PROMPT: Choose an issue of importance to you- the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope- and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.
"Hey Stick Man! What inventions did you make today? A UFO perhaps?" a kid from the other side of the lunch room yelled out as other kids laughed. My cheeks burned and I cringed at the harsh words that were obviously directed for me. Unfortunately, that was just one of the many insults I encountered over the course of my elementary school years. It was a typical example of the smallest and skinniest kid in the grade being put down by others, or known as by many as bullying. Instead of enjoying an extremely happy childhood, I often found myself wishing I didn't have to go to school just to avoid the comments of the other kids. As is the case, I was just one of many of the hundreds of thousands of kids each day who were bullied on a daily basis because they just didn't "fit in like the other kids." It's a serious, often ignored, issue that I feel should be brought to light to the public.
The challenges that I faced were nearly insurmountable as a young age. To put it into perspective, it was the equivalent of trying to scale a Mount Everest of insults and teasing. Being a victim meant I was subject to near constant name calling and teasing nearly every day. Kids called me names such as "Four Eyes" and "Stick Man" because I wore glasses and was on the skinny side. I sometimes had kids jab at me constantly until I got irritated and told the teacher. Eventually, all the bullying took an emotional toll on me. I soon became depressed and wished for holidays and bad weather days more frequently just so I could get out of school and avoid the others. But as the years flew by, I learned to fight back the bullying by ignoring the root of the problem and instead chose to forge my own path. Instead of becoming a quiet, sullen kid for the rest of my life, I learned to make my own friends and develop my own character, away from the problems that had hampered me for so long.
Now I realize it, bullying is something that can be prevented and controlled in a variety of ways. But due to the incompetence and slow reactions to the dangers of something like bullying, we continue to hurt ourselves as a society. It all comes down to the fact that people think it's just another childhood problem that will be resolved by the time the kids grow up. But unfortunately, that's not the case. As a strong supporter of rights for everyone, I believe that we should deal with the problem head on and confront it. We should start by telling our children to ignore any form of vile threats and taunting and focus on things in a positive light. We should also try to help others and stop the bullying that exists today. I did that with one of my friends when we were students in middle school. He was bullied by some other kids who made fun of the way he spoke since he didn't speak English very well. He often had a hard time making it through school with the relentless waves of insults directed at his way nearly every single day. At first, I didn't try to do anything, thinking that he could handle it himself. But then I was deeply reminded of the suffering I had faced in the past and decided right there and then that I had to do something about it. It was something that I could no longer ignore. I felt like I needed to put a stop to it. While I did face the pressure of trying to confront the bullies, I directly approached them and through fluent persuasion (and using my angry voice in a way), managed to get the bullies see what they had done. Now we're actually all good friends. It's just like that; the former bullies and their victims have now become good friends, like an ironic plot twist.
Through the experience of being bullied early on when I was a kid, I eventually learned to accept who I was as a person and try to help others who have been in the same situation I was. I realized that I can make an impact by helping to prevent future bullying by any other students. In this way, learning how to confront the issue of problem has made me a stronger person in making more wise decisions throughout my life. It is worthy to note, though, although bullying will never be eradicated, learning to prevent it helps make us better people in the long run.
Need some constructive criticism. I edited a lot from my earlier version after someone told me it was too informative and not personal enough. Thanks!
"Hey Stick Man! What inventions did you make today? A UFO perhaps?" a kid from the other side of the lunch room yelled out as other kids laughed. My cheeks burned and I cringed at the harsh words that were obviously directed for me. Unfortunately, that was just one of the many insults I encountered over the course of my elementary school years. I was a typical example of the try revising your choice of words--> smallest and skinniest<-- kid in the grade being put down by others, otherwise known as bullying. Instead of enjoying an extremely happy childhood, I often found myself wishing I didn't have to go to school solely to avoid torment . As is the case, I was just one of hundreds of thousands of victims suffering this affliction just because they don't fit in. It's a serious, often ignored, issue that I feel is deserving of more publicity.
