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Being a kid today is not an easy task. Early on, you have to learn who it's ok to talk to and who you'd better stay away from. Sometimes, you might think you shouldn't talk to someone, but then it turns out the person is ok, after all. It's like that with school. All kids are different, but that’s all right.
I am a 7th-grade student at a middle school in Massachusetts. I am lucky I have a lot of friends, and I feel bad for kids who do not have as many friends. It’s not any fun when you have to be by yourself in school, or anywhere for that matter. Everybody needs somebody.
Unfortunately, kids can be very cruel when someone is different from them. There are many kids in school who laugh at, or make fun of, other students. Sometimes it gets physical with a push or a shove. This happens in our school, but kids can get picked on anywhere, not just in school.
I have been taught that using violence against another person does not solve anything. Kids might call each other bad names, thinking they are so cool, but what good does it do?
My mom doesn’t like when people get made fun of, so I don’t either. It’s not nice to hurt other people’s feelings. I have a 5th-grade brother who gets harassed at school all the time. It has been a rough year for him. I stand up for him sometimes. I tell his bullies: “You wish you were as cool as my brother!”
Boys in my school like to make fun of kids who are heavy, or who dress in not-so-cool clothes. I am a quiet student who pays attention, so I haven’t had any first-hand experiences with anyone showing me that kind of attitude.
There are many different types of kids at my school. We have the punk kids, jocks, social cliques and the loners. When the bullying starts, I don't want any part of it. It’s mean. I feel like I have to stick up for things I believe in, whether my friends agree or not.
In the world we live in today there are so many things we all have to worry about. Socially, school is tough, for one reason or another. Students need to find a way to get along with each other. Fighting only makes matters worse. If kids can learn to accept themselves as they are and not worry about what their peers are going to say, school would be much easier. If people could stop trying to out-do one another and treat each other with respect, we would have a much nicer school atmosphere.
Kids shouldn’t have to walk around in fear wondering if a mean person is going to hurt them. Sometimes in school, you just don’t know who you can trust. School should be a place where kids can go and learn and make friends, not enemies.
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