My name is Lola Adams, and I have to tell you something personal. I have had lots of difficulties with bullying. Some people would tease me, call me names, say hurtful things to me, and call me curse words. It makes me angry and sad and makes me feel like I’m a loser.
I’m not the only one this has happened to, though. Bullying happens in schools all over the country. In fact, kids are committing suicide from bullying. What should we do about it? There are ways to stop bullying, such as telling an adult or a parent about it or standing up for yourself. In addition, principals need to explain what bullying is, teach kindness and empathy, and do more to enforce the anti-bullying rules they already have.
Bullying can involve physical injury from others, social and emotional distress, and self-harm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website lists many of the consequences of bullying, including “depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school.” As you can see, bullying can cause both social harm and physical injuries. According to stopbullying.gov: “About 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide.” Fifty-six percent of students ages 12–18 who reported being bullied said they thought those who bullied them had the ability to influence other students’ perception of them. Clearly, bullying happens in lots of schools in the United States, so adults have to do something about it.
My solution is that adults should stop kids from bullying since their kids are the ones being bullied. Also, kids can do two things that can help stop bullying: standing up for themselves and telling an adult. Adults can talk to their kids too and to tell them to stop bullying. Studies from Lesley University indicate that teaching students to speak up when they witness bullying behavior and to take a stand against it can reduce future bullying situations by more than 50 percent.
We can stop bullying in a few ways, like teaching kindness and empathy. This can help bullies to be better people, to do things like helping others if they are getting bullied, and to teach and show kindness to everyone. As you can see, we really need help with bullying. I just hope kids like me help create a world of safe spaces where kids don’t have to feel angry and sad anymore like I felt when I was being bullied.