Bullying-My Personal Expierence

Bullying, is a word we hear often and some of us know all to well what it means. Some of us have no idea how something so small as getting picked on can be so harmful that it drives some kids to do very violent acts. I am probably a little odd since I have been on both sides of this bullying situation. As a child in primary school I was always proud to tell everyone that my mom was Japanese, she worked so hard to become a citizen of this country and to this day is still proud of her heritage. Little did I know how much I would be picked on because I was different. There were only a few minority students in my school growing up and we all faced bullying because of our 'different' look and color. As a teenager I became something I am not proud of and that is a bully. I hung out with a crowd that made me think it was ok to be that way and I tormented one kid to the point that he stole my books at the end of the school year as a way of getting back at me. People always told me it was just a part of growing up, but I can tel you that looking back on it there were many different ways that I should have handled both situations. First and foremost is to tell someone what is going on, a parent, teacher, or as friend. Just having someone to talk to can make a big difference. Always think of what you say to a person and how it might effect them. Words can hurt someone just as much if not more that your actions, Back in high school I thought  was cool, little did I know how stupid it made me look to pick on someone incessantly. And above all else, remember that we are all different and that is what makes us special, and it does get better. To find out more go to itgetsbetter.org