Saturday 2 April 2016

B is for Bullying

Welcome to my posts for the A to Z Challenge 2016.
This year, I am posting 
Special School Stories
 tales from either my time as a teacher or teaching assistant within classrooms in the U.K. or from my own school days growing up around the country


He twisted my arm.
But I wouldn't cry out.
Could not let him win.
However much taller and stronger than me
The new girl on the block.
Why had I stepped in?
Seeing him hurting someone younger than me?
Knowing it wasn't right?
So now it was me in the ring
Taking the pain destined for others
But then he stopped as others drew near
"Pick on someone your own size," someone said.
Now he was marked for what he was ...
... a bully!

Now it's your turn - did you or one of your friends ever get picked on at school either by a pupil or a teacher, did you ever have to break up a fight, did you throw the first punch?  Leave a comment below - you know I'd love to know.

24 comments:

  1. We are so cognizant of bullying these days that rather than the overt kind, we tend to see more covert--online--bullying. It can be deceiving. Our political arena isn't setting a very good example here in the U.S. BTW, great poem. Love the image of marking the bully at the end.

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  2. There were plenty of bullies when I was growing up. My father committed suicide when I was 7 and I was bullied for that! Kids bully. That's just what they do! I don't think many escape it. It is worse now with the Internet and all. I doubt that bullying will ever go away. Sad!!

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  3. I got made fun of as a kid because I was the French immersion kid on the block and didn't go to the English schools like the rest. That and I had an overbite. Kids can be so cruel, well actually it's not just limited to kids but people can be so judgmental and hurtful to others.

    Paula - I'm so sorry that you were on the end of bullying for something that you had no control over. :( To lose your father and get bullied for that.... That's just so awful.

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  5. I was never really bullied, but I do remember a few really hurtful comments that schoolmates said to me. Comments I shouldn't remember because they were so insignificant and yet just the fact of how cruel they were makes me remember them to this day. And vice versa, I remember hurtful things I said to others that were completely uncalled for and they make me cringe. Some level of that is just an unfortunate part of childhood. Not just childhood really, but humanity. I guess all we can do is apologize, learn from it, and try to become better people.

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  6. My brother in law, who is developmentally disabled, was bullied - a lot - in school. Many times his lunch money was stolen. No one did anything. That was back in the 1960's and bullying was just part of growing up. Thank heavens people take it seriously now. Alana@RamblinGarden from
    Ramblin with AM

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  7. I can remember being made fun of in high school for being small and quiet. Sadly, that's what left an impression on my high school memories.

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  8. When I was in high school, I got picked on and called names, but funny enough, I didn't perceive it as bullying back then, maybe also because most of the times it didn't carry enough malicious intent... I just kept being myself and after few years my classmates started to accept me as I was. But needless to say, I don't really have close friends from my high school and I barely keep in touch with them.

    PS. The site doesn't allow me to use Name/Link ID, and even though my site runs on wordpress engine, it's not a wordpress.com address.

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  9. there was this child who actually left our school last year and although she didn't overtly bully, she had a really negative influence over the class- people were always scared of her and had to do what she asked. When she left,it was a real relief for all of us. It was really hard!

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  10. I went to high school back in the 1960s. Although there were a few mean remarks over the year I don't remember any bullying. I was taught to fight back if anyone did try to mess with me. And that is what I taught my children to do. Finding Eliza

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  11. Bullies, sadly, seem to be inevitable.

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  12. I felt bullied because I was shy. My face would redden, making things worse.

    Pioneer Women in Aviation A-Z


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  13. Great poem, Pempi. I was horribly bullied in school, but generally ignored it. I just saw them as petty and hurting inside more than they were hurting me.
    Have a great weekend!
    Lori

    My A2Zs @ As the Fates Would Have It & Promptly Written
    Follow Me (Ravyne) Twitter|Facebook

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  14. I enjoyed reading the post. The subject itself engrossed me right away. I was once bullied in school for complaining about few girls and it was he'll time for me. However, I grappled the scenario and in a few years time built good network of friends.

    Do come back tomorrow at www.malavikka.blogspot.com :)

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  15. I enjoyed reading the post. The subject itself engrossed me right away. I was once bullied in school for complaining about few girls and it was he'll time for me. However, I grappled the scenario and in a few years time built good network of friends.

    Do come back tomorrow at www.malavikka.blogspot.com :)

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  16. Great theme for the challenge. As for bullying, it's such a tragedy that this is part of life for so many kids. I've never been bullied but I've seen kids bullied when I was in school. It's so hurtful!

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  17. Great theme for the challenge. As for bullying, it's such a tragedy that this is part of life for so many kids. I've never been bullied but I've seen kids bullied when I was in school. It's so hurtful!

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  18. It is poetry but it happens so often.I was always a big girl so my height kept me out of most trouble but not those sharp tongues!!
    Excellent theme.
    *Inderpreet/EloquentArticulation*

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  19. Hi there!

    I’m stopping by from the #AtoZChallenge. I was bullied in school...my son was bullied in school...and for the past 15 years I've helped other children learn how not to be bullied. Good post!

    I have two blogs in this challenge…my author blog at THE STORY CATCHER (www.donnalmartin.com) and my KICKS Kids Club blog (www.kickskidsclub.blogspot.com) . If you get a chance, check them out and good luck with the challenge!

    Donna L Martin

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  20. Thanks for visiting my blog. I've worked as a teacher and a speech pathologist both, so have seen my share of bullying. I was never bullied in school, but was bullied by a grown woman within an organization I volunteered for. It felt much like Jr. High School. I like your theme...good luck working through the alphabet!

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  21. Powerful words. Trouble is - there are too many bullies around - as adults, especially politicians. We need to protect our children for sure.
    Here's my B post: http://bunnysgirl.blogspot.ca/2016/04/a-to-z-april-challenge-be.html

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  22. I was both a bully and a victim of bullying in school. I stopped bullying others when I went to high school, and as I did not know anyone (my parents had moved us to another part of Sydney), I had to work hard to make friends rather than enemies.

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  23. I got teased a lot. That's what it was called when I was a kid. But, I had two older brothers, so that helped.

    Heather M. Gardner / @hmgardner
    Co-Host, Blogging from A to Z April Challenge
    The Waiting is the Hardest Part

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