Middle school is obviously not the easiest time in anyone's life. There are changes going on within yourself, your friend group and your peers. You will have those people who are able to build you up, but there will be those kids who sit there and tear you down. Those people are bullies. They are everywhere and they are getting harder to stop.
Last week, my hometown had a tragedy strike. A sixth grader from our middle school ended up taking his own life because he was relentlessly bullied. He enjoyed life to the fullest by doing Parkour, playing Minecraft, collecting old coins, antiques and old gaming consoles. He had a great love for learning about the Civil War and history. He most recently developed the love of Billy Joel's song "The Piano Man".
This young boy had decided that there was nothing for him to live for anymore because of bullies.
28% of students in sixth to 12th-grade experience bullying and another 9% have experienced cyberbullying. These numbers are scary, but not nearly as scary as the percentage of kids who witness this bullying take place but do nothing about it. Over 70% of middle and high school students has witnessed bullying. If someone intervenes within 10 seconds, the bullying is likely to stop 57% of the time. All of these numbers come from stopbullying.gov.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in middle and high school students. Youth who report any type of involvement in bullying are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and higher levels of suicide-related behavior than those who do not experience bullying. There is a strong correlation between bullying and suicide in preteens and teens, but it is unsure if bullying is directly linked to suicide-related behavior.
If you are a bully, think before you act. What are you trying to get out of this? Satisfaction that someone is afraid of you or that you have power? If you see bullying, you need to report it. It can be scary to be the snitch, but your one little action can make someone's day. You stopping a bully can result in a lot of people's happiness because now their bully is not a problem.
Anytime anyone takes their own life it is a sad day. My little town had a lot to handle last week with the loss of such an amazing young boy. Never be the reason that someone takes their own life. Even if you think what you say would not affect them, you never know. People can be cruel, especially young kids. Parents, talk to your kids about the effects of bullying. Students, do not be that bully and if you see it, make sure you put an end to it.
Rest in Peace, Evan. You will be missed.
