Bullying Goes Full Circle

Today's post is about a topic that is really important to me.

Throughout the my years I have experienced a lot of ups and downs. When I was in elementary school I had a lot of friends because when everyone is that young no one knows the idea of dislike. We were all friends and just wanted to have a good time being young and naive.

When I went into middle school there were a lot more kids to interact with and I became quiet. I still played soccer, which I love, and for some reason it didn't open me up while I w in school. Due to my quietness I was picked on. Kids would ignore me, call me names, I got punched in the stomach once by a kid on the bus, and my group of friends changed dramatically. I'd be called gay and other derogatory words behind my back, which I of course either overheard or someone made a point to let me know about. When I was in eighth grade I had a small group of friends, all girls, and kept to them and myself. I also went through a lot in middle school, lost 5 different people within my family, four people on my street, and no one asked how I was or seemed to even try to care. No one listened, they only wanted to look cool at my expense.

When high school came around I had the option to switch to private school. I chose catholic school to get away from the same torment to reach me in my town's public school. When I got there I radically changed myself. I became extra open, not afraid to be myself, and willing to be friends with anyone and everyone. However, as much as I loved soccer, I was slowly losing my passion for it. Due to middle school, I was almost afraid to try and talk to the other players and try to become friends. Even so, I made a lot of friends and broke away from my old self, and by junior year I was mildly popular in my own right. Not enough to be called a huge drinker or show up to parties that didn't matter. But I did have a lot of friends.

As a senior in high school I began leading the school's retreats and realized I wanted to include anti-bullying into the mix. I talked with teachers about a show I saw on television "If you really knew me" and had Challenge Day send me a free DVD. Alongside a few teachers we switched the theme of the freshman retreat and made it anti-bullying and implemented one of the activities they do "Cross The Line" but instead call it "Stand Up If". I am happy to say that three years post-graduation it is still being used.
Luckily college doesn't really run on cliques. Everyone seems to finally grow up.

If there are any younger kids that happen to stumble upon this post know something. Bullying doesn't make you cool, make you fit in better, or make you powerful like you think it does. What it does do however is hurt people, make them feel less than themselves, and afraid of the place where they make friends and learn. The things that are said to students can stick with them for the rest of their lives no matter how they end up. They could end up the luckiest people in the world with friends from everywhere and back, but they will never forget what you said or did. You are an impact, and you should decide whether you'd like to be a good or bad one.

For more information on Challenge Day visit the Challenge Day site. Maybe they can help inspire your school. And don't miss "If you really knew me" Tuesdays at 11pm on MTV.

Quote of the Day:

Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.
Benjamin Disraeli

 Article of the Day:

This article is REALLY interesting and also ridiculously sad.
Immagrant Student Gets Harassed.