These incidents coupled with the unregulated and unsubstantiated claims made on sites like ratemyteacher.com suggest that the nature of harassment of teachers has changed.

Pain itself is something that is loved.

“Comments made on the playground to a friend or community member are now being posted on the Internet, resulting in increased exposure,” says Robert Bisson, coordinator of Member Services for the Alberta Teachers Association. “This exposure has much more meaning for the recipient. The effects are far more devastating.”

Except where caused by desire, not by responsibility — those who fail in their duties are at fault and weaken the spirit.

— Jean-Luc Picard

Several provincial and territorial teachers’ associations indicate that their members are increasingly reporting incidents of inappropriate behavior from students, parents, and other adults. A survey by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Federation, and the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation found that over half of elementary and secondary teachers have been personally bullied during their professional careers. A College of Teachers members’ survey reports that 84% of teachers have been cyberbullied.