Bullying Across America

Northampton County High School-East is a rural high school stuck in the middle of North Carolina's desert country. Most High Schools are located near a major highway or in an area of town that is easy to find. That doesn't hold true for my high school. I remember when we had a step show and the other schools participating had to find our school; the show started an hour late because a team that was about 45 minutes away became lost. During my four years in high school bullying became an increasing popular pastime among many students.

There were bullies at my school and they bullied people who weren't considered a part of the "cool" crowd. I was considered an outcast by some students because I was overweight and I loved to talk. They all were tired of listening to me. Now, all those people want to be my friend on facebook. I started not to add them but I figured they wanted to be my friend now because they regret all the things they did wrong in high school. I decided to give them a second chance.

Bullying has become a huge problem in America’s schools with an increase occurring in the 1990s. As a former victim of bullying I understand what it is like to go to school everyday and have people pick on you because of their weaknesses and stupidity. I believe that the American education system needs to do more about the problem than they have done in the past. Students who bully do so because of low self-esteem and they feel the need to pick on others to make themselves feel good. When I was in high school a teacher said to me one day “If people are talking about you, then apparently you are that important to them.” Statements like this helped me cope with some of the negativity. I believe that if victims of bullying remember statements like this it will make their high school experience more pleasurable.

Recently, within the last twenty years there has been a rise in bullying and hate crimes amongst high school students. A recent study performed by the Washington Education Association says that 6 out of 10 teens across America witness bullying at least once a day. Four months after the Columbine shooting in 1999, two of the most popular students at the school made remarks to a newspaper saying that they are enjoying excluding the people who don’t fit in. There has also been cases in which some students have committed suicide because they couldn’t take the pressure. I remember watching an episode on the Montel Williams show about a mother who was speaking out against school administrations because of the bullying problem. Her son committed suicide because of the mistreatment by his peers. She had proof of the bullying on video tape which was recorded by a school bus camera. Most recently a young teenage girl was beat up at a slumber party by her close friends who videotaped the scenes and aired them on myspace for the world to see. The parents of the suspects were at the home while it was taking place.

I believe students who bully should be separated from other students and monitored throughout the school day. If they separate them from the victims, the only ones they could bully would be each other. They would get a chance to see how it feels first hand. If a student continues to bully after being separated then they should be thrown out of school indefinitely. At that point they have jeopardized there own education by constantly making other’s lives miserable. I also believe that the students who bully and their victims should seek counseling. All schools across America should develop plans to target bullying in their schools before it becomes too late and we experience another Columbine.