When I was in eighth grade, I had a best friend that meant the world to me. I thought that we would always be friends and that nothing would ever change. One day I came to school and no one would talk to me. I was being given dirty looks and my best friend would turn the other way whenever she saw me. I didn't know what was happening or what I had done but I felt awful. At lunch time I went to sit at my normal table with the people I usually sit with and when I sat down they all looked at me and told I couldn't sit there. They said that I wasn't welcome there and had to leave. So I did. I figured that whatever was bothering them all would go away soon. The next day I found out that all my so called friends had spread a rumor saying that I said my best friend looked like a man. That's why no one would talk to me and my best friend wasn't even a friend. When I tell people this story I feel pathetic. I feel like I should have been stronger and not let something like this affect me. But It did effect me and to this day it still does. Skip forward a few years to high school and I yet again have a best friend. We were attached to the hip. She had gotten a new boyfriend and in the end she broke up with him a total of 5 times. Through their relationship we had become great friends and after she broke up with him the last time, we ended up having a "thing". I know that it probably wasn't the best idea but what she did is probably what has affected me the most. She gave my phone number out to all these different people and had them send me hate texts. They called me a "whale", "whore" and said that i wasn't good enough for anyone. Since then, that's what I've believed. no one really knows all of these details that I've written. I try in keep it to myself in order to keep it from happening again. Reading this back to myself, it all sounds pathetic to me. Like it's all my fault and I shouldn't be writing this. But I never want anyone to feel as badly about themselves as I do. All I want is for young kids to be able to grow up and be able to be themselves without being judged for it. We are all equals and it's time that people were treated that way. My mom always told me to treat people the way I want to be treated and I live by that. You should never treat someone badly. No matter what excuse you have. IT'S NOT OKAY.

When I was in grade 4 my parents moved my sister and I to a private school. We started just after March break and it was great for the first while. There were about 17 kids in my class and 6 were girls too. They were really nice, but they all warned me that in grade 5, when I wasn't new anymore, the other girls would totally ignore me. They claimed that they would still be my friend. The girls in my class were very judgmental about public schools. They thought that public school was filled with delinquents, that every window was barred and that kids would bring guns to school. It also didn’t help that I grew up in an area that was thought to be very rough (not true). It really hurt me when they said this, but they didn’t listen. It was around this time that my sister was diagnosed with OCD, and that meant that my parents focused more on her. I don’t blame them for it, but it seemed that they never really had time for me. My sister would also have periods where she would kind of break down and act kind of, well, crazy. I was so scared and I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I had to listen to her ramble convinced of something outrageous. I’ll admit, I was ashamed and angry. It seemed like I always had to act like the big sister, all responsible and protective, even though I was a year and a half younger. I remember my sister yelling at me, saying that she wanted to act like the bigger sister. The worst part is I’m the only one in my family who still remembers it. In grade 5 all the girls in my class started to act funny. They would be my friend one day, hate me the next and the day after act like I didn’t exist. This was the beginning of a really rough time for me. I tried to talk to my parents but it seemed like they were always busy or they would make excuses for my classmates, saying “oh, I’m sure they’re just being girls”. I began to pull into myself. Reading had always been, and still is, one of my favorite activities. I began to read all the time. It was the only way I could escape my life and all the hurt. I would read up to 5 books a day. I barely spoke to anyone for 2 years. I felt helpless and like I had no one to talk to. I began to think that if I was only prettier or thinner the others girls would like me. I found myself kneeling over the toilet, about to stick my fingers down my throat many times. Luckily, I never became bulimic or anorexic. It was also during this time that I began to receive hate-mail from my classmates. My school, being private and therefor “better”, had a way to check emails to see if there was inappropriate content. They never caught these emails. Whenever I would look at them I would start to cry. My parents never thought of my behavior as odd or unusual. I cried myself to sleep almost every night. Then, one day in grade 6 when I was at a local ski hill with my family, a girl I had known quite well came up to me. She began to tell me about this wonderful junior high (we start junior high in grade 7 where I live) she was going to attend. It had a French immersion and a technology program. I literally thought “this sounds like the only place that could convince my parents to move me”. I had a hard time convincing my parents to move me there. Even worse, I had a hard time convincing myself. I was so scared that the next place might be worse. I started there and everything was okay, I guess. I knew some people, but I never quite felt like I was totally accepted. They never really tried to include me. There were some nice people in my class, but I was too self-conscious and afraid to talk to them. There was one girl, who is now one of my best friends, who I thought was totally stuck up. Turns out she thought the same of me! I took a lot of time, but now things are looking up. I still sometimes battle with self-deprecating thoughts, but now I have a lot of people I can go to.

When i was in middle school getting bullied was my top fear because i went through it every single day there was no running from it for me i just had to let it happen unfortunately they would call me names throw things at me make fun of me at lunch i just couldn't take anymore i did what i could just so i could leave school early try to make myself sick or if i couldn't go home i would go to the bathroom and cry i didn't want them to see me cry cause then they would think i was weak one day the whole class started making fun of me except me friends and the teacher did nothing i was so shocked my own teacher did nothing just let it happen no one should have to got through bullying because of bullying i started to cut myself bullying it's not a fun thing to encounter it can change a person it can even lead to them harming and even killing themselves bullying to me is a dangerous thing and it needs to be put to a stop but i know that will never happen cause no matter what there always will be that kid that will not care and just hurt another kid for no reason that to me is sad i just want to say don't do what i did if your getting bullied actually tell someone what's happening cause if not it may never stop and it will keep happening you know you don't want that don't ever be afraid to speak up .

I probably had to face bullying every single day. At school it was the kids in my class and in the hall who would seek me out.

When I was not at school it was the kid across the street. What made it more difficult was the fact that he was 2 years younger than me. At times I would even take a huge detour to get home simply to avoid the possibility of him bullying me.

And while it now been 19 years since I finished high school the social interactions I experienced as a kid and teenager are still clinging onto my shoulders. People all around at times will say that they loved high school and actually cried when it was over but I could not wait for it to be over. If not for the Art Room and Wood shop high school would have unbearable with no refuge.

When I was in the Art Room or Wood Shop rooms I felt like those were my zones where my utter skill and talent over shadowed and over powered any and all name calling or mental and or physical torment I faced.
Most of all I took refuge in the idea that I will not always have to hang out with these people and life does get better after high school.

Now, as an Early Childhood Educator 2 in training it up to me to not only identify and stop bullying but also teach pro social behavior such as sympathy, empathy and compassion. The documentary BULLY was shown in my Child Development 2 class for the duration of a class and afterwards there was a debriefing. And I am very grateful it was.
But it is not only up to teachers and educators.

It is not only up to the parents.

And it definitely not just up to the children.

It is in the partnerships where trust is made and built upon.

 

If you are being bullied, do not be okay with it.

Tell an adult until someone not only listens but does something about it to make it stop completely.

 

True friends do not bully each other.

And if you are bullied it is true friends that will stand up, even when you cannot, and say that that is NOT okay. 

If someone says bullying is okay or perhaps calls it something else than, whether they know it or not, it is still bullying.

Not speaking up is equal to doing to bullying.

You are way too valuable to not speak up. 

It is the power of 1 friend that a world of difference can happen.

Practically speaking: if you are being bullied. Tell them to stop. If it persists tell an adult. If it still persists: tell that same adult again and also tell them to contact authorities and keep track of who, when and how the bullying is occurring. People could perhaps argue with 1 incident but when a log of names, places and bullying styles is presented consequences for those bullies is more likely to happen. Bullying is not boys will be boys and girl matters. It is a matter of mental health and personal safety. And while this may sound like common sense, how many children have resorted to desperate steps because they felt adults were not listening.

I probably had to face bullying every single day. At school it was the kids in my class and in the hall who would seek me out.

When I was not at school it was the kid across the street. What made it more difficult was the fact that he was 2 years younger than me. At times I would even take a huge detour to get home simply to avoid the possibility of him bullying me.

And while it now been 19 years since I finished high school the social interactions I experienced as a kid and teenager are still clinging onto my shoulders. People all around at times will say that they loved high school and actually cried when it was over but I could not wait for it to be over. If not for the Art Room and Wood shop high school would have unbearable with no refuge.

When I was in the Art Room or Wood Shop rooms I felt like those were my zones where my utter skill and talent over shadowed and over powered any and all name calling or mental and or physical torment I faced.
Most of all I took refuge in the idea that I will not always have to hang out with these people and life does get better after high school.

Now, as an Early Childhood Educator 2 in training it up to me to not only identify and stop bullying but also teach pro social behavior such as sympathy, empathy and compassion. The documentary BULLY was shown in my Child Development 2 class for the duration of a class and afterwards there was a debriefing. And I am very grateful it was.
But it is not only up to teachers and educators.

It is not only up to the parents.

And it definitely not just up to the children.

It is in the partnerships where trust is made and built upon.

 

If you are being bullied, do not be okay with it.

Tell an adult until someone not only listens but does something about it to make it stop completely.

 

True friends do not bully each other.

And if you are bullied it is true friends that will stand up, even when you cannot, and say that that is NOT okay. 

Not speaking up is equal to doing to bullying.

You are way too valuable to not speak up. 

 

It is the power of 1 friend that a world of difference can happen.

 

I am Spanish and I get bullied when I was 13 because of my weight and height and I never wanted to go to school. They pushed me down the stairs, they hooked me some notes in my jacket and they psychologically tortured me. I was alone, but music saved me and that's why I am here now, thanks to Sunrise by Our Last Night. But I'm not self-confident because I always remember this experience.

When I witness someone being bullied I always jump in and stick up for the person that is being bullied, no matter what the circumstances are, no one deserves to be bullied. I get bullied because I am Jewish. Many people like to make jokes about my religion and when I was younger I would get bullied because of my weight and height. I was known as the ‘short fat girl’ in the fifth and sixth grade. When I was younger I had no one to turn to, no one would stick up for me, they would all laugh and point. I never wanted to go to school. Those two years of my life were just the beginning. It didn’t stop there it continued to junior high and then into high school when I found out I was Jewish. Once I got to high school I made friends that helped me and they are still there to this day to help me whenever they pick on me. People can stand up for one another. I am not proud of what I use to do, because I know that it can become very dangerous, I believe that no one should ever self harm, its a very bad thing to do. I quit self harming, because I made a promise not only to myself but to some very close people that I would never do that and if it got bad that I would talk to someone about it instead.  I believe that every school should hold a seminar about bullying. I believe everyone should have to watch the movie, The Bully Project. I believe that a bully should have to go through the same thing that happens to the person that they bully.

Hi Everyone.

I know you think now that no one loves you, that you're not worth it but you really are.  I may not know you but you're probably a beautiful, wonderful human being.  I understand how horrible it feels to be bullied because I have been bullied too.  It hurts you heart and makes you feel like no one cares. I just want you to know that I care. Bullies just bully to make themselves feel better and make other people feel bad about themselves.  Just remember to forget what they say because they are WRONG! You are a smart, amazing, talented person and I want you to know that. Don't ever forget that just because someone makes fun of you. Just remember YOU'RE WORTH IT! :)

Middle school is probably the prime time in someones life to experience strange things. Suddenly Johnny likes this one girl and Shelly has this circle of friends and Megan doesn't or "Billy hit puberty early!". Well I experienced lots of new concepts in Middle School. My  best friend moved to Colorado in the 3rd grade so all I had left was a close friend. She wasn't my best friend but still we grew up together. When we moved on from elementary school, everything changed. My only friend got involved in a different "friend circle" and slowly forgot about me. I decided "hey, I guess it's time to make new friends!" I in fact did this exact thing. In choir class I met a girl who seemed very nice and we got to know each other very well. after about 2 months though something happened. I was at my locker and as my friend walked by I said "Hey!" with such eager, and what did she do? She looked at me in disgust and kept walking. I was confused so I figured she just was having a bad day. the following week I went to sit next her in choir and she had an outburst. she raised her voice and said " Haley, just stop sitting by me! I don't want to talk to you!" I was astonished. Why was my friend acting like this?? What did I do? Anyways, the next 6 months just tore me apart. The name calling and progressive locker slams got worse. It went from "why do you look so fat and ugly?" to "maybe you should just leave. Nobody want's you here anyway" or even "You'll never get anywhere in life". I was shaken. I had no friends, I mean..how can I help it if I'm shy and don't have friends? By 8 months of being bullied, I did stuff I never though I'd do. I stole things from the teachers, I skipped classes, I ate lunch in the bathroom, I even though of cutting myself because I thought the pain in my arms would distract the pain in my head. I never did do it though. I ended up thinking positive thoughts and I finally told my mom whats been happening. She said "Just smile at her and walk away, act like you're on top of the world". I did just that. And after my horrible 6th grade experience, It got better. I made the most amazing friend ever named Amy and to this day she is my absolute best friend. In 8th grade Emily moved back to Washington and my life got a million times better. When I got into high school everything settled into perfection. I am currently coming to an end of my junior year (3 more months!) and life is so great. If you are reading this right now and are currently being bullied: I want you to know that everything will get better in the end. If it's not better, It's not the end ♥

I'm 22 now and everything seems so long ago. But I still remember a lot of it. It was all in middle school. Elementary school was fine and high school was fine. There is something about middle school that makes kids easy targets. I had very big, buck teeth all three years of middle school. That was the biggest thing I was bullied for. Just because I happened not to have the prettiest of smiles. Really, I just wanted to be liked so I would just go along with some if the jokes and name calling. But it wasn't until late in 7th grade that the jokes were getting more cruel and the bullying had escalated to physical bullying. I had only 1 friend at the time who wasn't involved with the best crowd. So I started to turn to them and started going down the wrong path. It wasn't until the bullying got so bad and I started cutting that I finally decided to do something. My parents and I met with the school administrators and the school deputy. Amazingly, they called me a liar and said I was just trying to get attention or said what was going on was because I brought it on myself. All through middle school, it never stopped. Once I got to high school, I joined 2 extracurricular programs and I ended up becoming very involved and I made a lot of friends. I had gotten braces and my smile was normal. All too often, you hear about really bad bullying in middle school. As if those ages 11-14 aren't hard enough on kids. Going through puberty, trying to figure out who they are, who they should be friends with, what kind of guys/girls do they like, etc... School administrators and teachers and even the school deputies need to take bully victims seriously and actually do something about this. Until that starts happening, bullying will keep happening.