Guten Tag!!
First post of this wonderful 2011 year! Can you believe it?!?! I sure can't.
This post is going to be about bullying. Today in school we had an assembly about bullying. Once everyone got in the gym and sat down, this lady started talking to us about depression. She said that depression is the number one cause of suicide. Then, she asked us to raise our hands if we know someone that died from suicide.. and I look over and there was so many hands up it was crazy. Then, she asked us to raise our hands if you know anyone who attempted suicide... more hands went up.
As I was sitting there thinking about all the students that put there hand up, this guy that was sitting next to the woman talking stood up. He is 19 years old and he told us a story that happened his freshman year. (I think his name was Curtis? It was to loud to hear it) He told us how he was a bully and that he would pick on this senior kid. He said that they used to call this kid polar bear because he was a little big, they would also make fun of him because he was a senior and was still on the bus and that he was very smart.. one of the smarts kids in his school. One day he went to school and he told us how something didn't feel right.. that something was missing. He then told us that his teacher was 50 minutes late for class and when she walked in she was crying so everyone started wondering what happened. On the announcements they said that Andy committed suicide at 8:38 yesterday night. Curtis had no clue who this Andy person was until his one friend said Andy was Polar bear. He said that he couldn't even move, speak, think.. anything. He didn't know what to do with himself. A few weeks later Curtis went to Andy's house to tell his father that he was the reason for Andy's death and that he didn't mean it. Andy's dad told him it was alright and that everyone makes mistakes. In the end Andy's father and Curtis started an organization for helping kids be happy and to get through things and not choose suicide.
Curtis said it is hard to wake up in the morning and remember everyday that he was a bully and made an amazing person die all because he was being a jerk. He told us that there are may organizations out there that can help you go through things and change your life around and many people willing to help you. The last thing he told us was, if you know anyone that is depressed.. talk to them, be there friend. Tell them that you are there for them no matter what and to believe in themselves that they can help someone. Right then I of course thought of SR and everything we do.
Do you think bullying is a big thing happening in this world? What can SR do to stop bullying?
That is saddest story. I'm glad that they found a productive outlet for their grief though.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend and I were bullied as children by our peers. We were the "Special" kids. Both of us had learning disabilities and were often out of class for tutoring, occupational therapy, and other treatment. It was definitely one of the worst periods of my life. But I made it through. My friend and I survived intact. It made us stronger.
At school for a while we had a group called the Bully Prevention Unit. We used theater games and this thing called "forum theater" and "Theatre of the Oppressed" to help little kids in our school learn the strategies they needed to get through. The teacher came up to me once and told me that even though they may not be showing it, what we were teaching was reaching them somewhere. The group has disbanded due to lack of staffing and willing participants, but hopefully someday one of those kids thinks of me when he's about to steal someone's lunch money.
It is certainly a huge issue everywhere, not just in schools, but out in the community, and in the workplace. I think we are already helping some. There was a show I went to up in Minnesota over break where Steve started to tell my story and then left and had me finish the show. I really didn't think anything of it because I know between Steve and I we have probably told my story 100 times. But then I got an email from one of the after school program staff about one of the little girls that was there (This was a few days ago actually). One of her classmates was making fun of a kid because he was a little different. She stood up to the kid and said "STOP!!! Don't you remember that story that the one guy and girl told us with drums?!? Don't be such a meanie-head!!!" This was so cute and the fact that she said meanie-head made me smile. So I think as long as we in SR contiune to tell the truth about what is going on in the world and showing others how it effects people we are making a difference for this issue.
ReplyDeleteDee, your post almost made me cry. I think this is a topic that really hits home for a lot of SR members. Maybe it's one of the reasons we take refuge in the group. Like Sonja, I was bullied in middle school. It got so bad that in 8th grade, I transferred to a private school.
ReplyDeleteI don't think bullies stop to realize what kind of affect they're having on people. And now cyber bullying is becoming more and more prevalent. It's even easier online because it takes away the face to face, human element. It doesn't seem real to anyone except the ones being bullied.
The best thing SR can do is keep getting the word out that bullying has to stop through stories like Kelli's. We're not always going to know how many kids we're helping, but the email Kelli got from the school staff shows that kids are listening to us. SR is fundamentally about succeeding, but Steve's said more than once that schools are continuing to ask if he'll talk about anti-bullying and character building--and I think that's something we should continue to stress as we're talking to these kids.
The guys name was Kirk not Curtis... I found the article... it made me cry. I feel bad for Andy. I remember being bullied but that was the stage in ly life where I just let everything roll off and not care. Somedays I would think about it but then I never knew what to do about it... I think this is the first time I have ever really talked about it too.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2010/10/kids_who_are_bullied_need_prot.html
As a kid and even to this day, i get bullied. As you all know that i have bright red hair and im short. Ever since i was little kids would come up to me and call me things like "carrot top" and ask me why my head was on fire. things like these seem like nothing to me now, but when i was 6, 7, 8 it was a big deal to me. i would cry and think "why would anyone do this to me?" After time it didnt come as often because i stopped responding to it. Don't get me wrong i still get it and yes, its hurtful but i look past it at the better things that i have in life.
ReplyDeletethere are some things that cant be helped. I know a girl who got made fun of so much that she cut herself so badly that her scars go all the way up her arm just so she had a place to cut. It really is a horrible thing to go through and nobody should have to go through it, but unfortunately people do.
SR really just spreads its message and helps everyone, some more than others but someone has still been helped in their time of need.
Bullying does happen everywhere. Most witness it every time they go out somewhere but don't do anything about it. The BIGGEST mistake about witnessing bullying is NOT SAYING ANYTHING about it. Even in college kids are bullied. One of my friends was bullied every day our first semester of college. There was nothing that any of her friends could do to help her. We tried. She ended up going to a different college this semester. Also one of my guy friends was bullied first semester too. He was called tons of names by a group of about 15 football players. He went through a lot last semester. So far this semester nothing like that has happened to my friends.
ReplyDeleteAs for SR, I think we are doing everything we can. I mean there's always room to do more but right now we are spreading our message about not being hurtful to others and such which is bullying.
Love you guys!! :)
Actually I think there is something we can do. I think we, of all people, can be those people to listen to others. I know there are people out in our audiences that just need to find someone to listen to them. Maybe that is why I'm always one of the last people to leave shows and practices...Many of us have gone through simillar things so we are able to be a support to not only eachother but to our audiences. I know of one member in perticular who will listen to everyone's problems pushing her own aside. I'm not going to name names, but I was with her when she was listening to someone's problems and it just got to be too much for her. She had bottled up her own and took on so many other people's that she had to break down. She is an amazing friend to many of us, but she needed someone to listen to her for once. I sat there while she just cried laying accros my legs and I just listened to her.
ReplyDeleteI feel like if someone is getting bullied and they bottle it up from others, like I did, even just having someone that would truely listen to them and offer advise, if that person wants it, could be extremly beneficial to them.
Kelli- The story about that Minnesota show is amazing! It's crazy to think that what we're doing makes such a difference! And next time you see the girl you were talking about, give her a hug from me!
ReplyDeleteSonja- I wasn't told which little girl it was. Besides, you are way more likely to see her than I am, seeing as I'm almost 3.5 hours away!
ReplyDeleteWow okay fisrt off I have been in Andys shoes so i know what thats like. We can get together as an organization and help someone even even you have never met them.
ReplyDeleteKelli- NONSENSE!
ReplyDeleteI was bullied and still am to this day for the little friends i had/have and the way i dressed but i made it okay and i am loving life so so so so very much! Life is worth living for and i am thankful for the big family that LOVES me that i have, GOD And the sheltered reality family that i have. I think that sheltered reality can boost peoples confidence and tell them that life is worth living for!
ReplyDeleteErica