Growing up in Reading, Massachusetts, my younger brother was bullied in high school by members of the football team. The school was so football obsessed and prejudiced that when my brother would be beaten up they would persecute him as well. He would be taken out of class just like the bullies. The principal had suggested to my parents that my brother go to a technical school, despite his high IQ, saying that he should learn a trade. My parents quickly recognized that if the school were not supportive of my brother against bullies and even academically then it would be better to send my brother to a private school instead. My brother excelled at the new school and went on to university, but it took years for him to really get past the bullying. Aside from my brother's experience, I knew of hazing within the football team that lead to the suicide of one young boy, and there was an incident where a student had brought a gun to school. There was also a lot of racism and even sexual harassment of students by one math teacher. An adult ex-student came forward nearly 20 years after having graduated to speak against the math teacher. The principal also resigned. I don't know if the high school has improved since then. I am now living in Germany, and I don't know what the school system is like here. I know that Germany does not have shootings like in the US, because there is gun control, but they probably have bullying like everywhere else. I would like to first push Reading Memorial High School to adopt the Bully Project motto and then learn more about the schools in Leipzig.
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