The worst time of my life was when I started seventh grade in junior high. There were three individuals who would bully me because of my clothing. Then when I started high school in the tenth grade this girl hit me on the back and shoved me forward. She thought this was funny but I did not find this amusing. One of my classmates played a practical joke on me by inviting me to his party. The following day he launched a personal attack on me for example, displaying bad behavior which includes yelling and being disrespectful to me. If I had to offer advice to someone I would say do not make the mistake of keeping quiet. Let your voice be heard and speak up. You should tell a teacher or a friend who is willing to listen and help you get assistance from a guidance counselor. I have a lot of sympathy for people who are the victims of bullying. I encountered three more individuals in the workplace who were also bullies. I will never forget the way they spoke to me treating me like dirt.

When I was a high school freshman, I was a transferee. I was full of expectations but I never thought it would happen to me. ALL OF THE BOYS IN THE CLASSROOM started to make fun of me by dubbing me "virus" because my hair smelled really unpleasant and I had a lot of white hair. That meant that everybody shouldn't come near me or they'll strongly express their disgust openly to me. They scrammed away when I passed by them. They refused to sit beside/near me so that they wouldn't be "strained" by the "virus" of the school. They humiliated me every second of the day and even humiliated me in front of all high school students during assemblies. It just paralyzed everything about me - my emotions, my spirit, everything. Even the "nicest" kids laughed at me. So sometimes I thought (even up until now that I'm turning 30) that maybe it was OKAY to treat me like that.. because even the harmless kids thought I was an object of fun and disgust. Up until now I still remember those distant events almost every day - an effect on me as an adult.

When I was in elementary school I always thought of bullying as like shoving and pushing and when people talked about getting bullied in middle school getting crammed into lockers. That's not how it turned out to be, the name calling started in 5th grade. It was just a simple "you're ugly" or "you're stupid" which always made me think about myself differently. Then I started getting called new names like "Bitch" or "whore" I didn't know what those words were meaning but I new they were bad. I started learning more and more everyday learning that I wasn't what guys thought were pretty and that girls thought I was annoying. It sucks when you've only got one friend, at least one true friend. Other people are still nice but they talk more shit and more shit. I Think the summer going into middle school was one of the hardest; All of the girls who said what they said got worse so much worse. 6th grade passed just like 5th grade. I was use to the pain now, it only affected me late at night when It was just me, my thoughts, and my razor blade. Then the phones started getting more popular for my generation more people had iphones and were tweeting or what not. Oh but how much it hurt just the words. They could say so much wore stuff too you over the internet and not feel bad, but you. Oh you sure felt bad.. I mean who wouldn't? Didnt all this bullying sort of make you feel... worthless. We need to make a stand, Not just say we will as we watch a group of kid laughing at some kid. Say something. Who knows maybe you could be the person that saves a kids life.

I remember the desire to "fit in" mostly started in the 5th grade of Catholic school. Girls develop about this age and young adult books such as those written by Judy Bloome were popular. I hadn't started developing nor was I part of the "popular" crowd. I turned to my mother for advice and her strengthening words were, "Teresa, there are always going to be people who like you and dislike you; just pay attention to those who like you because you cannot please everybody."  When in doubt and through my whole life, these words get me through times of doubt in myself. I've never tolerated bullying done to others. Face the demons, shake the shit off and move on. 

In elementary school I was not the popular girl.  I was not the skinny girl.  I did what I could to hang out with the popular kids, which included bullying a boy in the fifth grade.  We were so terrible to him. I am so ashamed of my participation that I don't want to discuss what we did to him.  I wonder where he is today.  I have tried looking him up on Facebook, but there are so many people who share his same name.  I went to Meeker Elementary.  If he should ever read anything with the Bully Project, I would like to apologize to him with all my heart.  Jamie, I am so sorry for everything I've ever done to you.  My biggest reason for wanting to be a part of the Bully Project is to do what I can to help prevent kids (like I was) from doing things like I did to you.  Every time I see the Bully Project, I think of you.  I pray you're doing well. 

Hello,

I was never bullied as child nor was I a bully so this is new territory for me.  I understand that children will tease one another and I do not condone that but I believe that is part of our nature.  Bullying however is terrorizing another child with intent on hurting them either mentally or physically.  That is unacceptable.  As a single mom, I will do whatever is in my power to ensure that my son is neither a bully or a victim.  For those who are victims never take no for an answer.  You need to tell someone what is going on and have them make it stop.  If you need to tell every single person you come into contact with until change happens then do it.  Do not accept this as "normal" or "kids being kids".  You are worth way more than this.  You are not a victim, Choose Change.  You can make this happen.  Never ever give up!!!!!

My name is Katie and I am 16 years old, and I've been bullied since around 2nd grade. Around this time I developed a disorder that left very noticeable effects on my appearance. My first memory of being bullied is as clear as if it happened yesterday. "you're so ugly it hurts". those words still echo in my head. Nobody wanted be around me. I got to the point  where I just completely stopped caring what I looked like. Because no matter what I looked like, I'd always be ugly.  When I was 10, I moved up north. I saw it as an opportunity to start on a clean slate and get over the disorder. My parents didn't see it as an issue and refused to get me professional help when I needed it. My first year there was going well with the occasional jerk. But my life at home was completely different. As I entered middle school my family life took a huge turn. My mother would get really violent to me and my dad, and my sisters would constantly physically hurt me and call me terrible names, making fun of my disorder. My dad was almost never home, or when he was, wasn't wasting his time caring about me. I was still always able to just barely pick myself up until about 7th grade. My mom would physically hurt me, often with her nails, giving me countless scars and bruises that I couldn't ever tell anybody about. My sisters would call me fat, worthless, stupid, and a slut. A slut that shouldn't even be alive. A stupid fat slut that nobody wanted around. My mom would hurt me if I got mad. I will always remember what she'd say to me:"You deserve it". I remember one day in 7th grade my mom dragged me up a flight of stairs my by hair and threw me against a wall. Whenever I'd come home from school, I'd go straight to my room to avoid my family. I'd draw in my sketchbook for hours every day. It seemed to be my only happiness. As time went on, my family life got worse. I got to the point where I didn't feel anymore. So I just got depressed to the point where I'd stare at a wall for up to 3 hours without noticing. I planned how I would die. At school I was losing all of my friends. People kept making fun of the way I looked because of this disorder. I'd wear black to stay unnoticed, and  I just didn't care. One thing I found joy in was theatre. So I joined a play and I met this talented girl with the most beautiful eyes ever. Everybody loved her.  I wanted that. So jealousy got in my way and I started disliking her. I got to know her after a while and her inside was just as beautiful as she was on the outside. We ended up getting really close. My family life got even worse in 8th. I'd run out of the house countless times and just sit outside, thinking why I'm even here. And because of my sisters I was getting really self conscious of my weight. I'd fast and run on the treadmill every single day after school. My parents called me stupid every day. I started to lose it. While I was hiding up in my room after school, I was so depressed to the point where I took anything I could find, to take the pain away. I found thumbtack and stuck it on the top of my hand. I dragged it through my skin. There were about 4 straight lines across my left hand at the end of the day.  I kept this up with the thumbtack on my left hand. My family didn't care if they saw the marks. When people at school would ask, I'd say I fell down the stairs or a cat scratched me. They all believed it. I once tried drowning myself in a bathtub, to end the pain. I was 14. During this period of time I lost my closest fiend. If I had never gotten her back, I wouldn't be here typing this today. After 8th, I moved again. I was the new kid again freshman year. I made a few friends, but none wanted anything to do with me after a few months. My mom got better, but my sisters got worse.  I found a small razor and I started using it again all over my left hand and my wrist. I just did nothing but listen to music in my room. I've gotten really fucked up from everything my sisters have been telling me over the years, it's all just sunken in in sophomore year. I got a real, big razor in October and slashed my thigh the day before Halloween. I was cutting my thigh almost every day after this. On Thanksgiving I attacked my thigh, leg, arm, wrist,  and my hand. I started immensely fasting and exercising because my family kept calling me fat. There would be days where my body had such little fuel, I would literally collapse. I still refuse to eat lunch at school. I started using laxatives to the point where I couldn't stand up straight, but I'd be dropping a lot of weight. I stopped the laxatives and I picked up some weight loss pills meant for people 18+.They have have been wrecking my body,making me shake and sick to my stomach. I tell myself, if I lose weight, I'll finally make friends, get a boyfriend, my fam will accept me. Starting at around Easter, I've been making myself throw up, hoping that will speed it up. My stomach, wrist, hand, arms, leg, hips, and thigh are covered in scars. I can't wear a short sleeve shirt without makeup and bracelets. I can't wear shorts or a bathing suit because that's where my scars are deep. I cry myself to sleep almost every night. I randomly break down crying when nothing even happened.  The one think keeping me going is my music. I've been cutting a lot more because I've been made fun of from people at school because of disorder I'm still fighting. My disorder is called Trichotillomania. I've been struggling with it for 9 years. it's an un-controllable urge to pull out your own hair. I have no eyelashes or eyebrows. I've been that way since I was 7. I've been made fun because of it since I was 7. I draw them on everyday with hopes that a day will go by where I'm not made fun of. I can't talk to a teacher or snybody about it because that would mean telling them about my trich. I look in the mirror every day with no makeup on, disgusted with myself. I don't let anybody see me without my makeup. It's in-curable too. The person has to somehow get themselves to stop. Same goes for a cutter. But I know one day I will stop harming myself in these ways. And I know one day I'm going to get away from my family and the jerks at school and live a long, happy life. I know one day I'll be happy with my body. I know that one day I will find my other half, who accept me, even with these scars.  If you're struggling with living your life, just remember that you're not alone! 

I got bullied for most of my life because I was small, geeky, and actually cared about school. I'm also bisexual. Because of these things, I was constantly bullied as a kid and I still am. It took me a little while to realize that I was still being bullied after I changed schools because "bullying" at my new, private school consisted of spreading vicious rumors about people you didn't like, whereas at my elementary school, "bullying" was name-calling, pushing, and fighting. I stood up for myself in elementary school, but by the time I got to high school, I didn't care anymore and all the rumors really wore on me. Now that I'm in college, I'm wiser and stronger.

growing up I had to deal with kids that victimized me all the time because my parents held me back in kindergarten, first and third grade. the other students that took advantage of me were middle and high schoolers. since then I have decided to keep my age to my self I am now a senior in highschool and I am 20 years old. they never really understood that I didn't care what they said or did to me I just told my self everyday that they will learn one day that it isn't right, im not sure if they ever did but I do wonder. since then things have changed no one picks on me and no one asks why im 20 and in 12th grade. I have became strong and want to help others do the same...

My name is Nicole, I have witnessed bullying in my school, on the Internet, and over phones. Bullying is horrible... and I know this because I've been through it. After watching the movie "Bully" I have decided to not stand back anymore. I have decided that I will make a change and I will now not only start to stand up for myself. But I will also stand up for others. This film has inspired me to be a better person and to reach out and tell my story. 

This year I am in the 8th grade, which has been by far the hardest year of my life. From being pushed around by my "so called friends" to being beat up and hit by people I barely know. I have come home crying almost every day of school. This year i was diagnosed with depression and I now take pills every night for it. I have my good and bad days but no one could feel the hope I feel every day now. I hope for a better life for not just myself but for everyone else who has suffered because of bullying I have never reached out to anyone before and I have never told anyone my story or how I felt. My message is to stay strong and no matter what be yourself, even if some days you break down and cry, don't ever think you have done anything wrong. it's them, not you.