Well, I guess I should start at the beginning, though I'm not completely sure where that is:

- I guess it could be in elementary school, about 3rd grade, when I got called names for being a little chunker.

- Or it might be back in middle school, when a "mean-girl" decided it was her personal mission to make my life hell.

- But then again there was high school, when a girl spread rumors about me that weren't true....rumors that my own best friends believed. They ditched me for her....and I had to transfer schools for a year to escape the backlash of the spread lies.

 I'll start in the 3rd grade, since that's when I first started to doubt myself....I've grown up in a typical small town, everyone knows everyone, southern hospitality, all that jazz. It really is a pretty place, and there are plenty of good people here. I've never doubted that my parents love me, my momma's my bestfriend. It wasn't until about 3rd grade that I began to question myself. I had always been an average sized kid, but the summer between my 2nd and 3rd grade years, I packed on the pounds. I was as round as I was tall. It was a phase that lasted a year, but that year was a tiny hell. I got called fat often. I was excluded from playing in other kid's groups. You would've thought I had grown a third foot and turned purple. But I guess that's just how society viewed me.....different....lazy....gross. After that year, I lost a bunch of weight. The majority of kids were nice to me, well, all except for one little boy. Most people would say..."Aw, Katie, he has a crush on you." Ummmm...prolly not. I don't kick my crushes in the shin and call them tub-o-lards....especially when they aren't even fat anymore.

So that was fun.

But then middle school came around...and with it...a whole other list of problems. My family is athletic. So I decided to play volleyball. I was good. Genuinely a good player. I won an award at a tournament that noone else from my school won. I practiced outside of school. I worked hard to be good. I gained a couple friendships with two girls on the team...and we were really close. It all seemed to be going great. But then this girl (who didn't even play volleyball) started being mean to me. She'd casually say things about me...especially to boys...and they'd all laugh. She worked hard to make sure I got left out of group activites. In the 8th grade, she used a secret weapon....a boy. I'm basically positive she had some kind of creepy mind control power over him, because one day he just started being mean to me for no reason, we'd always gotten along before, but not anymore. Sticking things in my hair, mocking what I would say, just small acts of cruelty that built up. But one day, after he had been picking on me, I ran out of class in the middle of a lecture and went to the bathroom to cry. After that, he left me alone. I think he felt bad.

Finally, there was highschool. My two friends and I befriended a girl at the end of 8th grade. She was a little awkward and unsure of herself. She seemed like a sweet person, so we began inviting her to hangout with us. The best part was her height. She was taller than all of us, and that meant she would be a good candidate for volleyball. She'd never played sports before, so I would invite her to my house all the time to teach her the basics. I wanted her to do well....to find her place. By the time we got to the middle of our freshman year, my original 2 bestfriends had started acting different: more distant. They stopped inviting me to hangout with them. I was hurt and confused. I went to them....trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. That was the first time I heard about all the lies. They told me that they'd never hangout with anyone as cruel as me....someone that would bully an innocent girl. I was so confused. All I'd ever done was try to help her, and to encourage her. I'd spent hours and hours working with her.....teaching her the basics of volleyball....I'd gone to her house...she'd come to mine. I'd believed we were friends.

She continued to spread rumors about me. That I had called her names, told her she was worthless, harrassed her. She was trying to make everyone hate me...after all...she'd grown quite popular...and she had the influence..and the support of the principal. People began to throw things in my hair, they wouldn't let me sit with them at lunch....I had become an outcast. I started to eat my pain away, so I gained weight. The girl eventually sent me text messages telling me that I was worthless and that noone believed me....that I should kill myself. Even after showing one of my friends the messages, they still didn't believe me. After a while, I started believing the things they said about me. I thought about killing myself everyday. I made up countless excuses to avoid going to school. My mom took me to a therapist and I was prescribed some anti-depressants. Even the principal was in on some of it, when my mom showed her all of the messages, she said she couldn't do anything about......I was forced to transfer schools my junior year because of the constant torture.

Still to this day I don't know what most of the rumors spread about me were. Noone would tell me.

Since that time, I have been through many things that have taught me important lessons. You can't give up on yourself. You are worth SO much, and there ARE people who care about you. You are beautiful just the way you are....and the only reason you should ever change, is because YOU want to. Noone is alone in this.

Now I'm a college student, and I'm going to teach high school history one day. It's my goal to have a classroom 100% safe from bullying, and to promote kindness and love. I am much stronger than I used to be....and I stand up for myself. In a way, I thank all the people who ever hurt me, because they gave me a voice. They made me who I am today.

I have been bullied. It isn't the best feeling. I was scared to speak up, but I'm very glad that I did. I still feel like I'm being watched. I feel like the pain is still there. I'm not a bystander in the hallways at school, and I stand up for others. People want to be loved. I really want to stop bullying. I'm in.

I grew up with an older brother who pretty much raised me and I learned to love things he loved like video games and shows like pokemon. I couldn't help that I loved those things but my classmates didn't seem to think I was normal and wanted nothing to do to me. I often got called a boy because I would have rather played outside than in the house and at first I ignored the fact I was different. I couldn't ignore it forever though because my teacher told me I didn't act very lady like and that really set things off. I never did get the classic "kids can be cruel" speech because I never told people what was going on. I once tried to tell my brother but he took their side and I couldn't help but think that I didn't belong there and that I should just disappear, my dad watched many weapon shows and I knew what a knife was capable off. At SIX years old I sat in my kitchen in tears holding a knife; I kept telling myself I would be better off like this and before I could do anything my brother caught me and made me drop the knife. I don't know what kind of world we can live in where a child can contemplate suicide that young and be depressed without being noticed. I don't understand how teachers and principals can let this go. Every time I watch bully I cry because I know how it feels to be in that position. Now that I'm older I don't get bullied often but I am a strong Christian so I do still set apart from everyone else; except now I don't care. I know where I stand and I want everyone else to know who they are and how to stand against bullying; especially if you know someone being bullied. Without my brother I don't know what would have happened to me. Your friends could be feeling the same.

I guess it all began when i was in middle school...i was a size 16 everyone called me fat and kids would ask me if i was pregnant.  I'm 17 and in high school now,  and  no one talks to me, i dot have any friends because i was out of school for so long from being sick for almost a year and because of no friends i sat alone at lunch. Every day i had the feeling of people's eyes watching me... I couldn't  eat any more. The teachers did nothing and every time i asked for more classes to fill lunch blocks they would tell me schools don't usually like for kids to go without eating ( translation its too much paperwork and your not important) to understand this you must first understand my school is huge on "Being involved" and if your not involved you're a nobody.... anyway now I'm a size 6 and people don't talk to me except they call me anorexic and ask if i went to a mental institution while i was really sick, kids also call me gay because I've never had a boyfriend either.... Because of this I'm quiet in school and don't talk i wish i did though i wish i had friends...

I guess I ought to start from the beginning. I started getting bullied in middle school. First, it was because everyone thought I was gay and at the time I didn't know if I was or not, but everyone assumed I was. Then, I got to high school it died down, and then it happened because of the regular teen problem acne happened. And it started all over... then my sexuality came into pay again, so its been on and off for 8 years...

i went to a school in apopka florida with over 4000 students,and with me being one of the poorest, igot picked own alot.when most saw the bullying they would turn a blind eye. most of you all know how that feels. what bullys ,teachers and other kids don't understand is that wether it is being pushed ,shoved or called names its all wrong. youand i breath the same air and live on the same planet. nothing you did then or do in the future will make you better than me. i hated it so much that my bullies always got away with everything. as friends or adults take it as the truth if some says there getting bullied don't just blow it off....saying thats its just kids being kids,cause its not it inmature and irresponsible to say that and do nothing. as a parent now i have already had my son bullied for being poor and short, i put my foot down went to the school and the school board and talked to the kids parents. enough is enough stand up and listen learn an react to bulling.............thank you billy

it all started in 3rd grade. I started to get bullied because I was chubby and a little taller then the others. they use to call me names like 'fatty' tubs-o-fun' and other names like that. As the bullying progressed, the people I thought were my 'friends' started turning on me and joining in on the bullying and they started calling me all those names that the other people were calling me. it was horrible. I had no one. I was pretty much a loner at that point. as 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade came, the bullying got even worse and then they started calling me names like 'bitch' 'stupid' 'ugly' and other names and it name me feel even more worse then I did before. I never told my parents about it because when I tried telling them. they would brush it off and act like nothing is wrong with me. I've tried going to the school about it and they did absolutely nothing about all the bulling going on. so then i started cutting myself. as i got into middle school things got rough but i managed to stick it out, even though I barely had any friends. When 9th grade came, the bullying got really bad for me because I was going through a gender identity problem and they would call me names like 'ugly' 'fatass' 'fatty' useless' 'dyke' 'lesbo' 'worthless' 'emo' 'faggot' 'go kill yourself' and many more things, until one night I had enough of all the torture and i tried committing suicide by over dosing. I thought that if I did it, all the pain I felt would go away and I could finally be a peace and at rest from it all. But my stepdad found me right before i lost consciousness. After all that and 10th grade came around, the bullying continued but I got to the point where I don't care anymore and you can call me any name you want and it won't bother me anymore because I realized they're just insecure about themselves and maybe they have some serious issues of their own. But all I can say to the people who have or still are thinking about suicide, It really does get better. You have to trust me on that. It truly and honestly gets better. the bullies are at their peak of power at 15 and 16 and one day they won't be powerful and the bullied people will be.

It started in 4th grade when I had braces and I got called chipmunk, braceface, etc. Then in 5th I was getting hit, smacked, harassed by people. Then this year.......... At the beginning of the year I first felt popular, happy, beautiful. But, then I realized that notes started pilling up in my locker one said, " YOU ARE PIG FAT SLUT" Others were to hard to read. It got so bad I began to self harm and be suicidal... I told one of my best friends only her that is it! She spread it throughout the whole school next thing I knew literally everyone knew even teachers. One day I got called down to the office to talk to my counselor. I lied and said it wasn't true but the office kept hearing it spread. When she realized it was true, she called my parents. They seemed to hate me! Why oh why!!!!!! They didn't think I even did it. They thought I did it for attention. 

 It started getting better.......then it got worse. I am called ugly, fat, useless, worthless, etc. It's hurtfull to me. I don't self harm anymore however I do slip up once in awhile. BUT SUICIDE AND SELF HARM IS NOT THE ANSWER! 

Thank you for reading my story, what's yours?

I started getting bullied when I was in 2nd grade. I have always been a tall girl and kinda chubby. Everyone else was skinny and short which meant I caught a lot of unwanted attention. The kids started calling me names such as "fat", "ugly", "unwanted", "useless." I would just laugh and then go cry my eyes out in the restroom. The bullying got a million times worse when I was in 4th and 5th grade because my family problems got worse. My sister is 4 years older than I am. So she was being a rebel and running away and more. My parents always had to be looking for her and taking care of her. People started gossiping and found out about my situation and used it against me. The kids would tell me just how my parents didn't care about and so much more. My bullying wasn't just verbal but physical too. I would be covered in bruises made by the bullies pushing me and hitting me. After my best friend moved in 5th grade, I had no one.No one wanted be my friend. I didn't want to tell my parents about the bullies because I felt like they had enough to handle. I started hating myself.

In middle school, the same thing happened. I got more "friends" here. I still got bullied, and the teachers saw and didn't do anything. In 7th grade, I lost a great amount of weight in a short period of time. This made the bullying stop for a while. In 8th grade, those people I called friends were now the bullies, and the cause of my bruises again. Besides having to deal with the bullies, a lot of things were happening in my life. I started being suicidal. I have/had depression and anxiety. 

Now? I'm in high school. I'm a 9th grader. My story hasn't ended because it hasn't found it's happy ending. I don't get bullied anymore. But I was so mentally and physically abused and hurt by those bullies, my family problems, and my personal issues, that I started hurting myself. I started  self harm. I currently go to therapy for this, my depression and social anxiety.

To those who are bullied: Stay strong. You're amazing. If I learned something about being bullied is, tell someone. Tell a teacher, a parent. Anyone who can help. Don't believe what they say because they probably aren't right. Be yourself, because that's the best person you can ever be. 

      My story concerning bullying is one that has lasted five years, and continues to this day. The form is ever changing, but the pain is the same.

      When I was in elementary school, primarily beginning in fourth grade, I was called weird, different, and just annoying. I didn't have many friends, but I had one best friend. She turned against me in times like this, sometimes even joining in. I didn't know what to do, so I just went along with it. I was so naive. I thought that since she was my friend she was just joking, and I shouldn't let it hurt me. It did.

      When I began sixth grade and entered middle school, where everyone morphed into a clique, I didn't fit in anywhere. I was a complete outcast. I was so lonely that year. I was called a loser and a freak, and a spaz due to a medical condition that makes me jolt, like when you get a shiver up your spine and you shudder. I still deal with that today, though it doesn't get much direct attention. The abuse escalated from there.

      When I was twelve and in seventh grade, I still didn't fit in or have many friends, but the bullying was worse than what I had endured before. I had a teacher that bullied me. She would make rude comments to me and embarrass me in front of the class. They would all laugh, and I would have to sit there and take it. She was in authority, what could I do? I told my parents, but they were sure I was overreacting and discouraged telling any administrators, so I didn't. When the year ended I was thankful to leave. Little did I know the following year would be greater pain, one to a degree I couldn't foresee. It got to the worst it had ever been, probably greater than most could even slightly imagine.

      In eighth grade, I was tortured. Relentlessly. There was a group of popular girls that would criticize my every action to my face, demand things of me, put me down. There was another group of girls, ghetto girls, that would push me around in the bathrooms and laugh when I didn't fight back, leaving me with scratches, bruises, and bloody noses and lips. I was even threatened to be killed on more than one occasion. And then, there was a boy. One boy that inflicted the worst emotional pain. He wouldn't just call me ugly, fat, and a fake like the girls, he would call me pathetic, emo, a freak. He would tell me to kill myself and go bleed somewhere. He would be in my face, telling me that I was worthless and everyone hated me, and that no one wanted me alive. I would take this every day of my life. I harmed myself and even attempted suicide because I couldn't take the abuse. I blamed it all on myself for being so different, even though I had tried so hard to be like them, changing my appearance to try to fit in, staying quiet and out of the way. I didn't know what I was doing wrong, but my bullies sure did. 

      When school let out that year, I moved 500 miles, to a different state, because of a job transfer of my father's. I knew I couldn't waste this chance to fit in, to not be a loser, to have friends. I couldn't waste it. Things started out promising, I joined the marching band and went to band camp before school started. There, I met a few people and thought that things were looking up, that people were just better. I was dead wrong. I got a completely different reputation. Right off the bat I was labeled a major whore. People created a back story for me, saying I had always been one. They said that I was easy, and that I had dated a million guys since I had moved here, and most definitely slept with them all. They even said I was doing things with a member of the faculty. I didn't know what to do. I didn't get many things to my face like I used to, but when I would meet someone they would know me by my reputation. I lost many friends because of this, even though they knew I wasn't like that. All of my friends would be gone by the end of the year. I was repellent after that, to people in general. I was losing control of things. My older sister, who attended the same school, tried to help me out as best she could, dispelling rumors left and right that her new friends had heard. But the magnitude of the rumors was too great, and I couldn't do anything because it was too indirect, according to counselors and disciplinarians. All I got to my face were disgusted looks and comments. I was powerless. I still am. 

      This still goes on today. I can't do anything about it for myself, try as I may. I will, however, do absolutely anything in my power to keep anyone I can from having to go through what I do on a daily basis. I know how much it hurts, and I know how damaging it is to one's self image. I am glad this organization exists and is expanding, for there definitely need to be changes to prevent this and any kind of abuse and torture for everyone.