when i started middle school i was overweight,wore thick glasses and was what you could classify as a nerd.i loved my family and video games and wasnt the talented one in sports.thru middle school and high school i wasnt popular.had people grabbing my chest and calling me names because i was overweight and was constantly picked on.every year from 6th grade until i graduated i got made fun of for who i was.it definitely got me down and made me so angry that i stood up for myself,in the way of changing for me...i never wanted to be like them,and i stood up for who i was and told them that im me and i dont care to be like them or anyone else but the person i wanted to be.and it all paid off.a few years later.when i graduated school i had all the people who used to bully me and make fun of who i was saying "youre a really cool guy,i dont know why we didnt hang out in school" and i said "because i wasnt popular and i was just me and still am to this day" im still who i was back in school...the same me,who people love and enjoy being around.and now that years have gone by, i have a great career of 14 years,love my life and have a gorgeous fiancee and a loving family and i have lost over 85 pounds for me to make my health better,and i see all the people who have never given me the time of day or ridiculed me thru parts of my life accomplish nothing and become nobodys while i have made something of myself and have become the happiest i have ever been.for me,and for nobody else...and i love life.those years were hard but i can put all that aside and move on because now,at this day...life is just beginning.and i love living with my family and true friends that love me for who i am.live your life as you want,and let everything else follow you...with true heart,matt

I usually don't open up about this.. Well partially because I don't use it as an excuse, but I have been a victim of bullying. In my 15 years of life, I have been surrounded by the greatest family members who have taught me to be strong, and stand for what I believe in. In this world, defending for your beliefs, or what you feel is right is not necessarily taken to heart. Instead, people use it as an advantage to argue, contradict, or even bully you. I've always been a curious girl who seeks to help people. My bullying began in middle school...as it does for most people. I came into my new school with two friends I thought would never change. After about a month, they both went separate ways, while I was still searching for one. One of the girls, lets call her Phoebe,  discovered that she had the potential of becoming popular and promised me she would "introduce" me to her friends if I did what she asked. Me being the desperate, attention seeking, friend loving girl I was, I did. For days on end, I was responsible for carrying her things, placing things in her locker and delivering messages to her crushes...I know right..WEIRD. But in all honesty I didn't mind. One morning, she handed me her "expensive" coat and told me to carry it around. I got distracted by other things and set it down. As soon as I left second period, she accused me for throwing her coat on the music building because I was jealous. I was forced to buy her two vests from Wal-Mart and delivered it to her the next morning on the bus. She then decided that it would be a great idea to introduce me to her friends. Once we arrived at the school, she approached her friends as I trailed behind her with my giant guitar case for band and my books, haha. She then turned and looked at me with a startled look on her face. "Why are you always following me!?" she asked which was when I said "Because you told me you would introduce me to your friends." Without hesitation, she slapped me across my face, and knocked my books out of my hand. I felt so alone, confused and devastated after that day especially because I couldn't think of a reason anyone would do that to their own friend, until I realized, shes not. She was only using me for her advantage. For the remainder of my year, I was continuously taunted, teased for unknown reasons. Well a group of kids did tease me for being black so I guess that's one..WOW.. I would sit and "read" a book while kids looked for reasons to bully me. Eventually, Phoebe announced that she was bi-sexual because it seemed to become a trend at that school as well as cutting. I never told my parents what went on at school because I never felt it was necessary. Why would I want to make my parents worry about something while others went through so much worse? This thought has helped me throughout my years. The only thing that got me through all the suffering, was the thought of the people actually suffering with things like famine, economic issues, abandonment, even rape. It didn't help me feel better for who I was, but it became my goal to make a change. For we all have a purpose in this world. Being bullied is not an excuse to cut, hurt those around you, or even take your own life. If anything, it has helped me find a purpose. Fortunately, those years are gone and I actually look back and as cliche as it sounds, I laugh. I go to a much better school now, with awesome fiends where bullying isn't an issue; rather the issue is figuring out what college to go to. "well, then easy for you to say", you might think. But I'm just an example of how things DO and WILL get better. Whether you're Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, atheist, gay, straight, we should all believe in one thing. OURSELVES. Don't blame yourselves for whats going on in your life. Instead, make it the reason why you want to change the world. Be the change. Most importantly, be yourself. <3 

I can remember bulling started in about 6th grade, i got made fun of for being short, and having a 'big forehead'. I didn't realize that was just the beginning, 8th grade my friends were very fake towards me, they made fake facebooks of me, bullying me, when we fought they said horrible hurtful things to me, then my freshman year of high school is when it was really bad. People used every social network to attack me, i had no friends. People hated me, then i started to hate me too. i ended up moving houses & schools because the bullying was so bad i just needed to leave, i begged my parents to leave. so my first semester at my new school & i still made no friends, i didn't understand why. i started to self harm, the hatred i had for myself was so unbearable i had to do something, i got into fights with people on twitter and face book and instagram, everything. i just couldnt handle the thought of people not caring if i was alive or not, i self harmed almost everyday. and now my legs and arms are filled with scars. but its slowly getting better, as the days go on, im better. 

I was bullied in elementary and middle school, mostly by girls (boys have a tendency to respect anyone who can run fast or jump higher, so they were relatively cool with me, which made the girls dislike me more). Luckily, after having extremely few schoolfriends before, in 7th grade, I found a few other unpopular people who happened to also be so smart and caring and kind, and we became friends. This gave me confidence to realize that that the problem was not with me but with the people bullying me. My friends saw who I was and what I could do and they valued it and me as I likewise valued them.

By my junior year of high school, this group had grown and changed. We were the kids in the honors classes, the student government, choir, theater, band. We weren't popular with the jocks or that group of people but we didn't need to be. We were accomplishing things while those other people were starting to fade into the background.

Then, as an adult, I became a teacher. And I learned that every time a teacher had turned a blind eye to what bullies had done to me and my friends, that was a CONSCIOUS decision. Because any teacher worth their salt knows EXACTLY what's going on in their classroom. And they can change things, if only in their class.  They can punish those who hurt, even if it's only by calling them out. They can protect the child, if only by documenting the torments and informing the parents. And they can provide that child a place where they are valued, cared for and unhurt, even if it's only for a 50-minute class.

Trust me, that 50 minutes can mean everything to a child going through this. It can be an island of calm, a place to build yourself back up, a place to recharge and discover your worth. It can keep that child from doing something terrible to herself or someone else.

And you don't have to be a teacher to make the change. Just one friend. Just one person telling the bullied child they they see what's happening, that it's wrong, and that they know it is totally undeserved...it's a lifeline, literally. It can keep that other child from dying at their own hands or in their hearts.

There is no excuse. You can choose to be that teacher or that friend. Or you can choose not to. But do not be mistaken: choosing not to IS still a choice. It's a choice to be unjust, unkind, and to allow the bullying and its damage to continue. It's refusing to throw the life preserver out to someone who's drowning. It's the choice to side with violence and hate. There are no innocent bystanders when it comes to this sort of thing.

It's a time to recognize what type of person YOU are.

So what do you choose?

I was born in Richland Washington June 17, 1994. 5 years later I moved 10 minutes away in Pasco. After I moved in Pasco and was the new kid started getting bullied. nobody wanted to be my friend and the ones who would had tI pretend they werent. I had my arms twisted and I got pushed around. Nobody liked me. This went on from first grade to eighth grade. I had rumors spread around me. Got called names in the hallways. I used to have to eat my lunch in a bathroom stall. People said I cut myself and I had people even attempt to chop off my hair. I got called a dyke cause I preferred to have short hair and people just judged me. Middle school was the worst cause I got teased non stop by practically everyone. I have gotten spit on. You name it. Many times I wanted to die and just escape it because I thought it would never end. But after freshman year I made a bunch of friends and I finally realized there was nothing wrong with me. That I was strong and I was not going to let the bullies win. I needed to live to stand for the silent.

I have found, as a teacher, that cyber bullying is the most emotionally affective form. It can not only ruin a child's self esteem temporarily, but also their ability to succeed and gain respect from others in the future. I believe this should be a main target for educators and communities. 

To be honest i have been bullied all of my life. Ever since i was about 4 or 5 years old i have been called names like fat, ugly, and dumb. Ive always been a little big for my age so i mainly got picked on over my weight. On top of that, ive always been what i guess you could say 'smart'. An all A's student for pretty much all of my life. Yes, i was that geeky girl that sits in the front of the class and am the first to raise my hand. I rather read than hang out with friends most of the time. In 6th grade though that all changed. I got bullied by most of the girls and even some of the guys in my class. I lost all my friends. Rumors were spread about me everyday. I was called names constantly and to be honest it hurt... a lot. In 7th grade i was verbally, physically, and every other form there is of being bullied. I was told that maybe if id die the world would be a better place. I got cussed out over text messages, yelled at infront of others, and even punched. I developed a eating disorder and started self harming. A few times i even thought about suicide... My mom talked to the principles about it and they asked me about it later that day. They asked me if i was being bullied and i told them no. I told them no because i knew they wouldnt do anything about it. My friends told the principles in the past about them being bullied and they did nothing. So why would they suddenly chose to do something with me?? At the end of 7th grade i was no longer bulimic but i still self harmed. In 8th grade things got better. This year, in 9th grade my life seems normal. I quit self harming and so far am over 2 months clean. My old bullies dont mess with me anymore and i found some really amazing friends. My grades have dropped but i am pulling them back up!! After all this though i found out that my bullying experience helped me. It didnt make me stronger or anything but it did shape who i am today. And maybe i cant go back in time and change what happened to me but one thing is for sure, i can help others now. And that is exactly what i am going to do!! :)

so it all elementary school i was in 2gr i was call fat 4 eye i was so upset i did not to do but my best friend help me throw this so she start to get pick on so we went to my mom she say to ingorin them then in 3gr i had a plomde that i cant read or wiring so i got made fun of all over again one of my old teacher said i want going on to 6gr i went to her i said that u were wrong im 13 year old now but bulling is sooo WONG AND STAY STRONG

                         LOVE,Lesley

It all started when I was in elementary I was shorter then most of the kids. everywhere I went they kept making fun of me for being short and how i shouldn't be here cause this is where big kids go not baby's. it only got worse when I started going to middle school. When I was in 8th grade I found out I was bisexual I told all my really close friends that I knew for years through daycare and sports. When I told them they looked at me and told me to leave them alone and to never talk to them ever again. I went home crying for hours and hours. It wasn't  long till my school found out and it only got worse I would go to school and I would be told that I'm worthless that I shouldn't be alive. It killed me to see everyone I was friends with say that to me. That year I tried killing myself 5 times. My mom didn't know what to do so she brought me to see someone and talk about everything it worked for a little but not very long. Going into high school it got worse. I had my first girlfriend and quickly realized I was lesbian. That traveled around fast and soon enough the whole school knew about it and I would go though the halls and get called a faggot and I should just drop dead. I was called names over Facebook I was called an ugly ass faggot cunt. Freshmen year suicide attempts 12. Not only have I been made fun of for one thing but three my height my weight and for being a lesbian. Sometimes I can take what they say and pretend to not let it get to me but not all the time. I have some friends like Brittany and Allison and lexcee and Lauren and Jenna who help me through most of it. But I still think sometimes it would just be easier if I let them win but I don't I want it all to change. I'm 17 a junior at my high school and I want to make a difference. 

-Jenny Vallinaggi 

In 8th grade a new kid came to my school. Me and him got close. Durin freshman year he kept askin me to send him pictures. Eventually I gave in and sent him some, but what I didn't know till about a week later is that he saved them and sent them around. a couple weeks later I took a ton of pills hopin end it all. The pills didn't work and had to deal with it all. I never told anyone cause I was so ashamed and I tried to deal with it on my own. Eventually it faded away, they found other things to talk about, and I started datin a guy. By Christmas my sophomore year we were still together and he bought me a promise ring. He joked and on one knee pretendin to propose, but when people found out they started a new topic to gossip about. People started sayin I was pregnant and that spread through all the grades. I was so embarrassed cause my brother was a senior and I know that even senior class was talkin about it, but worse than that I was told my best friend since 4th grade started the rumor. I remember at one of my basketball games some guys taunted me and I had to pretend I didn't hear them. At the same time a girl on my team announced to her health class that I was a whore. I just remember everyday seeming to last forever, not wanting to go to school, and wanting it to be over everyday. That summer I tried to hang myself but my dad walked in my room and saw. I felt so damaged and I didnt let myself trust people. But now I'm graduating in a month and ill be getting ready for college. I'm better now and everything's fine. I have to thank soccer for that, my team and the game keep me happier than I've ever been. Bein on the varsity team all 4 years has made me feel accomplished and has given me a new family. No one should have to deal with bullying or feel the need to end the pain. I'd love to help and talk to anyone I can. You are not alone