Imagine walking down the hallway on your very first day of highschool. You’re pushed into the lockers, your books are knocked out of your hand, and you're laying on the ground crying. “So what, it’s the first day. Everyone gets pushed around a little.” You say to yourself.

The same thing happens the next day, and the next, and goes on throughout the year. By 10th grade your know as the most unpopular kid in school. You get called all sorts of rude names and have more bruises than you can count. No one wants to be your friend and you feel like dying.

What would you do?

Over 50% of bullying is cyberbullying. Of course all bullying is bad, but cyber can sometimes be the worst. I’m sure you’ve heard of Amanda Todd. You haven’t? Do you want to know what happened to her?

Amanda Todd was just like any other 7th grade girl. Amanda, popular, pretty, and kind, was a smart girl who made a bad choice. Her and her friends used to webcam and meet new people. One guy called her beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. She felt so comfortable with him. He asked her to flash him so she did. He had a picture of her. A picture she never wanted anyone to see. A year later the man, 32, messaged her on FaceBook. He said if she didn’t put on a show for him, he would show everyone the picture. He knew her address, school, friends, and family. This man sent her picture floating around the USA. He was so mean, he even put her topless photo as his profile pic on FaceBook. She moved schools multiple times, but her bad luck followed her to each school. She was even beat up my an old “friend”. She couldn’t take it anymore so she tried drinking bleach. However, she was brought to the hospital before it could kill her. When she got home, there were hateful comments all over her FaceBook. She turned to drugs and alcohol. She posted a video on YouTube telling everyone what she went through. 5 weeks later... She hanged herself. Amanda was all alone, she had no one.

Like Amanda Todd, Phoebe Prince was a beautiful teenage girl. She just moved to Massachusetts from Ireland. From the start she was considered different. She was only 15, a freshman, and had a short fling with a senior. Doing this made her the main target of bullying. More specifically , the “Mean Girls” They followed Phoebe around calling her a slut. They called called her names, stalked her, and threw things at her. One day she was walking home and and the “Mean Girls” threw an energy drink her. Then, once again, they called her rude names. She couldn’t take all the hatred towards her. She felt like nothing, those girls made her feel like nothing. She went home that day and hanged herself in her closet. Shortly after, her 12 year old sister found her dead. This wasn’t the end of her bullying. After she killed herself, the hatred continued on FaceBook. The “Mean Girls” continued insulting her in school. Phoebe could have fought through it, if she had someone by her. Just like Amanda, she was alone. All she needed was a friend.

Bullying doesn’t just happen to kids and teens, it happens to adults as well. Take Karen Klein, age 68, for example. She is a bus monitor in New York and probably never thought a few middle schoolers words would hurt her so much. It was a day like any other. She sat on the bus and made sure the kids got off safely. The only thing different about that day, was that those kids were bullying her. The were considered verbal bullies, words can hurt more than punches or kicks. The kids on the bus called her fat and lazy. When Karen started to cry, they made fun of her more. They said “those aren’t tears, it’s sweat” and “stay away you smell”. Karen tried ignoring all the poking at her arms and laughing. Eventually the kids got off the bus and Karen could escape the bullying. The whole bus ride was filmed and put on YouTube. Karen decided not to press charges. The kids apologized and promised never to do this again. Weather Karen was a teen or an adult, she stood up for herself. She asked the kids to stop and she wasn’t afraid to say she was sad and crying. The kids were suspended for one year and Karen continued to be the best bus monitor she could be.

Now imagine walking down the hall on your very first day of highschool. Someone pushes you into a locker and starts walking away. You don’t lie there on the floor, you get up and confront the person. If you can stand up for yourself you’ll have no problem getting through life. The person who pushed you doesn’t take you seriously so they knock your books out of your hands and continues walking. Again you go up to the person and tell them you won’t put up with this, you will not stand by while they bully you.

Over 50% of bullying happens at school. According to a survey I took, out of 38 8th grade students, 21 have been bullied. Also out of 38, 17 have admitted to bullying someone. If you can stand up for yourself, you can get through life without being scared of your own shadow. Stand up to bullies and don’t be a bully. You don’t be one of the 2 out of 3 people who get bullied, be that 1. Maybe you can make a change. Someday it will be 0 out of 7 billion people get bullied each day.