Everyday students are being bullied in schools and what bullies don’t know is that they are effecting others by doing so. Unfortunately these victims are too afraid to stand up for themselves. Bullying is one of the most sensitive topics. Some students don’t really feel safe in school because they are being  bullied. There have been many cases in which where the bully eventually leads their victim to take his/her life. Although there are laws of bullying, bullying still occurs everywhere.

People who are victims of bullying can lead to serious consequences. Victims will feel depression, have low self-esteem, and can have suicidal thoughts. Bullying will affect their life such as decrease in grade level and can lead to health problems. Pupils who observe others being bullied can become tempted to engage in the bullying and helping the person who is bullying. Other effects are that they can become fearful due to the fact that he/she is observing what is happening. Some will feel guilty for not acting to help the victim being bullied.

Bullies can and will be affected by their ways such as getting into frequent fights, carrying a weapon, or stealing and vandalizing. Bullying can affect their education, compared to a person who doesn’t bully, their grades are very low and can get negative thoughts about school. People who bully usually are having family issues or social issues as well.

Many students who get bullied often consider suicide. Seven percent of those students have actually attempted to commit suicide. Theirs about 4,400 deaths each year due to bullying. According to ABC News, there are about 160,000 adolescents who stay home because they are scared of being bullied. Many of the people who actually witness bullying become fearful and feel powerless to act. They may also feel guilty for not stepping in or for not seeking for help. Many of the times, they are also tempted to bully someone in the future.

Bullying Q&A :

We interviewed a 7 grade student here at Animo Jefferson on bullying. We asked her to answer the following questions.

Q: Have you ever been bullied?

A: No, not really

Q: What do you think about bullying? Why?

A: It’s dumb because they’re judging other people.

Q: Have you ever bullied someone?

A: Only family members but we’re just playing around.

Q: Do you feel safe in this school?

A: Yeah because theirs not too many kids here and its a small school.

We interviewed a 6 grader’s parent and asked her to answer these questions as well.

Q: What do you think about bullying?

A: I think it’s not right and it shouldn’t be done.

Q: Has your son/daughter ever been bullied?

A: Yes, in her previous school.

Q: Do you think this school is safe from bullying?

A: I think it is because in her last school, they did bully her, but in this school, they haven’t, at least she hasn’t mentioned anything about it.

We asked Ms. Jamshed, a history teacher at Animo Jefferson, to share her thoughts on bullying.

Q: What do you think about bullying?

A: I think I would say that its a really cowardly act.

Q: Have you ever seen bullying happen?

A:  Yes, I know that bullies who bully are bullied themselves, that’s why they bully others, so it has to stop, you don’t want to be a bystander you want to be a leader, not a follower, so if you see it happen you should do something, even if its just letting other people know.