I remember the first time I was bullied in 2nd grade. The lockers were slamming. Teachers were yelling. Students were talking. Everybody felt fine. Except for me. I was standing in a corner nervous and a bit scared. A girl had been making fun of me, calling me names, and gossiping about me. I had enough. I went up to her to try to tell her to knock it off, but I couldn’t. I was scared; I couldn’t stand up for myself.
I didn’t know what to do.
Considering bullying as just a part of normal school life itself is a problem. Bullying isn’t natural and has serious effects on students. It can negatively impact us, and it shouldn’t be considered just a part of school.
Bullying can hurt/affect students physically, mentally, and emotionally. Research from Stop Bullying, a federal government website by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows that bullying is linked to negative outcomes for young people, including poor mental health, substance abuse, and suicide. Stop Bullying research shows that despite being normalized, bullying creates significant problems for students, including loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy and increased feelings of sadness and loneliness. Furthermore, bullied students are more likely to have decreased academic achievement, increased health complaints, and lower levels of school participation. And as The National Institute of Child Health and Development points out, bullying can cause long-term damage to self-esteem.
Considering bullying as just a part of normal school life itself is a problem. Bullying isn’t natural and has serious effects on students. It can negatively impact us, and it shouldn’t be considered just a part of school.
Even since the first incident in second grade, I have confronted bullying many times in my school years. The experience has impacted me because I always wanted to be alone, and I didn’t feel like I wanted to be with anyone. My grades weren’t impacted, but my feelings were. Many of my friends noticed that I looked sad. I was embarrassed and miserable with myself because I felt that I stood out. I felt like people didn’t want me to be in school. It felt as if they wanted to kick me out. It was really hard for me when I was bullied for a second year by the same girl. People may have thought that I had become stronger and I could face the bully, but, even in 5th grade, I couldn’t handle it because I felt different from everyone.
I wish schools would take bullying seriously. If a student is being bullied, the student responsible for bullying should be given warnings. If it continues, a parent or guardian should be notified. If it still continues, the student should be suspended. Suspension is a big deal, but keeping students safe is critical. I also think that the student who was bullied should speak with a counselor. Talking to people about their fears and worries can help students out.
And there are ways for students themselves to prevent bullying. Most importantly, they should not be bystanders. Students who see or experience bullying should tell a teacher, adult, or anyone who can help.
Teachers have to learn about bullying and how to control it too. If teachers can create space for students to talk about bullying, they might change the social and academic structure of school for the better and help students ourselves also stand up against it.
Bullying has to be stopped so more of us have a safe place to learn.
Sharayna Radharam is a part of the Kentucky Student Voice Team and Young Authors Greenhouse’s 2021 Education Justice Writing Cohort. She is a seventh grader at Meyzeek Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky.
