I went to a magnet school, called montessori. it was an elementary school that went up to 6th grade, at that school everyone was caring and loving to eachother, and we were taught to treat everyone with care. but than i entered my first public school, 7th grade, my middle school. i entered, filled with happiness, and the excitement to make new friends. well, I guess, i was just to weird , because i was "too nice, to caring and to hyper." i also have this birthmark on my arm called a hemanghioma , its nickname is strawberry birthamrk. its kinda like a weird lump of flesh, but its not that noticeable. anyways, everyone hated me. in each class, i would get pens and paper thrown at me, spitballs, everything. it was terrible. no one stuck up for me. my self esteem has pretty much drained. this boy named sebastion one daycame to school. he hated me so much for me being different, he took a knife to school and after class, he put it to my throat but i pushed him over and ran down the hallway crying. the next day, i was in class, he was sitting in the front row. this popular guy named josh, knew i was getting bullied. he got so mad. he walked up to the front of the class, and said to him: "why do you bully kara so much huh?" he got so mad, that he picked up a desk and tried throwing it at him. they started fighting and i was sitting there in shock. when they were taken out of the class, the popular girls were crying cuz they were afraid that josh the popular guy, was hurt, and they turned to me, and blamed it on me. I guess everything was my fault back then. but now, im very happy. i still dont have any self esteem ..i always think badly of myself. im still damaged and traumatized, but im in highschool now. 10th grade. im very happy, i have friends, and im loved by alot of people for being my weird, crazy, lovable laughing self . c: <3 

I had to move to another school because I basically never had any friends. I used to tell myself that a did, but the truth was I never. I got bullied a lot in elementary school. Than I moved and Im happy. I have friends now.

I was bullied for most of my life. In elementary school I was bullied because I was fat and not pretty like the other girls. I would come home everyday crying my eyes out. Then in middle school I made fun for what I wear and boys would just torment me. I would always ask them why do you hate me and what did I ever do to you. They would just reply because your ugly. In high school things were finally getting better. I had so many friends. Kids were nicer and more accepting and did not judge me. So in the end I learned that I should not change for anybody except for myself. And if I show the bully's that they don't effect me I will always be stronger than them

i just want to let you all know that yes, being bullied as a kid will likely still affect you as an adult, but it can also be a gift.  by that i mean that it can make you a really strong, wise, compassionate person.  overcoming difficult things is what gives a person these qualities.  "the deeper sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain." -Kahlil Gibran

When I was in 3rd grade, I moved to a new county and was the new kid. I was under the impression that everyone was nice, I was wrong. I remember getting teased about how poofy and curly my hair was. I got insecure about it and began wearing it up all through the rest of elementary school. When I got to middle school, things got pretty bad. I was made fun of for my bad acne, I got called a slut, teased about having small boobs, and many other names. I tried so hard to fit it and make people like me instead of just being myself. All of the things that were said to be really hurt my self esteem. I'm currently in 11th grade and I'm almost 17 and I still am insecure about the things I was when I was in 6th grade. I dislike my hair, I don't like going out without makeup on. But you know what? I have and am currently learning how to love myself and become comfortable with who I am. I know that I am an amazing person and I know that I am beautiful. I am the only ME there is and I will be the best damn ME I can be. You were uniquely and beautifully designed. There is no other you. So be yourself and love yourself for who you are. 

I have been bullied since the 3rd grade, I am now in 7th grade. Every year it was someone new bullying me. I didn't do anything wrong, I was just being myself. Recently, the bullying has been the worst. My life is very messed up. I have depression. bipolar disorder, an eating disorder (anorexia), I self-harm, and I have had suicidal thoughts. I don't want what has happened to me, to happen to others. Bullying needs to stop!

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....

Since I can remember, I was always the "New Girl" in school as a result of constantly moving all the time. I would go to school ans no one would talk to me because i was seen as weird because I kept to myself and I was shy. because I was shy, it was harder for me to make friends in school.  In result of not talking to a lot of people, because I didn't know how to, my classmates would talk to me behind the back and call me a snob because I thought I was better than everyone else. The truth was, that I KNOW I am not better than everybody else, i am not below anybody either. WE ARE ALL EQUAL.   I was bullied based on appearances and the fact that i was an introvert. I am UPSTANDING  against bullying based on how a person looks and acts. I stand up for the "New Kids"in school.... because everyone needs a friend!

Hi :) I am Caroline Pileski. Freshman student in the state of Ohio. Two years ago, in my 7th grade year, I was bullied. When I was younger, I always kept to myself and I never really opened up to anyone I knew or anyone I was friends with. I struggled with making friends and dealing with crticism, so I did happen to cry a lot. 7th grade wasn't exactly the best year for me because I was bullied persistently by many people I knew more than people I didn't know. When I would wake up in the mornings for school, I would be so excited to go and learn new things and at least try to make friends. Honestly, I had only two real friends. They were the ones who weren't aftaid to say Hi to me in the halls and get teased for being friends with me. But one day, I went over to my friend's house since she only does live down the street. Her family is extremely Christian but I didn't mind it, as I was Christian myself. So throughout my numerous times of going over to her house, her brother took a sudden interest in my insecurities and happened to notice how reserved or closed off I was. We'd be talking in her room and he'd just barge in and name everything he could think of about me and make fun of it. Wether it was my hair, eyes, clothes, shoes or my glasses. Anything he could think of. His words at first meant nothing to me, since I already thought what he was saying was true. I was already insecure enough but he was just making it worse. But once I actually let his words get through my tough skin, I became more exposed to anyone's words. I became vulnerable. First it was just him making fun of me out of school every now and again. But then it became every day, consistently, during school with ALL of his friends doing it. 

During Lunch, he'd walk by with his friends following close at his heels, food trays in their hands, and they'd take one look at me and pretend to freeze. After the untensed their bodies, they'd laugh like hyenas and never stop and tell everyone around at Lunch, 'Don't look at her, she'll turn you to stone she's so ugly!' then throw food at me. My two seat friends, (people that only talk to me at Lunch) would just tell me to calm down when I cried. How could I when it was an everyday thing, no matter how many times I begged them to stop? The boys never listened. Soon everyone in school kept their distance from me, made fun of me and soon enough, I really had no friends. Going home on the bus was horrid because the main bully was there. I always sat alone or he would sit next to me and tease me, take my things, but my bus driver would never believe that he would tease me. He was apparently 'Such a good kid and he'd never hurt anyone's feelings.' That day, it wasn't only just verbal and mental bullying. It became cyber, social, and physical. He's throw a basketball at my face, a soccer ball, a football, a tennis ball, and I ended up with bruises on my arms, stomach, legs. Never on my face oddly enough. I never stood up for myself and I regret it. My parents never believed me. I became an cutter, depressed and suicidal. I even tried making myself bleed to death but the one thing keeping me alive was my mom and her having Stage 3 breast cancer. She has it worse than I do. More pain than I am in. She'll be in more pain if i left. I couldn't do it in such a brutal way. So i wanted to try pills. But i could never get myself alone. 

Today, I am a independent fighter, liver and person. I still struggle with making friends, getting people to like me and my personal harm issues. But i have real friends now because they let go of caring about their image and spent more time caring about those who are hurting. He doesn't even talk to me anymore but when he does, it's not nice. But i've learned not to care. I became more open but still guarded my heart with a wall of barbed wire. I'm confident and I stand against bullying. Please tell someone before you become who I was. You could save your life or another's if you speak up and stand against bullying. 

I have not been bullied-though I have seen its damaging effects. In my high school a boy shot himself in the head because of bullying. I have always stood up when I see something happening. I was raised to know that not standing up against mean, nasty hatefulness is almost as bad as being mean, nasty and hateful. Don't be a bystander. Do what is right.