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What is the worst thing that could happen
to a kid in school? To some, it would be bad grades
and to others it would be getting in trouble with the teacher,
but to most kids, it’s getting bullied by other people.
There have been a lot of reports about bullying in school.
I have been bullied, have seen some being bullied, and have
been a bully myself without even knowing I was one. We tend
to forget what’s good or bad and bully someone for our
own pleasure, not caring about the victim’s emotions.
Some of my friends and I used to make fun
of people because of how they looked or acted. We would usually
laugh about someone and share stories about their behavior
we found peculiar. Sometimes, we even laughed right in front
of them, usually when they were passing us or when we were
passing them. We never thought they ever cared about what
we said because they never said or did anything to make us
stop.
I realized what I did wrong after entering
a new school in fifth grade. It happened around September
2002 and school just started. I arrived in the United States
about four months ago, but it was my first time starting school
here, so I felt quite excited to finally meet people of a
different race. When the teacher introduced me to the class,
most of them were eager to help me out if I was confused with
something. Everyone was fine with me and I thought that my
new school life was going to be fine.
After my first class, this girl near me
suddenly told me that she hated me, called me names, and said
that I should stay away from her. Being my second day, I had
no idea what I did wrong, so I just ignored her hoping she’ll
get over it. She did not stop calling me names and for several
days, I had to constantly endure the mean remarks still hoping
that she would stop later on. I did stay away from her because
I didn’t want to be in an argument with her. I never
thought of telling the teacher about it that early of the
year because I thought I could probably handle it myself.
I probably wouldn’t have felt bad if I had done something
to make her hate me, but I didn’t and soon, I thought
that she was picking on me because I was new and that I was
probably different from the rest of them.
To my dismay, she didn’t cease her
comments about me. One day, I just had enough and could not
stop myself from telling the teachers. They talked to me and
to the girl about it individually and told her to stop calling
me names. Later that day, I kind of regretted telling the
teachers about what happened, thinking she might take this
badly and pick on me more. The next day, I arrived at the
school and was surprised when she greeted me happily as if
we were long-time friends. We soon became friends and she
hasn’t picked on me since.
Everyone should do something to stop bullying.
The victims and the witnesses should tell an adult about bullying
and not try to handle it by themselves. Teachers and other
adults should look for ways to at least lessen the bullying
incidents in schools. They should make groups or clubs where
they can share their experiences and make kids feel good about
themselves. They should build the children’s confidence
by advising them about what to do and what not to do when
encountering a bully. Teachers and parents should also confront
the bullies and talk to them and try to solve out their problems.
After my experience with a bully,
I realized that if you call someone names, they get emotionally
hurt and this might affect them in the future. Unlike physical
harm, emotional pain might have lasting effects such as low
self-esteem. Some bullies experience these feelings too and
they try to bring out their anger by inflicting the same feelings
to other people. Though they have problems of their own, they
shouldn’t bully others just to relieve themselves. Everyone,
including the bullies, should tell someone about these problems
because it would be an easier burden to carry if you have
someone to help you with it.
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