As soon as I entered 6th Grade, I entered the world of bullying. It came from everywhere; peers and teachers. I was ridiculed, beaten, excluded and hurt almost every single day. I never understood the reasoning, because it was over everything about me; my appearance, my personality, my grades, whatever they found to be at fault.When I reported it to my homeroom teacher, she would punish me with detention, tell me to stop complaining and then seat the worst of all the bullies in class right next to me, hoping that would fix the problem. Instead, I lost whatever sense of safety I had in school. 

By the end of sixth grade, i wasn't even talking any more. I had cut everyone out. My parents, who couldn't even get me to talk, found my private journal and discovered the painful truth. I was removed from the public middle school immediately, and placed in a private school filled to the brim with students who were bully victims. At the new location, the overwhelming acceptance from my parents, the students and the teachers brought back my trust in others. I was able to open up about the past and overcome the difficult issues bullying had given me. 

Jump forward about 15 years later, to now. I am a graduate student about to get my MSW. I have been an advocate against bullying, an educator to those who impact children and or adolescents (including teachers) about bullying, and a counselor to those who have been victims of bullying. It's time for the cruelty to end. I turned my experiences into a mission....