I'm not bullied anymore, but I used to be. I want to take the time to share my story with you. It all started in seventh grade. I was bullied by pretty much everyone. The girls I considered friends were just pretending to be my friends. They all left me to suffer by myself. They started making fun of me everyday for being alone and having no friends. They never stopped. Along with the girls, there were also all the guys that bullied me. Most of the bullying from the guys happened during passing period and my last class of the day. Math. I would get pushed in the hallways and mean things said to me. In fact, I was called every horrible name imaginable that year. In my math class, the guys would throw shoes, paper, pencils, erasers, and the tennis balls from under the desk at me everyday. The thing is, I never told anyone that they were doing these things. I was too afraid. My teacher never did anything to stop it, even though she saw what was happening multiple times. Math was like this every single day. One the Friday before the last week of school, the worst thing I could have imagined happened to me. I was just sitting at my desk doing my work quietly when all the guys behind me started laughing. They started saying "Turn around! Your hair is falling out". Sure enough when I turned around, I saw two inches of my hair all over my seat and all over the floor. I didn't know who did it. It ended up being my main bully, I don't want to say his name so I'll call him "P", had asked my teacher for a pair of scissors and then used those scissors to cut two inches off of the bottom of my hair. I didn't find out that information until Mr. T., the assistant principal, went into my class and demanded that they told him who cut my hair. He wouldn't let anyone leave until he was told who did it. Thankfully, my good friend Jacob told Mr. T. who it was when no one else would do it. After that, "P" was suspended for the last week of school. In my opinion, that really wasn't a punishment because he got off of school a week early, but I appreciated Mr. T's efforts immensely and I still do.

The next year, eighth grade to be exact, "P" didn't stop his tormenting. On the second day of school, my p.e. class was in the gym. "P" took out two full water-bottles and threw one at the back of my head, and threw the other one at my back. He was surrounded by a giant group of people who were all laughing at me. He then got more and more of his guy friends to start tormenting me. I couldn't get away during class because there was always at least one of them in each of my classes. During lunch one day he sat at the table in front of me. Chinese chicken and rice were being served that day. Him and his friends then decided to pick up their chicken and rice and throw it at me. I was so fed up with all the tormenting and bullying that I couldn't take it anymore. That was the first day where I actually willingly marched myself to the principles office and told him what what going on. There just happened to be a police officer on campus that day, so he talked to "P" about his actions along with the assistant principal. "P" never stopped bullying me. There's so much that he did, but I don't have the time to say it all. Anyway, it got to the point where they had to move "P" from my middle school to a different middle school. That was one of the happiest days of my life. After he was moved to a different school, most of his friends stated to leave me alone. There was just one in particular who wouldn't stop. We'll call him "J". "J" continued to torment me during the classes he had with me but I tried to not let it bother me. It just got to the point where "J" didn't hurt my feelings anymore. He was just annoying me more than anything. After eighth grade ended, I didn't have to worry about "J" or "P" because They were going to one high school and I was going to a different high school.

Ninth grade was the last year of my bullying. Thank God. Remember those girls I talked about earlier? Well they were the ones who bullied me in ninth grade. They caused all my new friends to stop being friends with me. They also caused strangers to not even give me a chance. They always stared and glared at me everyday and they would talk about me all the time. I didn't really care up until the point when the cyber-bullying incident happened. I was walking home from school one day when I started getting mean text messages from one of the girls. We'll call her "B". "B" started saying so many things like "Oh my god you dress like an old lady" "No guy would ever want to be with someone as ugly as you" "No one really likes you" "I hate you you're such a b**ch". Her texts were variations of those sentences. When I responded, I just kept telling her to grow up and leave me alone. She obviously didn't have the age maturity to do so. When I got home I told my mom and she contacted one of the school principles. They told "B" to stop, but she didn't. "B" decided to go on Facebook and post something about me. She kept calling me a b**ch and other things like that. I told the principles and they took care of it. To this day she hasn't completely stopped, but at least it isn't that bad.

I am now going into tenth grade as a changed girl.After my bullying started to decrease, I made it my goal to start helping out with bullying as much as I can. I now stand up for everyone who gets bullied because no one ever stood up for me. I want everyone to feel happy and safe in school. I may only have one friend at the moment, but she is my best friend and she is the only one who gave me a chance in ninth grade when I met her. Anyway, getting bullying to stop is one of my goals. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did. I am always here for anyone that needs help or advice. Thank you for reading my story.

Last night, I was in my apartment with a new subletter and another fellow roommate. Both the roommate and subletter bullied me violently, saying things which were clearly not true. That I was racist, judgemental, do not have asperger's syndrome, have schizophrenia, only cared about myself and both ganged up on me for a total of two hours. Degrading me, personally hitting me emotionally in shouts and telling me I am a liar.. To the point that I felt psychologically raped and raw ..I feel torn, abused mentally, tossed around and exiled from a place I once called home-sanctuary.

The roommate told me multiple times to my face: "I am a horrible, heartless person that needs to think about others. That I do not care about anyone but myself." I was picked apart and told this is what they think I am like: when the two were completely off base. Both were just asking to cause me hurt and sadness.. No shame of caring what this verbal abuse would do to me then, today and in the long-run. There were other people in the house, besides the two and me.. but they just hid. (This is the second time this has happened to me in this scenario). Just a different state and apartment.. I've been bullied for most of my life, since Grade School. . No one cared. Not the teachers, other fellow classmates, or my parents sadly.. My parents also verbally abused and bullied me at home. So I had no place to run to and be safe.. I was alone. . Broken. Though, it took many years to heal on my own. Though, I am not 'fully repaired.' 

Continuing on with last night's apartment bullying:

I was degraded to the point of respect of a child.. No longer a woman. Below them.. and Bullied to what I know shall take years to heal from. 

Pretty much, I feel like a monster. Traumatizing someone this deep-cut takes a very long time to heal. and it shatters someone emotionally.
... That happened to me by those two and now all of those years of healing, has happen again.. Verbal abuse/violence damages and it can take years to mend.

All I could do remain emotionally safe was leave.
....So all I have left is myself to heal and breathe it all in alone. I feel very alone and numb.. Isolated.. raw.

I didn't do anything wrong. I am trusting my heart and mind. Not those who are filled with anger, fear and egocentric minds. Hypocrites and people who are filled with such ignorance and blinding hate towards me. I tried to speak up and stand up for myself.. all that happened to me in speaking up was getting badly burned, and whatever I said logically and with care was thrown in the form of hate right back at me ..

My emotions are raw, I am vulnerable, self esteem has been damaged and feeling alone .. even with those who love me, surround me now.. I still feel alone and damaged. Shattered... Sadly, the roommate was once a dear 'kin' friend of mine. . Now I can only say this person is toxic and became a 'monster' herself.. and a very heartless person. No shame or to say she is sorry, or the subletter.  In their minds, they are the victims and not me. 

..Which is sicking and twisted. :(

Even so: I am very thankful, I have a very concerned and loving boyfriend. I am staying at a friend's house. In the past, many times I was not so lucky to find a safe place to heal.. a sanctuary to lick my emotional wounds and feel safe.. with people who cared.

I have never actually been bullied myself. I was one of the kids who stood up, for the kids who were pushed to the ground. I could never stand the fact that people could treat someone so cruel. When at the same time we are all just people wanting to live a normal happy life. NO ONE, should have to be bullied because of the way they dress, talk, walk or the color of their skin. I don't know how bullies could not feel guilty about what they are doing to someones life. I've always been told treat others the way you would want to be treated. You have no idea how long something you say could stay in someones mind. When I was a little I never actually understood what bullying was but through teachers and my parents talking about it, it exposed me to it so soon in my life. But, as time went on I started realizing what bullying was and how it could really change someones life. Since I've never actually been the victim of a bully, I don't know what it would feel like to be toss around like your nothing, but looking at so many other stories about how kids commit suicide because of how hard it gets. I can just imagine what it feels like. No kid should ever have to suffer through that. If you ever get suicidal thoughts, NEVER keep it to yourself. You were put on this earth for a reason, no one should have to take there own. It just makes me so upset that the bullies don't even care how the victims feel. I give all the love to those who are the victims of bullying or have committed suicide. Thank you for reading. I hope all you who are victims of bullying get through this with the help of others, and NEVER give up. The moment you are ready to just give up, is usually the time when a miracle happens. Always keep moving forward no matter what. 

I was born in Germany. My family and I moved to Canada 10 years ago (Im 18 now) I started Grade 2 in a little town called Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada. That where the bullying somewhat started. People with pick on me and just laugh at me for not understanding a word or a phrase (remember I just moved from Germany so my english wasn't so good yet). That elementary school went up to Grade 5 then you would go up to the Middle school which goes from Grade 6 to 8. Thats when the bullying realy started. This one kid especially had it in for me. No reason though just decided that I was gonna get bullied. He would always call me fat and the worst thing he called me was a "Nazi". After he called me that I went to my teacher. I went to her believing that she would do something, she did talk to him but it didnt stop. It continued into Grade 7 where it got alittle bit worse. I would always go to the principal or a teacher but they never did anything so I got to the point where I would talk back to this kid and one point I snapped and just kicked him square in the leg I knew it hurt him but he is a bully so he acted like it didnt. Then Grade 8 started and this is where it really hit hard. Every single day this kid (and his friends) would call me names. I just had enough with all of it. The worst part was in Grade 8 the teachers start to go against me to call my mother stupid . I got fed up with it so I just rebelled against the teachers and the students I didnt care if I got in trouble. After Grade 8 my mom decide to move away from the town to another town it still wasnt easy there were still people that were against me for no reason then half way through grade 9 I decided to move to in with my dad in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I finished off my grade 9 which was just as bad as grade 8 people picked on me pushed me even. But I didnt move away I told myself I would never move back and go to that hell of a school. So I stayed. Then I started Grade 10 in a BRAND new school. Nobody that attened that school knew me all were unfamiliar wit hthe school so it was a fresh new start for me. Which helped me a lot. It wasnt easy in grade 10 but I had support and Grade 11 went even better. Because of this school I got to finally put my trust in people it wasnt easy but it helped a lot. Now I trust my teachers and I have a great group of friends.

Im glad that I got the opportunity to go to Lillian Osborne High School. And im glad to call myelf a Legend!

Well my story is not huge and dramatic but what little bullying that I did experience hurry me a lot. I have never been popular but the popular girls never really were mean to me but you know they would stare and sometimes laugh at me and my clothes. I really started to get upset about this in 4th grade it wasn't bad but it  me feel horrible. 5th grade was about the same. 6th grade I had an amazing year I almost always felt comfortable with myself I just felt like I was on top of the world. but then in 7th grade that all ended. In the beginning I was scared I didn't want to go into jr high I just was so upset about it and I didn't know what to do. So the first week it was okay everyone was kind of shy and just stayed in their group of friends and it was cool. But soon after that you could tell this was jr high not middle school anymore. The boys were all being stupid and saying sexual things that made me very uncomfortable and this was like how it was until about Christmas time. that's when I started experiencing the actual face to face bullying the boys would call me fat and ugly mostly the boys did this but some girls I didn't know who to tell but one day I worked up enough courage to tell the recess teacher she said whatever its mo big deal and brushed it off I tried about 4 times to tell on bully's like I was always told to do but nobody ever did anything so I gave up and I mean literally gave up I would cry myself to sleep I teas always thinking about cutting and suicide I hated going to school what made it worse was this is when twerking the wop belly shirts all that crap became the thing and that made me feel even fatter and more ugly I went from having a sleepover almost every weekend to none at all I wouldn't talk to anyone just keep to myself and if I didn't have music to calm me down I would have commuted suicide for sure then this summer I went to a church camp and it seemed like suicide cutting depression all that came up a lot and I heard so many people tell their stories and it made me feel so much better then I re commited by life to The Lord and I feel like I'm on top of the world again and I can't wait to go back to school with my friends and have an amazing year where I stand up to bullies and share Gods word. 

Hey, everybody. My name is DeLaney and I am 16 years old. I've always been heavier, and kids at school would call me rude things and talk about me as if I weren't there. A lot of my friends got bullied more than me, and I would try to stand up for them. I actually ended up getting in trouble for it more than once. Once I began doing this, some of their attention was redirected to me. Once again, I was getting lewd comments and people "accidentally" running into me and pushing my things to the ground. 

Then we got to high school. At first, I thought everyone had just calmed down, but they had actually just gotten more clever about hiding what they were doing. I would try to get them to stop, and they wouldn't listen. This time, they simply ignored me. I tried to get a teacher involved, and they gave the spiel about how kids will be kids and it was all in good fun, blah blah blah. 

Now that I look back, I should have been suspicious when I stopped hearing about it from my friends. For the most part, the people that had been messing with my friends had gotten bored and moved on. However, a  girl who I had considered to be my best friend since 6th grade started a rumor and would spread it on to anyone willing to listen. I go to a small school, so pretty much everyone had heard by the end of the day. The rest of the school year, I got called really rude and unnecessary names (things like dyke and whore. there's a reason I haven't come out.). 

Then, in May,  my friend Daniel committed suicide while I was out of town for my cousin's army graduation. I found out via text during the ceremony. He had been being bullied in the bathroom at school, and no one knew how long it had been going on. His death was all but ignored by most of the people at our school. They used his death as an excuse to leave class, and talked about how he deserved it. That's what made me really want to do something about bullying. You can read all of these stories and watch movies, but it never really feels real until it happens to someone you knew. There's something very wrong with a society that ignores people being made to feel so terrible that they would rather die than bear it anymore. The way bullying is handled really needs to change.

I was a regular kid when I was in Kindergarden I had been in this school called Chestnut Grove. I was in the same school all the way up to 5th grade. The bullying started at my 3 grade year, his name was Israel. He'd push me around and call me names. It only got worse in the 4th grade a group of girls that used to be my best friends they stopped talking to me for no reason, I finally was extremely depressed. I got made fun of for not wearing the same clothes or being perfect, I even got made fun of for my depression. I was finally 11 years old in 5th grade. It only got even worse I had no friends what so ever. I only had 3 fake friends. I had it when my old guy friend turned against me and called me a whore. I broke and fell into a deeper depression, I tried getting help but no one did a thing. I then resorted to something I didn't even believe myself doing. I changed from a normal innocent girl to a freak basically. I began to resort to self harming. I cut myself for a whole school year. I finally went to a therapist and she didn't help either. I finally stopped cutting and took me a while to recover. I met this guy Dylan and he only made my life worse, after I met him I cut myself more and more. School and Dylan pushed so much pressure on me not mentioning my mom just getting a divorce, I finally took almost a handful of pills and tried to commit suicide, but I never did have the courage to take them. My mom finally moved me my middle school year. I started fresh 6th grade at Cotaco middle school. I made many friends unlocked my inner beauty got in a little bits of trouble, but at least I got saved. To all of the others that have experienced my story and killed theirselves I give you all my love, and my word your story will be told and heard. My story has been told now, I'm better and I have scars to laugh at because I was silly over stupid people that didn't realize I was a good person, or didnt realize what true beauty was. Thank you for reading my story it means a lot truly a lot. ღ ∞

I have always been a rather chubby girl, even as a young child. I started school and had no problems making friends. Kindergarten, first and second grades were all a breeze for me.

That is, until my family moved and I started third grade in a new school.

I had never been aware or the least bit concerned with the way I looked or how much I weighed until it was so unkindly pointed out to me by one certain new classmate, *Michelle. 

I was doing pretty okay at my new school; I had made a few new friends. But, for some reason, Michelle didn't like me and felt like she needed to express her dislike for me. She called me "fat" and told me how ugly I was nearly every day. I tried to ignore it and I had my two best friends to back me up, but one day she really got to me.

The teacher was letting us go to the bathroom in small groups, and Michelle was in mine. I was using the bathroom, minding my own business when a not was slipped under the stall to me. It was from Michelle. In this note, she had drawn a picture of me and explained to me, yet again, how fat and ugly I was. But, also in this note, she had written to someone and asked them if they thought I was fat. The response? "Yes."

That note changed my entire life. From that moment on, I was aware of how different I was. I constantly put myself down and have never truly felt beautiful since then. There were days where I would have to choke back my tears because I didn't want to cry at school and let people like Michelle see. I was around 13 or 14 when I figured out a "quick fix" to my problem: fake it. 

I started laughing and making fun of myself, and surprisingly, the hateful remarks were eventually stopped. However, my true feelings about my body were still there and with them internalized, I began to seek more options to release my pain; I began to harm myself. 

Every time I felt unloved, ugly, fat or worthless I would cut myself. It was usually with a needle and in an area that nobody else would notice: my ankles or thighs. One day though, I cut on my wrists. I started piling on bracelets to hide my wounds so my parents wouldn't notice. I thought about killing myself almost everyday. This went on for a couple of years until it hit me; I should not be hurting myself.

I started praying and God helped me get through and I stopped harming myself. Today, I am 20 years old and I haven't cut myself since that day, but I am still unbelievably damaged by what was awakened in me in the third grade. However, I am slowly working on building some self esteem. It's not easy. It is probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but I am trying to do it.

I just hate to see people get bullied because I've experienced it firsthand. I was not bullied in a physical way, but in an emotional one. And it kills me to know that some people don't think that verbal abuse can be considered bullying. I watched "Bully" tonight and it really hit home with me. Thank you for such an inspiring and eye-opening documentary. I hope and pray that it changes lives. God bless you all.

And to all of the kids being bullied: stay strong. You are loved. There is always somebody who can understand what you are going through. It gets better. High school can seem like an eternity, I know. But I believe in you and I love you. God loves you. If you need to talk, I am here. There are hotlines. There is help and there is hope. I love you.

*Name was changed.

My son Parker is 7 years old and will be 8 in two weeks. He just completed the second grade and is going to begin the third grade in the fall. 

Parker has always been very popular with adults and his peers ever since preschool. He is well known by his teachers and peers at Linkhorn Park Elem. here in Virginia Beach, VA. I have always been amazed by the amount of people who know him by name at his school. We walk down the halls and you will here "hi Parker" all the way to your destination. 

This seems like a dream come true for me. I was not very popular in school. I had 5 real friends my whole school career. When I started to witness his popularity, I thought...WOW he is going to have such a smooth ride in school. He will be free to just learn.

This past school year 2013, Parker started to act reserved and a bit emotional. He began to whine and talk like a baby. I became very confused by this as he has always been outgoing and a bit ahead of the curve developmentally.  He is in the gifted program. In the gifted class is where he met his first bullies. It is here where the story begins.....

It took many nights at the dinner table to finally get it out of him that he was dealing with bullying. The abuse is not physical attacks of his body, but of his property and his mind.  The kids in the gifted class that he was put in a group with began to put a lot of pressure on Parker. In the group you depend on each other for your grade during a daily morning lesson. Parker was not performing up to the standards of others in the group, so the comments began. The kids began to criticize his speed in completing the tasks. He was not moving fast enough for them. The concept that he did not belong in the gifted program started to form in his mind. The things the kids said to him were not in the form of cursed words of violent threats. They were on his character and abilities. They made him question his worth and affected his self esteem to the point where he began to digress emotionally. THIS IS IN THE GIFTED PROGRAM OF AN AWARD WINNING SCHOOL.

Parker attends an after school program, held in the school gym, facilitated by the local recreation department. The population in the group range from 1st to 5th graders from his school only.  He is very close to the adult facilitators. He has known them for 2 years now.  I am also very fond of these adults and feel that they care for Parker on a personal level. I feel that they are firm with the kids and watch the behavior and activities closely. I have witnessed them  discipline children and seen that they have no tolerance for any misbehavior. Imagine my surprise when Parker describes how he is being bullied under the care of such highly regarded school officials. His bully likes to tear up his books, and steal his pencils during homework time. HIS BULLY IS A 5TH GRADE GIRL 

LIKE I SAID THIS SEEMS LIKE THE BEGINING...,.

I have in response tried to arm my child with knowledge. I have explained to him that.....

HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE

WE CANNOT HELP YOU IF YOU DO NOT TELL US

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF

THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED

YOU NEED TO STAND FIRM AND SPEAK LOUDLY

I began to role play a bullying situation with Parker in which I was the bully and I taught him to speak firmly with the bully. To demand the bullying stop. To give fair warning that he would tell a school official, and me,his mother about the bullies behavior. I feel very passionately that this is a multi level problem. The children that are doing the bullying are victims on some level. I am choosing to arm my child with this knowledge. I do not choose to teach him to judge a person by their negative behavior, but to understand it and try to help them. I am not interested in enabling anyone to be a victim.

This year we have to move out of the expensive school district to a less economically sound locality. The school has not given its decision on whether or not Parker can continue to attend his school out of district. I am so afraid of what will happen in a school with a population who have much harder home lives. Children who are impoverished and live in less socially evolved environments. If he was being bullied at his posh school, what will happen in a more harsh environment??!!

Thank you for letting me share my story. I know this is just the beginning. Thank you for all you do and I will join this fight. For the bullied and the bullies. We all deserve to be free....

Hello my name is julia thode i am a freshmen in Michigan city. I am from Indiana 

The bullying started when got to middle school. People started to say little things but it started getting to me. I have only been verbally bullied. people called me names like fat, ugly, worthless, dumb, and felt like no one will ever love me i have been told to kill myself too. There was no one there for me no one would stick up for me. I went home and almost every night  cred myself to sleep it was a really hard time for me. but this summer coming into my freshmen year i have met some really great people who do judge me for my size and they are all are nice and welcoming thank you for the people in JROTC

                                                                                                    -Julia thode