Student aggression toward teachers in Alberta is on the rise, with roughly half of teachers experiencing an incident of violence or abuse, according to a recent survey by the Alberta Teachers' Association.
The survey of 2,148 teachers and school leaders revealed an increase in physical abuse, rude or obscene gestures, rumour-spreading and intimidation. More than half of the teachers reported that they'd never undergone training to defuse a potentially aggressive situation, and both teachers and school leaders expressed doubt in their ability to de-escalate such confrontations.
A report summarizing the findings attributes the growth in aggression to societal divisions, effects of the pandemic, declining empathy and social media.
"I'm repeatedly hit, yelled at and threatened by students," wrote one respondent. "When I asked for support from the school district, they did nothing to improve the situation."
