Nurturing and Embracing Inclusivity to Eliminate Ignorance and Bullying: Ethical and Moral Approaches to Diversity in the Classroom

Scott Taylor

Bullying can be difficult to manage in the classroom, especially if the teacher is not able to witness or intervene in spaces where they do not have access or authority. Reminding a handful of students that they need to be inclusive without enforcement or further repercussions has a high likelihood of failing entirely and gives the impression that actions truly don’t have consequences. Bullying can be difficult to put to a stop, especially at its peak, where bullying has been a recurring issue for long periods of time, but ensuring a safe and inclusive environment can reduce the chances of bullying significantly.

Classrooms that do not foster an inclusive environment reinforce the idea that differences are something to reject because they do not align with the majority or societal norms; a student is excluded from activities and effectively segregated by their peers because they are not like the majority. Bullying is a social issue as it doesn’t just reflect the concept of two students who dislike each other, but a hierarchical structure that impacts everyone in its vicinity. Bullying happens when there is ignorance of inclusion and a lack of accountability; a student who doesn’t take responsibility for their own actions believes that if they don’t own up to their actions, they won’t get in trouble. The more a student realizes that protesting their innocence is a possible ‘get out of jail free’ card, the more they will start to believe that what they are doing is acceptable as long as they don’t get caught.

From personal experience, after reporting an instance of bullying from one of my peers to a teacher, the aggressor was pulled into the hallway and spoken to firmly; I vividly remember glancing outside and seeing an expression of shock and disbelief on the aggressor’s face as he repeatedly protested “I didn’t do anything!”—I wasn’t sure if the shock was from getting caught or if he genuinely didn’t understand the consequences of his actions, but I do remember questioning whether or not I was being overdramatic by telling the teacher; I stopped speaking up after that experience out of fear that I was then going to be targeted for being too sensitive. Witnesses and victims often do not speak up out of fear of being targeted, or they fear that speaking up will somehow get them involved.

The lack of inclusivity, along with bullying becoming a dominant social problem, presents itself as a chain of events. Students are ignorant of concepts they do not understand or have access to; those same students don’t own up to their poor choices because they haven’t been taught to know better. If there are no boundaries or repercussions set in place, students are not as aware that their actions have consequences and therefore have a higher chance of getting away with something they probably shouldn’t be doing. The more likely a student is able to get away with unacceptable behaviour means the normalization of rejecting differences and diversity. Addressing bullying in the classroom is like pulling out a weed; if you don’t remove the root, it has the potential to grow back even uglier.