As you enter the next four years of your life, you will find yourself and what you want your life to be. But throughout these years, you will experience many road bumps, such as bullying. Bullying takes place in every school and almost every student can say they have experienced bullying, or bullied someone else. But there are ways to get through high school, and some of these ways can help you.

Starting high school is always scary, yet exciting. On the first day, you are not always with your close friends and have no choice but to make new friends. To make new friends, be confident and friendly. Being shy and quiet keeps people from approaching you, and will hold you back from making friends. If there are people in your classes who seem to be making fun of other people and may be a bully, ignore them until the teacher notices. Ignoring them allows you to keep your distance and not get involved with the person. But if they are continuously bullying, stick up for the person being bullied. Tell the bully politely to stop and do not verbally attack them. Attacking them will make them feel cornered and they might begin to bully you.

If you are being bullied, tell a teacher or adult immediately and solve the problem. When another student bullies you, they may be bullying because they have underlying problems at home, or may have bullying problems of their own. Bullying is never okay and can lead to cases of suicide or self harm. Teenagers all over the country suffer from self harm from being bullied to an extreme. But if an adult knows about the bully, they can help you cope and prevent the bully from hurting you any longer. If every person who was being bullied told an adult about it, bullying might one day be gone. If you are not comfortable with talking to an adult, even a friend or family member can help you.

But a worldwide problem, known as cyber-bullying, is on the rise. Online websites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Instagram are breeding grounds for bullies and those who are bullied. Students can go home and log onto their online accounts, and bully another student behind the comfort of their own security screen. Then, when other students log on, they see hurtful comments and messages from bullies. These bullies can comment on pictures or statuses and publicly embarrass other students. Bullies can use the internet to bully, but say nothing face to face. If you are a victim to cyber bullying, tell an adult or teacher and print out the comments or messages. Printing these out gives an adult the proof needed to take action.

If bullies knew the effect they had on other students, they would think twice before they said such mean things. Those being bullied should know that they are not alone, and if more attention is brought to the subject, it can be stopped. My best advice is to be open to new friends and don’t get mixed in with the wrong crowd; because someday you might become a bully.