"HURT PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE."
Bullies will exist throughout your entire life, not just in school. If you made it through school without being bullied, that is a blessing. However, some day your boss may be a bully or a co-worker. You may enter a personal relationship where your spouse or a significant other bullies you. Learning how to recognize bullying and how to defend yourself against such behavior is crucial. Always remember, "Hurt people, hurt people."
When you have good self-esteem and you are at peace with who you are, you will never intentionally hurt another human being. However, those who hate themselves, who have low self-esteem or who have been abused or hurt by others...end up the bullies! They transpose their hurt onto others. You will never find a happy person with good self-esteem hurting another person physically or emotionally...never.
When most people think of bullying, they imagine boys punching, kicking and hitting one another. But, physical bullying is just one type of bullying. Here is a list of the six most common types of bullying found in schools; Physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying (sometimes referred to as relational aggression or social manipulation where people try to hurt their peers or sabotage their social standing. Relational bullies often ostracize others from a group, spread rumors, manipulate situations and break confidences. The goal behind relationally aggressive bully is to increase their own social standing by controlling or bullying another person), cyber bullying, sexual bullying, and prejudicial bullying. We will discuss each one in depth in class.
In the meantime, please support or consider joining the anti-bully group at Ely High. I will support the group by having my art students participate in the anti-bullying poster contests. The first contest has a $100 prize for the winner! I love you guys and I am so very proud of ALL of you every day! Enjoy your day off tomorrow! Love, Ms. B.
P.S. Let's all begin by being happy and loving yourself...then you will naturally be kind to others.