As many kids grow from ìThey tattled!î into the terrible teens, we feel like many of the simple issues we dealt with as children arenít important anymore-like teasing and bullying. But little do many of us realize that this is still a problem at junior high and high school age.At my school, we have teacher, staff, and even fellow student ìlifelinesî who you can talk to if you or a friend is facing suicide. These help, but the point is that bullying shouldnít get that bad.
I am glad the lifelines are there, but it saddens me that they are necessary.
It would make everyone happier if the lifelines didnít have to be used. Like the mural at Century says, are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? If we want to change and save lives, we need to part of the solution. Only you can control what you do and who you are-use that in a positive way.ÝÝ
The first step to getting rid of bullying is realizing there is a problem-we might not be kids anymore, but some people still act like them.
We sometimes think that bullying occurs mostly at school, but I see that it can be other places, too. Relationships-good and bad-continue beyond the school walls. Terrible things take place between us online, on the telephone, even at parties and dances.
Victims can be anyone who is somehow different, or someone that people donít consider ìcoolî or ìnormal.î
Being a young teen myself, I am just beginning to see the worst affects of peer abuse.
A boy I went to school with sadly took his life about a year ago, possibly due to peer abuse and bullying. He was teased badly in elementary school and on to junior high. The mark he left lives on with all of us, and itís terrible just how bad peer abuse can get.
Bullying is everywhere-in the news, on TV.
Maybe these we canít control, but school should be like a refuge. It should be a place we can go to get away from the cruel outside world. If we canít have that, whatís left?
This recently being suicide prevention month, we should see that the path to suicide can start with even the smallest amount of teasing. If you want to help save the lives of your peers and restore the place of school as a sanctuary, grasp the fact that you are just the beginning.
You can help.
One person cannot start a revolution. It takes a group working together toward a distant goal, and a lot of faith, to change the ways of many. If we can recognize that bullying is an issue, together we can overcome it. It wonít be easy, but it needs to be done.
Like it or not, it is a problem-but every problem has a solution, and it can be you.
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