First, to define incivility, this can range from actions of disrespect to even threatening behavior. A
real-life example of this can be drawn from social media. An example that I can bring up is an ABC article
“Cyberbullying Is on the Rise among Middle and High School Students, Report Finds.” talking about
cyberbullying at schools. This example was stated as “In 2018, a 12-year old girl took her own life after her
parents said she was severely cyberbullied by peers and adults at her Florida middle school.” In this story, the
author, Elizabeth Thomas, states how this girl’s experience was even continued outside of school
environments. In the article, the mother states, “There were memes, they put memes out of her figure.” To this,
the daughter’s father then adds “a picture with a gun to her head.”
To read and hear of this was horrible. For example, what makes this incivility is that the children at the
school went to extreme measures to truly hurt this girl’s feelings and personality. The statement about a picture
of a gun to the girl’s head is simply outrageous and horrible. That is an extreme form of incivility when it comes
to cyberbullying children. In terms of this article, the author wanted to share this as they wanted to raise
awareness about how important it is that we stop bullying. However, in terms of the bullying itself, I believe the
children were out for a reaction from the girl and only wanted to hurt her. The author’s examples in the article
clearly show how there was nothing the girl was doing nothing to invite this upon her. It was all peer-activated. I
believe that this action from the children has no civil alternative. It was clear they were out to hurt, which is
never a civil action. If the children were to change their perspectives and actions, a civil thing would be to
become the girl’s friend and even interact with her at school. That is the most civil thing that should have been
done in this situation.
Now, to the assignment activities, below is a list of strategies that Seminole State College,
Sanford/Lake Mary Campus, could implement:
● Improve effective communication between the students and teachers:
○ It is suggested that teachers use civil language, maintain comprehensive behaviors,
teach disagreement language, listen respectfully to students and serve as models of
respect and understanding to improve communication between students and faculty.
● Catch the action early:
○ Many scenarios on campus or online can be caught early, and when confronted, can be
stopped. This needs to be done by a teacher or faculty member as if a student
Thomas , Elizabeth. “Cyberbullying Is on the Rise among Middle and High School Students, Report
Finds.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 16 July 2019, 4:58 pm ,
abcnews.go.com/Politics/cyberbullying-rise-middle-high-school-students-report-finds/story?id=64364477.