Bullying is a problem that many people don’t take very seriously. Everyday, people hear others accusing each other of ‘bullying’ them, when, in reality, all they’re doing is horsing around. These actions could possibly hurt a person that hears that, because they could’ve been bullied before. Hearing something that’s so serious being taken so lightly and playfully can do some serious damage to certain people.

But the question is, why would people actually bully others?

Some young people are bullied for no reason in particular, but only because they’re considered ‘different’ in some way. It could also be because the bully is feeling frustrated, hurt, or angry, and is directing their emotions towards another person. Or, maybe, they feel that they are lacking attention from others, specifically friends and parents. Sometimes, they just want to fit in, so they bully others as a way to fit in or to seem cool.

According to stopbullying.gov, 28% percent of young people have been bullied before, and 30% have admitted to bullying others before.

70.6% of students have witnessed bullying in their schools. If you ever see any form of bullying occur, don’t just be a bystander; stand up for the victim. When bystanders get involved, the bullying stops within 10 seconds more than half of the time.

But bullying doesn’t just happen at school. It can happen anywhere! This problem can even arise  on your own mobile devices. This form of bullying is called cyberbullying. Our devices can be one of our greatest weapons, so David’s Law was enacted here in Texas to prevent others from being cyberbullied.

Bullies can do different kinds of damage. This can be verbal, social, or physical damage, or maybe even a combination of them. Verbal bullying includes name calling or insulting someone about physical characteristics such as their weight or height, or other features like culture, or religion.  Physical bullying includes hitting or otherwise hurting someone, and shoving or intimidating another person. It can even extend to damaging or stealing their belongings. Social bullying includes consistently excluding another person or sharing information or images that will have a harmful effect on the other person. Of course, these aren’t the only ways that someone can be bullied.

Mrs. PJ, a staff member here at Dobie, said that she had been very fortunate and has never experienced bullying. She also said that she has witnessed a small amount of students being mean to each other in the hallways, but each time that she sees that, she reports it to an administrator. She knows that bullying can happen anywhere, even in her own classroom. “We have to make sure that students feel comfortable enough in a classroom to report the bullying to a teacher,” she said when interviewed.

Bullying can greatly impact someone’s confidence, as it did to Eileen Tamariz, 7th grader. “There was one time in second grade when kids would tease me because I had a gap in my teeth. It made me feel sad and it made me not love myself. It lowered my confidence.”

There is more that we, as students, can do to prevent bullying. Isabella Carmean, also a 7th grader, shared some of her advice on learning how to handle bullying. “I could tell the bullies that it’s alright to be angry but that they can’t take it out on other people because it’s not the right thing to do. They can control it through other methods.”

When you see someone being bullied, what do you do? Standing up for the victim is a great way to make your school a better place. Every time somebody stands up for someone else, they spread positivity, and they help contribute to making our school a learning environment where all students feel safe and happy!