Presentation as part of the University of Lethbridge Education Undergraduate Society's 5th Annual

1. Bullying in the
U of L Education
Workplace Kurtis Hewson
Undergraduate Society Faculty Associate
October 16, 2012

2. Spot the Bullying
• You walk into the staff room just as a colleague is
finishing a joke you find offensive
• A colleague tells a parent that they wouldn’t want a
child in your class
• As you go down the hall, an aggressive colleague
“bumps” into you, and smiles as she walks by
• As a staff, you watch a funny video showing an
ineffective teaching practice and a colleague
remarks “Kurtis, I didn’t know you did movies!”

3. What is Bullying?
• Intentional or Deliberate
• Disrespectful (Imbalance
of Power)
• Repeated

4. Consider This…
• UK Study:
– 15.5% of teachers stating they were currently
being bullied
– 35.4% bullied in the past five years
• 1 in 4 teachers will suffer workplace bullying
in their careers
• Not a gender issue (prevalent with both
genders)

5. What Does It Look Like?
Doug applies but is not
successful in the VP position
you receive. He begins to
covertly share with other
staff members your
incompetence.

6. What Does It Look Like?
Martha finds every
available opportunity in
staff settings to drop
sarcastic sentiments
about your teaching.

7. What Does It Look Like?
Elaine starts a rumor in
the community that you
enjoy coaching girls
volleyball “a little too
much, if you know what I
mean…”

8. What Does It Look Like?
Philip is consistently
arranging “staff
functions” at his
house but never
invites you.

9. What Does It Look Like?
• Typically not physical
• Isolation and exclusion
• Rumors
• Negative remarks to parents and students
• Criticism
• Unreasonable workloads
• Cyberbullying

10. Impact of Staffroom Bullies
• Stress symptoms (anxiety, headaches,
nausea, hypertension)
• Sleep problems
• Irritability
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts
• Loss of self-esteem
• Loss of job

12. What to do?
• Laugh, ignore, avoid?
• Act if impacting your professional reputation
• Document and keep any evidence
• Contact the ATA
• Speak directly with the person
– Share concerns and try to find a way forward
• Be courteous, non-confrontational, keep
social contact to a minimum

13. What not to do
• Reciprocate
• Change who you are as a teacher
• Allow yourself to be a victim
• Be bullied into silence
• Share concerns with other teachers
• Share concerns with your principal
(without talking to the other person)

14. Rule of Thumb
If unsure, make the call!

15. Questions?
Kurtis Hewson
Faculty Associate
hewskp@uleth.ca
Twitter - @hewsonk27
http://kurtishewson.wordpress.com/