An upper school educator contemplated resignation after discovering his likeness exploited in sham TikTok videos filmed by a pupil, leaving him anguished. Ciarán Kavanagh, a teacher in Dublin, relayed at the annual conclave of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) how distressing he found it when he discovered his and other staff members’ pictures being disseminated in suppositious amusing clips by students.
He shared how such events cause one to lose reason, though one feels one is prepared to handle it, fortified by a thick skin. Yet, when one perceives that children are joking at one’s expense, it is naturally assumed that the cause is the circulating provocative video. The constant suspicion that everyone who takes notice has seen this fabricated video for someone’s jest, creates a feeling of targeted amusement.
Touching upon road safety classes for Transition year students amidst a growing worry for increasing crash fatalities, Kavanagh revealed how closely he came to quitting his job in response to the video incident. He expressed his gratitude towards the administration for persuading him to stay but mentioned that he wouldn’t want anyone else to endure such distress and public humiliation.
The agony of such event can be overwhelming; despite dealing with classroom nuances, one can still feel undermined when publicly lampooned. He further added his sense of doubt, questioning his own actions and words. It became a thought loop that kept him in a state of ridicule for an extended period.
Finally, he mentioned that the issue was formally reported to An Garda Síochána, resulting in law enforcement visiting the school and recognising the culprit.
The instructor decided not to discover the identity of the offending student as he didn’t want it to alter his future interactions with them. “It’s essential to confront this issue. Although they are young, they must realise that there are obligations tied to the internet,” he stated. The ASTI’s yearly conference supported a proposal for the union to advocate for more robust legislation to deter cyber harassment and bullying.
A point raised during the discussion was that educators are under immense mental strain and enduring mental health issues due to the constant demands of their job and the expectations of parents. Dervilla Butler, a teacher from Limerick, revealed that staff are dealing with increasingly “hostile and challenging expectations” from parents.
She pointed out an instance of a parent threatening to initiate a lawsuit against schools, principals or teachers, which she referred to as ‘loud hurlers on the ditch’, which causes the job to become draining. “A parent called to lament that their child returned sunburned from a match they attended with a new teacher. The situation is getting so dire, we’re led to ponder whether we need to discuss the areas where teachers must apply sunscreen?”, she jested.