“Bullying” Has Little Resonance with Teenagers is an example of students not seeing the relationship between the word “bullying” and what occurs daily in the dramatic lives of teenagers. I love that article points out that empathy is what is missing and the problem is not technology. I don’t think the problem is digital citizenship. I think the problem is much more general and students need to see the correlation between real life and digital. It is about character. Period. I often wonder what makes people more empathetic than others. With students, it is known that developmentally their frontal lobes are not fully developed. The Teen Brain: It’s Just Not Grown Up Yet states that teens can process consequences but it is not going to a rapid process. It is a much slower process in teens than adults.
5 Ways to Foster and Teach Empathy to Children and Top tips on how to teach empathy and curb bullying are articles that are written to teach empathy. They state that teaching empathy is an on going process that isn’t a one time lesson. It is something that must be revisited constantly.
Teaching Empathy: Cultivating Communities of Kindness in the Digital Age makes a great statement that teachers and parents, who may not be as tech savvy, need to know about technology. It is no longer acceptable that children have no direction from parents or teachers because they don’t know or get technology. From my opinion, that is part of the issue with the current status with students. Many parents and teachers use the “I don’t know technology” card. It can’t be that way any longer.
Ms. Marcum's Mission 