Are Students Bullying Teachers in 2024? What You Need to Know

Are students bullying teachers, and how big of a problem is it?

I was surprised to see very little on this topic after doing some internet research on it. As a former teacher, I know from experience that teacher-targeted bullying is becoming a real, harmful issue worldwide.

Recently, the media has been covering more cases of the rising problem of violence in the classrooms throughout North America.

In this article, we’re specifically addressing the issue of students who target teachers; which can include physical violence, but other types of bullying as well.

Whether it’s threats, verbal abuse, or cyberbullying (which yes, has happened) then yes, there are sadly, an increasing amount of teachers who have experienced bullying from students that they teach.

I was once a victim of teacher bullying from a student. It was one of the most stressful times in my life, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t leave lasting emotional scars; even years later.

The stress of being attacked by a student, and not having a ton of admin support in the situation ultimately factored into my job anxiety, burnout, and eventually, quitting teaching altogether.

Addressing the problem of students bullying teachers needs to be taken seriously so that teachers can have the safe work environment that they deserve and need to do their jobs effectively, and to promote a better learning environment that all students need to thrive.

So, let’s jump in to explore the issue of teachers being bullied by their students.

Why Are Students Bullying Teachers?

Students are bullying teachers for any reason that a bully has ever bullied anyone. In a nutshell, students who target teachers do it because:

they sense weakness and vulnerability in the person (teacher) they target
they feel they can get away with it
they have their own underlying issues that factor into them resorting to bullying behaviour (home and family issues, social issues, having been bullied themselves, attention seeking, mental health issues and many other reasons)
lack of consequences or fear of repercussions

Usually, there is often a power imbalance element to bullying too, according to most definitions.

However, students have the legal right to education, so there is sometimes a lack of possible consequences for the perpetrators who target teachers.

How lack of Consequences Contribute to Teacher-Targeted Bullying

You may have noticed that in retail or fast food settings, there are often signs warning you that abuse of employees will lead to you being thrown out. This isn’t true of the classroom.

Teachers often have their hands tied and are required to help and work with students regardless of how the student’s behaviour; even if that includes aggressive behaviour towards them.

This can sometimes create a dynamic where the teacher doesn’t have a lot of power or control over the situation.

While other professions such as a doctor, could choose to stop working with a patient or client that makes them feel unsafe – teachers don’t generally have this option.

Although it’s rare, some students have picked up on this fact and have targeted teachers that they’ve perceived as weak, or deserving of the cruel behaviour.

What Does Teacher Bullying Look Like?

To be clear, a student misbehaving does not mean that they are “bullying” the teacher. According to many definitions, bullying has to be intentional and repeated.

For it to be considered bullying, the student needs to be purposely trying to scare intimidate or harm the teacher – this could be through verbal or physical abuse.

Examples of things students have done to bully teachers. (These are things that I have either experienced myself, heard of my colleagues experiencing, or read about in the news or online:)

Verbal abuse – yelling, swearing or threatening
Filming them in class with their cell phones, and posting them on social media; making funny tik-toks of them
Targeting them in a physical way outside of school, such as any vandalism or destruction to their house, vehicle or other property
Spreading lies or rumours, starting petitions about them
Physical abuse – there have been many viral videos of students becoming physically aggressive with teachers, such as this one where a high school student slapped his teacher

Who is Most at Risk of Teacher Bullying?

According to a Canadian study in the early 2000s, almost 40% of teachers had been bullied at some point, and teachers who taught grades 7-8 were most at risk for being bullied by students.

There are so many things that make someone (even a teacher) a more likely bullying victim.

It could be something about:

your demeanour or physical appearance; if they perceive you as weak or vulnerable (which is ultimately what makes anyone a more likely bullying victim)
your gender, orientation, background or differences from your students that make them think it’s ok to target you or that they’d get away with it
the circumstances of the environment that allow bullying to continue

Regardless of your age, gender or background, being a target of bullying ultimately comes down to being perceived as an easy target, with a lack of fear of repercussions for the bully.

Effects of Educator-Targeted Bullying

Educator-targeted bullying has devastating impacts, not only for the teacher, but the culture of the school and the learning environment.

According to a study that was done in 2023 in the Czech Republic about teacher-targeted bullying, students bullying teachers has a negative impact on the teacher’s personal and professional lives. (No surprise here.)

Here is a full list of effects of teacher-targeted bullying.

1. Destruction of the learning environment

Imagine being a student in a classroom where there are kids ganging up on the teacher (who’s supposed to be the authority in the room.)

This would be terrifying for students who realize that there is no real authority or sense of control over students who are aggressive or bully.

2. Teacher burnout and turnover

Being targeted by students can be a humiliating and devastating experience for a teacher.

It goes without saying that it can lead to teacher burnout, which is as devastating for the teacher as it is harmful to their students.

Having experienced teacher-targeted bullying, I can say with certain that it affected my own confidence, and how I saw my job. It changed my views on my career; making me wonder if teaching was worth it anymore.

Serious teacher bullying incidents can also contribute to teacher turnover, as some teachers may leave or take a step back in the middle of the year if they feel stressed or unsafe at work.

3. Poor staff morale

An environment where workers don’t feel safe generally does not allow for a positive working environment.

Unsupportive admin who fail to support their teachers in cases of educator-targeted bullying can contribute to an unhappy staff culture.

How to Avoid Being Bullied by Students

Since bullying often reflects underlying issues on the part of the perpetrators, there isn’t a lot you can do to ‘prevent’ student bullies who may target you as a teacher.

But, you absolutely need to take serious action if you feel that you’re becoming a victim of teacher-targeted bullying.

What To Do if You’re a Teacher Being Bullied By a Student

If you feel that you’re being targeted by a student, then you should not try to just deal with it on your own. This is an issue that you should seek help with right away. Here are the things to do

✅ First, seek support from admin. Your principal is the first person you should reach out to if a student is behaving repeatedly and aggressively towards you. It’s your principal’s job to take steps to ensure that you feel safe at school – this includes handling the students and communicating their parents, and effectively documenting the incidents.

✅ While your school principal should be documenting incidents, it’s important for you to have your own documentation too. Keep track of incidents that occur, and when they happened.

✅ Reach out to your union (applicable to public schools only, not private schools.) If you have access to a union rep, they should be able to walk you through all your options in what to do about the bullying you’re experiencing

✅ Contact the police, if any incidents occur outside of school (including online.) In some cases, incidents occurring inside the school should also be brought to the police, depending on the incident.

✅ Work refusal, if you perceive the situation at school to be unsafe. In most jurisdictions, you always have the right to refuse unsafe work. Look into your local jurisdiction for doing this; it would be a part of your state or provincial labour laws.

✅ Lastly, remember to look after you. Being bullied by a student is a difficult thing to go through. Consider a short leave of absence to care for yourself physically and mentally, or talking to a therapist or counsellor.

Counselling Resources for Teachers

You may have access to EAP Counselling through your employer. If not, your extended healthcare benefits may cover private therapy sessions.
Better Help is a great way to get support from a licenced therapist online. I’ve used them many times and found the counsellors great and the customer service of the platform very good too.
Psychology Today is a great resource for finding therapists located in Canada

Final Thoughts of Teacher-Targeted Bullying

Student-to-teacher bullying is a sad reality and something that needs to be talked about more as cases of students bullying teachers become more common. There are many pros and cons to teaching, but teachers shouldn’t at any point feel unsafe at your workplace.