Afraid to Attend School

    Have you ever been afraid to go to your school because you don’t know what new nicknames or cruel pranks you will experience? Have you ever been treated like such an outsider to the point where you can’t stand walking the halls?

    One of the biggest issues most high schools have today is bullying. Bullying is based on weight, height, race, and anything else kids can think of. Teenagers these days have learned to accept that everything they see in the media is how life should be; everyone should look perfect and weigh the same. As soon as someone even dares to stand out in the crowd full of clones, they are immediately shut down and scorned for their originality. Bullying has many effects on teenagers such as suicide, anorexia, bulimia, self harm, lashing out, and much more. To be a teenager who is constantly made fun of lowers self esteem and when someone is constantly told they are a certain way, they start believing exactly that. Unfortunately some bullying never stops and it sends a person into a downward spiral. Bullying destroys people inside and out, and it needs to be shut down before it starts.

    As she walked down the halls she heard their whispering; their words as sharp as daggers, each one of them cutting her even deeper. Someone yells out a moo and another group of girls throw food at her and yell “I’ll feed you as long as you don’t sit on me!” As her face turns bright red, she fights back the tears that are threatening to pour out of the corners of her eyes. She starts walking faster when she realizes to get to the bathrooms she has to go through a group of girls who always make a point to grab her things and throw them in the toilets and trash cans. As she tries to make it to the bathroom, she picks up her pace to almost a jog and suddenly her world is tumbling down; one of the girls passing decided to trip her today. Quickly she jumps up and hears the ear pitching cackles from everyone in the hallway and feels her knees stinging with carpet burns.

    She prays that the day will quickly end so she can go home and sob. Stay strong and ignore them, she thinks, they will eventually become tired of the same harassment day after day. Finally the last bell rings and she dashes out the door; unfortunately the bullying doesn’t end there. She keeps her eyes dead on the pavement as the cars passing by throw food and yell about how fat she is and how they are afraid of her sitting on them. The second she gets to her house, she explodes into tiny sobs and the tears begin to pour. This girl was me. As a direct result of this type of bullying and continuous torture, I was in counseling for almost two years; however, I still have moments of fear when I run into the people who made my life a living hell.

    To prevent others from having to go through the same type of experiences I had, every school should have an active group of students in a club that is anti-tolerant for any type of bullying. This type of club would be called Step Up to Stand Out. The whole mission of Step Up to Stand Out would be to create an environment that is safe for every single student; a place where they can look forward to being every day, not fear it. The students in the club would not be afraid to stop bullying or harassment when they witness it in the hallways or classrooms. They would not be bystanders to another’s torture, but instead they would stand up for that person without any hesitation; even if they had never met that person before. Ideally, students in this group would be looked up to and admired; therefore, setting an example that others want to follow. Step Up to Stand Out would make bullies the kind of people who no one wanted to follow anymore and others would discourage their behavior. If others became involved in Step Up to Stand Out, then bullying could become a thing of the past and create the ideal high school where everyone was welcomed no matter what.

    Bullying has many dangerous side effects and is one of the biggest issues across the world. By installing a club based purely on destroying bullies and the things that fuel them, many teenagers’ lives may be saved. If high schools adopted Step Up and Stand Out high school will not only become a safer learning environment, but kids will actually look forward to going to school and being around others.