Hi everyone,

My story is when i was bullied for being chubby everytime i would take a step the bully would say everybody grab on, earthquake. or he would bully me for being hairy.But it started in first grade and im in sixth grade some kids would call me troll or they would say shut up nobody likes you or they would push me to the ground and i would get hurt. They would say noboby loves me and im a disapointment to my parent because im stupid and ugly. i told the teacher and parent but no matter what, they would keep going. In first and second grade i was at a different school and now i had transfered in 4th grade and i got bullied in 5th and now im in 6th and so far ive been good no more bullying since the last time i told

Hi everyone, 

 

I come from a point of view that I'm sure many have been in, the bystander. The onlooker who sees what's going on, but does nothing. And I can't speak enough about how much I regret my willingness to just let things happen in high school. 

 

My junior year of high school, I noticed a freshman with some peculiar habits. He ate by himself everyday, he wore the same clothes, his hair was always disheveled and he mumbled to himself. He was oblivious to the world around him, or so it seemed to someone outside of his world. And curiosity got the better of me, so I asked about him. A friend told me that in middle school, there was a bomb threat called in and someone had spread a rumor that pegged him as the caller, which was later found to be untrue. When people spread their gossip, they conveniently forgot about that little detail. 

"Yeah, people just kind of leave him alone 'cause like if you piss him off, he'll probably shoot up the school." 

And that was the response from another person sitting at my table. This kid being criminalized for something he had no part in, and being isolated because of it. So I tried petty attempts to be polite: offering him a few cents whenever he was short, standing in front of him on the line and deciding I didn't want my ice cream with my meal and asking the cashier to give it to the person behind me. But I was always too afraid to be outright with any of these gestures for fear of alienation by my own friends. In my younger mind, having someone to sit with at the lunch table was more important than stopping the emotional and mental torment this kid was going through. 

And I wasn't the only one who noticed him, unfortunately some of the others didn't have the same sympathetic view. He went to the vending machine to get an ice cream, a daily ritual. And this junior, someone I've known all my life to be a pretty decent guy, runs up to the machine and beings to taunt the kid. He poked and prodded and pushed him, hooting and hollering at him, making animal noises and drawing all sorts of attention to this boy who really didn't like the eyes of the crowd on him. And then he took the ice cream the boy had just paid for and his change, and returned to his table where he was met with laughter and even applause by his friends. 

The boy left the cafeteria. And I just sat. Secretly fuming, but outwardly indifferent. Desperately wanting to go say something to the kid who'd just tortured him, but knowing that once I got up to him, I'd be at a loss for words. I looked at the cafeteria attendants, members of a staff that always boasts their 'zero-tolerance' bullying policy. They stood motionless, fully aware of what happened, but seeing no reason to intervene. When the same student starts a food fight later in the year, they're ready within seconds to discipline him. Stealing from and emotionally/mentally wearing down a young boy, no big deal... some flying spaghetti? Now that's a punishable offense. 

So instead, I went after the boy. I left the cafeteria, and saw him standing pacing back and forth by the water fountain. Just when I had mustered up the courage to go offer him kind words, I chickened out and walked right past him, without eye contact, into the bathroom. I convinced myself that bringing it up would only embarrass him, but I knew that was an excuse. 

I'm sorry to say that my bullying story isn't one of standing up to tormentors, but one of an onlooker who regrets her lack of action. I've been bullied before, never to the extreme of some children, but I know that it's a feeling incomparable to anything on this Earth. To be victimized for simply being the way you are, to be attacked with no reason other than the malice of a bully, to be made to feel alone and isolated when people target you with no explanation is not something that should even be a part of human nature, no less allowed to occur without repercussions. To be called a ... to put it nicely, wimp for not responding with the same violence inflicted upon you. To not be able to understand why a child, who has constantly been called a wimp and knows he cannot physically best his bully, finds no other method of action than the use of fire arms, and to criminalize him for being pushed to a breaking point. I cannot even begin to understand these concepts. 

I'm sad to say that much of my school's administration, in regards to bullying concerns, was very similar to those in the film: condescending and belittling to parents, ignoring the root of the problem and declaring it addressed when they attack one isolated incident, (oh, I can't sit on his head anymore? I understand. Thank you for broadening my horizons and encouraging me to try other methods of bullying!). And I won't even go into the 'shake hands and make up method' that was employed, in instances like that, there isn't even a shred of evidence of an attempt to handle the real issue. When a parent sends their student to a school with people who enter into a profession where their life ultimately revolves around the students they accepted responsibility of, it shouldn't farfetched for them to expect their child not to come home in tears and bruises! 

I've only been out of high school for a year, but being away from such a toxic environment has helped me to realize that my own social standing isn't more important than a human life. I've talked to younger siblings of friends about how minuscule something like popularity and how harrassing others is unnecessary. And I've gotten good responses, but I've also gotten those who roll their eyes and nod just to humor me, then probably talk about how lame I am... because, even with more life experience, my knowledge will always be vastly inferior to that of some thirteen year olds. And I get that, not everyone is raised to treat people the same way, but I think the sooner this message that bullying is so much more damaging than we think gets engraved in young minds, the more effective it will be. I think this movie should be shown to all ages, more than once as they continue to grow. As a young child, to display the image of how sad bullying is. And then again, once the children have matured to an age where they can not just see that it's upsetting, but realize that they can play a role in preventing the kind of things that happen in this movie. 

 

Sorry for the never-ending paragraph, I just really wanted to share. 

  I am the proud proud parent of a beautiful 10 year old girl. She is bright, beautiful, giving and has more compassion in her pinky finger than some adults I know have in their entire body. We moved to Phoenix at the beginning of her first grade year, being the new kid is hard but she embraced the opportunity to make new friends and I was excited for her to make them as well.

  That ended quickly when shortly after she began she came home crying because a boy in her class told her to "go home" because she was "different". I am still not sure what he meant by it, the school she went to had a majority hispanic population but she looked no different than them. Dark hair, Olive skin and Dark eyes... it really made no sense to me. The boy quickly progressed when he realized his words had an effect on her. He TORMENTED her for the entire year, even though we had numerous meetings with her teacher nothing ever changed. She began having night terrors, had to have sleeping pills... this is no way for a 6 year old should live.

  It came to a head when the boy who was also 6 at the time, threatened to shoot my fiance. I reported it to the principal and yet again nothing was done. I had to take my plea to the superintendent of schools for anything to be resolved. The boy was suspended and was not allowed back without a psych evaluation. The administration and teacher were written up and I believe the teacher was inevitably let go from her job. I removed her from that school and found an amazing charter that has a 0 tolerance policy for bullying. She is an honor roll student and is doing much much better.

  I used to think situations like this were just for children. That as adults we get our feelings hurt but not to this effect. I belong to a online community called Second Life and in my 5 years participating I have met some really nasty individuals.... a whole new breed of bully called the Cyberbully.

  They hide behind their monitors and seek out people and slowly wittle away at their self worth and happiness. I had such a horrible experience with these people at one time I really thought I would be better off not here. I never thought, a woman in her mid-thirties would be broken to such a low point by a person on a computer. It seems so unreal I cant believe it still to this day. But there I was, with a bottle of pain killers really thinking hard about it.

  It took the love of my daughter and some wise words from a friend to pull me back from that dark dark place. My friend told me THE WAY OTHERS TREAT YOU IS A STATEMENT ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AS A HUMAN BEING. IT IS NOT A STATEMENT ABOUT YOU. It really is true. And if anything it has brought my daughter and closer together because I really do understand how it feels to have people break you down so low you can not see the stars.

  So remember, it gets better. And for those who see someone else being bullied, stand up and be a strong friend. You may not think your voice will make a difference, but I promise it will. It will help heal the heart of those hurt and will bring those back down who are so miserable they need to break those around down to their level.

HI Everyone:

I'm writing about my daughter.  My daughter started horse back riding when she was three years old.  All the other children in our neighborhood played T-ball soccer, basketball, and softball when they got older.  My daughter who's in 5th grade started to get teased about her love for horses in kindergarten.  It first started out as name calling my daughter is shy to begin with so the name calling just made her more closed off.  In first grade there was a boy who always singled her out on the playground and would hit her or push her and of course the name calling.  Her teacher said this was his way of showing he liked her.  I gave him one last chance to see if that was the case and sure enough it wasn't.  He pushed her into a wall and she almost passed out.  That was the last straw for me.  It was to far into the school year for him to be moved.  I told the teacher that he will not sit near her, or look at her in anyway.  If he touched her again the parents will hear from me not you.  Needless to say it stopped and he was held back.  Each year it continues, and each year I have to speak with her teacher.  This year she was cornered in the bathroom by two girls that she didn't even know. They teased her about being a smelly horse girl.  They always say she smells like poop.  She said she remembered me telling her if she felt trapped to move away from the situation.  She felt scared and didn't know what to do.  This happens because she rides and owns a horse.  It's to the point that she hates going to school.  She is still shy and I wish she would stand up for herself, but she is the type of girl who feels like she is hurting the other girls feelings.  The teachers don't do enough to help with the situation because they say it's not exactly bullying.  I'm sorry but being called names is a form of bullying and I have a voice for my daughter.  We talk and I always ask her would she have liked to play those other sports to have those friends, and she tells me "No way" I love being able to ride a horse where some of these sports these girls or boys play come and go where my daughter wants to go all the way and to be in the olympics one day.  Maybe when that happens she will find her voice.  But these girls are mean and I'm just happy they didn't push her down, because she will always get back up.... Sorry for my rambling but that's what we deal with day in and day out!!!!

Rori Liebmann

I was and still am being bullied. I have been bullied since i was in 5th grade. Its all started when one of my best friends at the time decided to turn on me. She told everyone to avoid me, that I had problems and diseases. When that happened i pretty much because the outcast. I was discluded from everything. I had no friends at all during middle school. Everyone thiught i was a freak because I dressed differently, I listened to different music then them. They would constantly tell me to go away, that I was worthless, to go cut myself. They called me the emo-freak. It got to the point where i didnt go to school for weeks because i was terrified what they would do to me. It got so bad that i tried to kill myself because i couldnt handle it anymore. So i moved to a new city, thought i can start new. But i was wrong. When i started dating this guy, all his friends, all girls, started bullying me, again. They called(and still do) me a whore, they tell everyone that i sleep around with other guys. Its still happening now. It hasnt stopped. But im slowly learning to try to deal with it and get them to stop but honestly at this point, nothings working.

I was bullied in elementary school by my neighborhood girl( friends), I had long blonde hair down to my waist, and when walking home from school, when walking by their house, they would come out by the road and pull my hair as hard as they could and would jerk my head back, push me, throw rocks at me, I use to go home & cry..... but I know what it is like to be called names, & to be bullied , I was scared , I was smaller than them & scared to fight back.

Hey everyone, 

I was bullied for the majority of my high school career. Even worse, I went to a Christian school where I thought I would be safe and I thought everyone was supposed to show their faith through their actions. However, I found that to be completely untrue. While my head was never shoved into lockers and I was never physically abused at school, the verbal and mental torment I received in high school led me to attempt suicide when I was 17. I literally could not take it anymore. However, I made it through that extremely dark place in my life. I am now 22 years old, working on my social work degree and hoping to become a school counselor who will ACTUALLY make a difference in schools and do my part to end the horrible cycle of bullying forever.

I just want anyone to know that it gets better. Kids are cruel. I was picked on daily for things I really couldn't control. My teeth, my hair, my clothes, my weight. It was awful. When you're a 17-year-old girl, life sucks already and is difficult enough to figure out without someone bullying you. I was in the hospital for over a week trying to get my mental state in order. I discovered the bully project only recently, but it has impacted me enough to put my story out there and have my voice be heard. I know it is hard to think about, but it does get better, I promise. 

While there was damage done from my being bullied (I still struggle with my self-esteem on a daily basis...) I no longer take that crap from anyone. I stand up for myself. I let my voice be heard. I am a force to be reckoned with, and I will let my voice be heard for everyone else's who fall silent. 

I have turned my life around from being in that dark place of being bullied and feeling like I would never fit in to a place where I know my story can and will make a difference. I will not stop until bullying is gone. I will be a voice for the silent, an advocate for those who are too afraid to stand up for themselves.

I will not fall silent. I will use my story to empower others. The bullies will not win. We will. If you need someone to talk to, I will listen. I will be there for you. You're not alone. We all need to stand up for what is right and STOP bullying forever. 

much love and support to all of you who are being bullied, or have been bullied. Don't let your voice be silenced. 

This story is about my niece, she is now in the 6th grade. It all started at the beginning of the school year with a little girl who was suppose to be her best friend. Some where a long their friendship the little girl got upset with my niece and started a rumor for no one to talk to her (niece) because she was a "whore". My sister went to the school and talked to them about the problem, needless to say nothing was done. A little later the girl started to pick on her clothes now. So my niece would come home upset and not want to ever wear those clothes again. Trying to comfort my niece that she was a pretty girl and not to worry that people can be cruel. The most recent is that the same little girl has now started a rumor that my niece who is a 6th grader is pregnant. She also has got in her fact and told her to come one she would kick her ***, in the halls at school she throws her hands in the air to my niece everytime she sees her saying lets go. My sister has gone back to the school with a written paper stating that she has already been there once about the bullying and nothing had been done. All the school has said is that they would have to look into it because parents come to the school everyday saying that their kid was being bullied because they where pushed into a locker. It seems to me that the school doesn't take Bullying serous. They say that they do but it's been two weeks now and nothing has been said back to my sister. Now my niece doesn't want to attend school anymore. So a friend and I are planning a gathering to Stop Bullying!!!

Hey Guys,

i was bullied 9 to 10th grade, when i was in 9th grade my friend spread around school that i was lesbian and i had people make fun of me then one day she came up to me and push me against the wall and punch me a couple of time at my stomach i pushed her into the wall to get away i did go to the office and she did get in trouble but she kept on hitting me and saying it was an accident once she hit me with a water bottle on my chin and made a bruise. so i moved schools i was sitting in class when a new student came in i was so nice to her welcomed her in are class and everything we quickly became friends. a couple of months in the school year i was hearing thing about me and people always told that she said it. Then one day i moved i sat with my other friends and she came there and took my phone she need my password and she went to my friends table and said "wow i'm surprise she hasn't sleep with him" i didn't know about it till my friend told me. i hear more thing and that she wanted to fight me. all i did is try to ignore it but it went on for a long time so one day i went to the office sat down with one of them and told them everything they then sat me and her down and talked thing out. she still said i stared everything making me look like the bully but they know i never said anything about her. all i have to say is keep your head up and let the haters hate. stay strong and go tell somebody that your being bullied

 

I felt a sudden stinging pain rush down my ear. "Ouch! What the fuck!" The girl sitting behind me slapped me in the forehead. "Turn around bitch!" I was scared and angry at the same time. "Fuck you." I heard the words coming out of my mouth and immediately regretted them. "I said turn around bitch." I complied and turned around hoping that was the end of it, but knowing, from too many humiliating experiences, that it was most likely just the beginning. Only a few more hours and I'd be out of there, safe in my bedroom. This was the final assembly before me and the rest of my fellow 7th through 9th graders would be dismissed for winter break. I sat rigidly still in hopes that the girl behind me was satisfied. A few minutes went by. Just as the knot in my stomach started to relax, I felt something warm and wet rolling down the back of my neck. "Did you just fucking spit on me?" I felt a sudden rush of anger, confusion, and humiliation course through my body. "Turn the fuck around!" It was wrong to fight. I didn't want to hurt anyone, especially a girl. I could never hit a girl. I didn't know what to do. "What the fuck?" Now two boys, much bigger than me, sat down on either side of the girl. "She said turn the fuck around!" I turned back around feeling defeated, humiliated, and hopeless. For the next two hours I sat there while the girl and the two other boys spit on me, flicked my ears, and slapped the back of my head. I tried to ignore them. I tried to pretend that I didn't feel their warm spit rolling down the back of my neck and shirt. Most of all, I fought the tremendous urge to break down in tears. I would not give them that. I am on this site because I want to do everything and anything I can to stop other children from experiencing the humiliation that I had to endure throughout my young teenage years. Nobody should have to endure this kind of abuse. I will do whatever I can to help this movement succeed in its goals of putting a stop to bullying.