Stop Bullying NOW (Bullying in Schools)

Member Name: bettyboopy

Product:	Bullying in Schools
Date:	18/06/07 (194 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: ruins lives

I get up in the morning, get ready for school,
getting ready for those who think they are cool.
They think they are great to continually beat me,
They are wrecking me life, just why can't they see?

I make it to school with a just a blood covered nose,
nobody understands my trouble and woes.
I'm not a bad person, just different in looks,
And just because I read lots of school books.

They tease, beat, humiliate, abuse and taunt,
When i'm dead, it is these I will haunt
I want to fight back, but the strength I cant find
Why can't these people for once be kind?

At dinner, they steal my money, pulling my hair,
I daren't tell anyone as nobody will care
They say i'm a freak and call me a witch
They say i'm wierd and an ugly bitch

They all are popular and have lots of friends,
They all go out to have fun at weekends.
It's an endless circle in this life of hell,
I may as well live just in a cell.

I can't go out and have a laugh, wear a smile,
I'm always on my own, no friends now, for a while.
I can't remember where it all went wrong,
Its all gone on for way too long.

They don't give up, there seems no answer, no way out,
People don't understand what i'm talking about.
One day I'll be brave enough to stand up and bite back,
At the moment, its just the confidence I lack.

One day I will learn to be proud of me,
And maybe then, they will let me be.
I won't let them beat me, batter and abuse,
I will end my school day with not one bruise.

What will happen if I tell? Will they say that I lie?
I will not give up till the day I die.
I will try and be strong, and keep my pride,
Try to keep a smile, bright and wide.

I will suceed one day, and I win will it all,
I will not trip up and I will not fall.
They won't suceed in life, as they don't know how,
I just have to survive my last school year now.

It is then I will succeed and my life will shine,
My life won't be theirs, it will be all mine
Untill that day I have to be brave and strong,
Only one year it - isn't that long.

Copyright bettyboopy!

There are hundreds, and thousands of children bullied every single day at school. Bullying can be mental, physically and emotionally straining for the victim, and can effectively ruin people's lives. Often the victim hasn't done anything wrong, they just maybe look different, act differently, or have different interests to the other children around them. Certain bullies see this as weak spot and target that area to abuse and taunt the victim. Often the bully doesn't realise what effects this has on the victim's lives. It can lead to drug abuse, drinking and self harm.

When I was at school, there was a girl in my form who was from a very poor family. She had her uniform donated to her from the school, and everyone knew this. The bullies got to her and used this as her weak spot. She became shy, withdrawn, and started skipping school. Nobody ever dared to step in as we didn't want to be the next victim in the bullying campaign, so most of us stepped to one side and didn't say anything. Not that the teachers would of done much, as bullying, back then, wasn't as publicly recognized as it is today, and this was a long time ago. People just tended to ignore it in those days, untill all the media coverage of campaigning against bullying and various advice lines and active charities came to light. I know that when I was at school, the only place I had ever heard of for help like this was Childline, but even then if you had a problem you probably wouldn't ring the number incase anyone found out, and it would be too embarrassing.

The girl who was bullied at school, I heard, years later, than she had become admitted to a hostpital for self-harming, and that later again, she had become a drug addict and prostitute. I'm not saying this was all down to bullies, but it certainly wouldn't of helped. In the present, I realise that if I had stepped in maybe to help her, then she may have not self harmed, got hooked on drugs or became a prostitute, these things can be a knock-on effect from a life of being bullied.
The only reason myself, nor my friends stepped in, is because we were scared of these bullies too, and if we kept our distance, then maybe they would leave us alone, which they did. Sounds a selfish act, but being a child I didn't think of the consequences this would have on her as an adult. I have never bullied anyone, and never would, but now if I knew a victim of bullying I would step in and help them in every way I could as I know now, what effects bullying can have an a person.

For the consquences of the above, I think it is important to raise awareness in school and show children what can happen to somebody who is bullied at school, later on in life. There are hundreds of children self harming, and committing suicide each year due to bullying as they feel that have nowhere to turn, and nobody to talk to. If the bullying was stopped completely, there wouldn't be any need for all the helplines and counselling services aimed at bullying. If the problem is cut off at the root cause i.e stopping the bullies in their tracks by harsher punishments and educating children on how bullying can affect the victim's life, then this may just save a good few people. All schools should hold bullying workshops, once a year, which every single pupil has to attend, to raise this awareness.

I was around 14 when a girl, of about 16 picked a fight with me. She and her family were notorious for being bullies and alot of people were scared of them. She made sure, by shouting as loud as possible that she had an audience of around 70 people. I was really small for age, I was in age 10 clothes at 14 years old, and she was alot bigger than me. She started pushing and shoving, shouting and name calling, and I just snapped. I wasn't going to become a victim, and punched her as hard as possible. She crumbled to the floor and legged it in tears, and she never came near me again. My reaction is in no way right, nor moral, but I made sure that I didn't become another one of her victims, and that nobody else tried to bully me again. It worked for me, but that was years ago, and nowadays times have changed, reacting like that can land you in a lot of trouble, so I wouldnt advise it! These days alot of bullies carry weapons, and this is a really scary fact. The only way to help someone out now, is to go to a person in authority.

Obviously times have changed a little now, but there are still people out there, who are too scared to speak out and tell someone that they are being bullied.Being bullied is nothing to be ashamed off, and it is the bully who should be ashamed for the rest of their lives.

My advice to anyone that is being bullied is tell someone. Tell your parents. Make sure that you tell a person in high authority. Tell the headmaster - not the teacher and keep persisting untill something is done. Fight back at the bullies this way, and often they are expelled from the school. If you tell a teacher, the teacher will then go to the headmaster, and tell them a second version of the events. Cut out the middle man - be brave, and go to the headmaster, with a parent or a friend if possible.
If a child is getting bullied on the way to school, this is not on school property, but it still the responsibility of the school to sort it out. Again tell the headmaster.

If after telling the school once, and nothing is done, go one step higher and go to the education board and to the police. If a child is beaten, the child can still prosecute for assault. The school would also then be hightlighted for ignoring bullying.

Don't back down to bullies. It is so easy to do so, but keep your head held high, and keep proud and positive. Keep going, telling the police and headmaster over and over and over if necessary, they cannot ignore you, they are not allowed to.

If you are worried that somebody may come after you, or the bullying will get worse, don't worry about this, it won't happen. As long as you stay brave, and hold in there, the bullies will get what is coming to them. Injunction orders from the police are available to you, and if you get one of these, this also means that the bully is suspended from school untill the investigation is completed. You are not on your own, and police and teachers cannot ignore bullying, make sure you tell them.

For help and support:
http://www.bullying.co.uk
http://www.childline.org.uk/Bullying.asp
http://www.bullyonline.org/

Summary: Tell someone!