**Before I start this story, this was NOT made/meant to be aimed at certain students or teachers.**
Have you ever felt out of place, not wanted or included at school? More and more kids are feeling unsafe and uncomfortable at their schools each year. With technology advancing and students growing up, more competition appears with being the best in the class; the smartest, strongest, or sometimes even the teacher’s favorite. This issue of bullying in schools is not only based on students bullying one another but while the issue of teachers bullying students and students bullying teachers are not as important, they are also involved in this category.
As we grow up and mature, I have observed that physical and verbal abuse becomes more common, especially in the school setting. From a simple sentence or text message to sexual orientation or race, bullying is everywhere. Nothing seems to be mutual anymore, everything has to a competition full of hate.
Even at NNHS, there are students who are struggling in school because of such high expectations from other students, their parents, or even teachers. I have constantly had friends tell me that their teachers, parents, and counselors say that they are not doing good enough. In other words, the people that they look up to for help when problems occur. Some students will go around spreading rumors or pointing things out about others just to hurt them deliberately. Teachers also play a role by telling students to start over or stop trying, what happened to teachers MOTIVATING students to do well?
I have been a victim of bullying and cyberbullying multiple times starting in elementary school all the way to and through high school, more commonly on social media, where the bullies feel protected. I have been impersonated on social media by a classmate who posted rude comments on other classmate’s accounts such as “You’re stupid” or “You’re ugly” and adding “by the way, this is samantha marwah”, bringing a lot of confusion as to how I deserved this. I also constantly see people being bullied in the halls, not just verbally but also physically. This comes in forms of bigger students shoving smaller ones out of the way, people screaming at each other, deans and supervisors having to physically jump in the way of fistfights, some people leaving the scene injured. Each bullying story is very different, which is why we all hold different views on what bullying is.
If something is wrong, either someone doesn’t tell you what you are doing wrong, or they tell you ways to improve, it’s either one or the other. In the classroom, teachers shame and put more kids down as we mature, whether it is aimed towards us individually or the entire class. At first, I would become upset, thinking I was a failure. But now, I don’t let these comments bother me and change me from who I really am to what others want me to be. Everyone has gone through it and no one makes a move on overcoming or stopping it. The act of bullying should not be taken lightly.
With that being said, Bullying and Cyberbullying is becoming a bigger issue in schools all over the world. Every night, somewhere around the world, kids are going to sleep hoping that they don’t wake up to a post that exposes them or a life-changing text message. Teachers are encouraging students to become more confident and it is showing it’s impact among the student body, but sometimes that confidence is not always embraced positively.
Many of these tragic experiences result in permanent outcomes, one example being attempting suicide. This feeling of being worthless occurs because one feels disliked and alone and that nothing will ever get better. Those who survive attempts can be left with physical and emotional damages. In some cases, individuals are affected are left with negative psychological effects. This is shown in the article “What Are the Problems & Solutions of Bullying in School” when it states that, “a victim will often suffer through the abuse because he is ashamed or he doesn’t believe that change will happen if he tells (someone)…a victim can end up fearful of others and may become unable to cope socially”. This statement really shows that bullying is so constant, whether it’s kids or adults, people are being diagnosed with mental issues daily like depression.
Which is why we need to make a change, but with this issue being so powerful and recurring very often, it may come close but will never completely be solved. Also, there are organizations working towards the end of bullying and according to “Anti-Bullying Programs & Organizations”, there are “numerous programs and organizations (that) exist to help eliminate bullying and support those who are bullied, (such as) StopBullying.gov, National Bullying Prevention Center, Kind Campaign, and more! There are many individuals who use social media to spread their feelings and opinions on bullying, like a comment on twitter that said “How many suicides will it take for people to wake up and be like ‘oh shit, we need to stop hating on people’. Too many precious lives are getting taken away at a young age.. BULLYING IS NOT FUNNY. IT’S SERIOUS, YOUR WORDS DO HURT.” However, because this is a popular and widespread issue, it may come close but will never completely be solved.
If you see any act of bullying, report it. A mean comment on a social media site, report it. A fight in the hallway, report it. Someone bullying you, report it A teacher/staff member directly putting you or another classmate down, report it. Don’t only tell a friend or another classmate because either your words might be passed on, or nothing will happen. Tell a staff member you can trust, someone you know will help you bring an end to your fears or concerns for others.
I constantly experience and hear more stories of bullying around the school. I see students crying, calling their parents to call them out sick, students sitting alone, working on collaborative projects individually. I see students who do not want to learn or work because of constant put downs and bad grades
I know almost everyone has been involved an act of bullying, whether it was as a bystander, the bully, or the victim. Put yourself in the shoes of the victim, how do you think they felt? What about the bully, what do you think caused them to attack? Lastly, the bystander, why do you think they chose to respond to or ignore this situation? After thinking about these three people, realize that there are people who help and people who hurt in this situation. There are qualities in us that we do not realize but others see, that is why you are worth it.
