‘I considered leaving my job,’ says teacher cyber bullied by student who posted offensive TikTok video

Ciaran Kavanagh, of Gaelcholáiste Reachrann in Donaghmede, Dublin, mentioned cyber bullying is one thing that “hits you within the coronary heart”.

Mr Kavanagh spoke out about his expertise at academics’ union ASTI’s annual conference in Wexford, the place members unanimously handed a movement calling for more durable legal guidelines to forestall on-line abuse and harassment on social media.

The Dubliner mentioned he by no means wished to undergo one thing like that once more.

“You lose all sense of logic,” he instructed delegates. “You suppose you’re capable of put up with it, however colleges are, by their nature, completely happy locations. Once you hear youngsters laughing at a video circulating, you routinely suppose they’re laughing at you.

“You’re feeling like each time you flip a nook, when any individual seems your manner you’re feeling that they’ve seen this video, this concoction, that was made only for somebody’s amusement. You’re feeling that it’s directed at you. It acquired to the purpose the place I thought-about leaving the college.

“You realize that you simply’re stronger than that. You suppose you may put up with the feedback, the sly digs, however when it occurs in such a public sphere in such an open manner, it’s heartbreaking.”

Mr Kavanagh mentioned the matter was reported to gardaí and the perpetrator recognized. Nonetheless, he selected to not discover out who the coed was as a result of he feared it might have an effect on his future relationship along with his pupils.

He mentioned the administration at his college had been very supportive.

“Each a part of your coronary heart and soul goes into the job, and you then begin to query: What did I do, what did I say, how did I upset them to make myself this determine of ridicule?”

Mr Kavanagh urged his fellow academics to help the movement and “put a cease to this challenge”.

ASTI basic secretary Kieran ­Christie mentioned it was a “surprising statistic” that almost one-fifth of members had skilled cyber bullying.

Different academics instructed the convention that careers have been being ruined by on-line abuse.

Sinéad Corkery, of the Dublin south-central department, mentioned that regardless of quite a few schooling programmes instructing college students about security and respect on-line, dangerous data continued to be shared.

The posting of salacious and malicious footage might trigger nice hurt and misery, she added.

“Problems can come up the place a instructor is topic to dangerous content material posted anonymously or beneath a pseudonym,” she mentioned.

“Individuals can publish materials anonymously on Instagram, Snapchat, X and TikTok, and such platforms facilitate this behaviour. The method for taking down footage is gradual and onerous.”