I was bullied mercilessly when I started 4th grade at a new school. I was the only 'developed' female and I was about 30lbs overweight. I was routinely cornered by the same four boys; they would grab my breasts, call me names, and kick me. One day when I approached an adult, head bleeding because I had been beat with my own shoe during a game of Red Rover, she told me not to tattle. I tried my best avoid the boys but I didn't realize that by isolating myself I was even more vulnerable to attack.

I thought about being dead on a regular basis... Finally, I was fed up and desperate. I told my parents to get ready for truancy court because I was not going back. The week they helped me get into another nearby school. Thankfully I wasn't teased or assaulted at the new school. Since that experience I made it a priority to stand up when I see others being bullied, even if it makes me unpopular.

Now that I work with kids I make it a point to talk about bullying. I realize that both bullies and the bullied both need special attention in realizing more practical ways for expressing and protecting them selves.