Bullying is a very real and very disturbing threat among children, specifically adolescents. Not only does bullying negatively effect a child's self esteem and self worth, but it can create a false sense for the bully that the way in which they are behaving is appropriate and possibly encouraged. The heart wrenching story located on page 365 of our textbook illustrates how bullying can cause a child to take his or her own life, due to a mixture of desperation and lack of coping skills. It is vitally important for educators as well as adults and other children to be on the look out for bullying within their classrooms and homes, and to help the victim of the bullying recover and stand strong in the face of adversity.
I was bullied terribly in 8th grade. My family and I moved from NY to MD and instead of going to a private school, which I had attended my whole life up until this point, I decided to try public school instead. Not only did I stand out because I was “the new kid” and I was “weird” (I liked heavy metal music which I still do and was very shy which I still am to a certain extent) but I also did my homework and took notes in class which really made my peers take a quick disliking to me. I quickly spiraled out of control which lead to me being placed on home study in 10th grade (see previous post). Had someone, anyone, stood up for me throughout my 8th grade year or had anyone even tried to befriend me, I may have had an easier time. I remember teachers laughing at me being bullied by the “jocks” and “cheerleaders” which made me feel even worse and even less like a human being. We all have scars from events we have lived through, however, in my opinion scars from being bullied take the longest to heal. It is high time for parents and teachers to stand up and refuse to allow their children and students to bully or be bullied before more adolescents become statistics.
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