if anything provoked Victoria's outburst. For example, if Gabriel had stolen Victoria's lunch money the period before, that would greatly change the context, although curbing her use of biased language is still necessary.
When talking to Gabriel after class, Ms. Dixon can check in to see how he's feeling and find out -- from him and from other students if needed -- whether Victoria's behavior is part of an ongoing pattern of bullying that needs to be reported.
Lastly, by taking a minute to thank Sylvia for speaking up in class, Ms. Dixon can encourage her to continue being an upstander or ally, which helps other students feel empowered to speak out.
Now, let's take a look at what happens when we suspect that something may be going on out of our sight...