Anti-Bullying Awareness

Since October just ended, I wanted to make a blog post about Anti-Bullying Month.

Bullying is something that is evident and growing in our schools and communities today. Bullying can take many forms from verbal and physical abuse to technology abuse through Facebook and text messaging.

It is very important in today’s day and age that parents and school administrators are informed about bullying because it is a growing issue and is not going away anytime soon.

Bullying can take place anywhere from a kindergarten playground to your senior year in high school. Let it be known, kids and teenagers don’t “ask for it”, it happens to them outside of their control.

Everyone can be bullied for the simplest things from the clothes they wear to where they sit in the lunchroom.

I was bullied throughout most of my high school career just because I got good grades. It was difficult because my teachers would post grades publicly on the board according to student number. It was not long till everyone found out who was who. The backlash I received from getting an “A” on a test was everything from being constantly called an “overachiever” teasingly, to having my belongings taken from me when I threw my trash away at lunch.

I think by now most of us have heard the advice of “just ignore them.” The truth is just ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. You have to talk to your parents and let them know what is going on, or talk to your principal so the problem can be solved. It is also important for schools to support anti-bullying programs to decrease the numbers of bullies there are today.

My story of bullying is less intense than the ones I hear about taking place in school today. Bullying is no laughing matter and should never be taken lightly. Studies have shown that bullying can lead to low self-esteem and depression that can follow a child into their adult life.

If there is one thing I would suggest today to parents who have children at any age, it would be to talk to them. Know what is going on in their lives and let them realize they are free to talk to you about their problems.

Bullying is one of the worst things a child can go through during their school years and there is no reason why it needs to continue to happen.