While helping out with an AP Computer Science class last week, the teacher asked students who are continuing with online learning to reflect on how they feel about it. One student said "I haven't been called a slur in a year." While some students may thrive better from in person classes, others benefit from remote learning. Specifically, students who are benefitting from online learning are those who were previously bullied. It's important to note that switching to online learning does not automatically make all bullying stop, as cyberbullying is still a major issue many kids face. However, online learning has provided some relief for bullied students.
Not only that, but according to Huffpost online learning also "exposes aggressors whose behavior all too often goes unnoticed in a traditional school setting." The majority of online learning is heavily monitored by teachers, with many classes being recorded and chat boxes being monitored. Therefore, while bullying could previously go undetected, online learning is a new weapon against it. Furthermore, only 34% of bullying typically takes place in the classroom, while 66% takes place elsewhere. For bullied students, online learning removes the interactions where the other 66% of bullying occurs.
Online learning has also flattened the social hierarchies of schools. Almost all students are new to online learning, giving students the opportunity to start from scratch. Students had to determine the best way to interact with their peers virtually. They all had to learn how to use new video chat services and how to submit homework online. This shift in social interactions benefits students who were previously at the bottom of the social hierarchy because it allows a chance for them to be seen as an equal again. Additionally, students who acted as bullies previously may feel less comfortable in the new situation and not continue in their role as bullies.
Avoiding an overarching statement about online learning being more effective for every student is imperative, but for some students online learning has provided relief from the relentless bullying they suffered while attending school in-person. This break allow these students to prosper in their academics. It allows them to feel safe again in their learning environment and to just focus on school, instead of worrying about being bullied and the complex social dynamics of school.
Sources
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bullying-problem-remote-learning_l_5f61214fc5b68d1b09c8dc16
https://reacttobullying.org/blog/where-does-bullying-happen/