The mean girl
I currently have a student who is noticeably low on self esteem and confidence. She does the joky random comments during class to cover her lack of confidence. Lately, other students have come to me stating that she is talking about others and disparaging others outside of class in an attempt to be the "in crowd". I have not witnessed this, but am trying to figure out how to address the "bullying" issue, because it is affecting other students now.
I had this issue come up in the past few weeks. I had a few students come to me stating that two girls were rude to them many times throughout the term. They had disclosed that they felt bullied and also did not want it to be known that a complaint was made. I initially changed the seating arrangement in the classroom, where the students sat in a circle. I also assigned different seats. Then, designated a classroom activity about the importance of helping others and making everyone feel comfortable. I teach sociology, so related it to in groups and out groups. After this, I had not received any more complaints. I also observed more connectivity between the students, seeing them talk more. I meditated on this for an entire weekend. I'm very pleased it worked. I hope this can help you.
