Bullying
By Samantha Castro, Grade 6
The Issue
At this school, and many others, bullying is a serious problem. People say they don't tolerate bullying, but they actually do. All the bullies have to do is deny it all. It's not fair to the victims of this issue, and it's not fair for the friends and family of the victims. Kids who get bullied face the hard truth of the school's disciplines, if the bully says they did nothing, they did nothing. That isn't fair. Sure, some people might just frame each other as a joke or a method of revenge, but most people are just trying to get help. That's the issue, you sometimes can't get help.
The Impact
The impact of bullying is harsh. According to Stopbullying.gov, kids who are bullied can experience "Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood." Bullying as a child can ruin a whole life and the future of the victim. Most victims don't even do anything wrong, they just were who they are. In school someone shouldn't feel like they have to be someone else to fit into the crowd and be "popular". Unfortunately, a ton of people feel this way. This is huge if the school really wants the best for its students as it should.
A Solution
While bullying will most likely exist forever, there are some ways to reduce the impacts. One of my ideas is investing more time into each case. Bullies end up saving themselves by just saying they did nothing wrong. There doesn't need to be a court case over this, but if councilors took time to hear from other people involved (like people who were there, friends of both sides, etc.), then bullies will have a much harder time bullying and getting away with it.
Conclusion
Most of you are thinking, "Why is she writing a bullying article for the last issue?" The reason is I thought that the bullying issue would subside after a few months, but it really hasn't. Next year you won't be able to say it's because you haven't socialized with people other than your family for 2 years. I feel that people need to change, and the school needs to help people see that they need to. School should be a place where you can be whoever you are, but it isn't. That needs to be fixed, or improved for next year to truly be a great year.
This is a great website if you want to dive deeper into this issue (it's also the one I used for this article).