Fighting against Bullying
By Miriam G Pourciau
Copyright 2011 Miriam G Pourciau
Smashwords Edition
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Chapter 1: Introduction from Principal Smith
Chapter 2: Mike’s Story and Activity for the Students
Chapter 3: Mrs. Fryer’s Story and Activity for the Students
Chapter 4: Annie’s Story and Activity
Chapter 5: Ms. Baker’s Story and Activity
Chapter 6: Roy’s Story and Activity
Chapter 7: Mrs. Larkin’s Story and Activity for the Parents and Students
Chapter 8: Sarah’s Story and Activity for the Students
Chapter 9: Mrs. Carmen’s Story and Activity for the Students
Chapter 10: Memorial Presentation
Chapter 11: Mr. Gary’s Final Remarks
First I would like to say that 10% of the proceeds from my book will go to an anti-bullying charity to stop bullying. This book is for preteens, teens, adults, parents, teachers, and mentors. I was bullied all of my life and I know the lifetime effects bullying can have on a person. I could have let me being bullied ruin my entire life; but I didn’t because of being bullied, I am now stronger and have the passion and the drive to try and stop it.
There are some areas in my life that yes, the bullying has had a permanent effect on my life, but I work around it and I have accepted the fact that my self-confidence and my self-esteem will never be the same. And when it gets me down I don’t stay down long, I pick up and keep going. Some days; that is easier said than done, and the last thing I want is another child going through this and ending up with the emotional scars that won’t go away.
This book is sure to ruffle some feathers. I say this because bullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and dealt with accordingly. So many times I have felt so alone when being bullied, but in actuality I was not alone, there was help for me out there.
My goal is to raise awareness about bullying, the effects, and to stop Bullycide. Bullycide is not a new thing; it has been going on for a very long time without a name until recently. Bullycide is suicide due to the result of bullying. I almost became a victim of Bullycide, and never want to see or hear about anyone EVER go through that again.
Parents need to be aware of the signs that their child is being bullied, or is being a bully. In most cases; the bully is acting out because of something going on; either in the home, neighborhood, family or even the school. There are occasions where the bully is just being a bully to “fit in”. In either case, they don’t realize the lifelong effects of what they are doing to that victim.
Teachers need to be aware of things going on with the bullies, and the ones being bullied. So often, I have seen teachers and other faculty members just brush it off or not even care. This is the worst thing a teacher can do, because if the victim of the bully is ignored by a teacher or anyone in authority, and is contemplating suicide the suicide can and in most cases; will happen.
Each chapter has a storyline with fictional characters. In this book, I will take different views from the bullies, parents of the bullies, the victims, the victim’s parents, the parents’ stories on Bullycide, and finally, I will propose a new anti-bullying program inside an essay that I have written on bullying and how to stop it. The essay can be found in the about the author section of the book. The location for the book is at a school gymnasium talking to a gym full of Middle School students.
The setting is a crowded gymnasium full of Middle School students. Lately, there has been uproar in the town about bullying, and the principal decided to get together a group of people from way out west to come and talk to these students about bullying and the effects it has on the victims. This group has travelled around the United States talking to students about being a bully, being a parent of a bully, being a victim of a bully, and being a parent of the victim. There are also mothers who share their stories about how their children were taken away from them due to Bullycide. This group is passionate about stopping bullying, and their group has become well-known throughout the country.
Characters and their role in the group:
Principal: Mr. Smith
Bully #1: Mike
Parent #1: Mike’s mom, Mrs. Fryer
Bully #2: Annie
Parent #2: Annie’s mom, Ms. Baker
Victim #1: Roy
Parent #1: Roy’s mom, Ms. Larkin
Victim #2: Sarah
Parent#2: Sarah’s mom Mrs. Carmen
Memorial Presentation (in memory of their children): Mrs. Boudreaux, and Mrs. Arnold
Counselor: Mr. Gary (Group Founder)
***Note***
Some stories are graphic, but that is the whole point of the group getting their point across, we must know the reality of bullying so we can stop it or at least slow it down. My hope is that throughout this book the information given is for anyone to understand. The more we are prepared and aware we can all create a better environment for these children.
Introduction from Principal Smith
Principal Smith: “Welcome, students and Faculty, lately there has been an uproaring of students and parents about bullying, and there is an increasing problem in our school. With that being said, I called this wonderful group in here today so they can share their stories about bullying, and after the group finishes speaking, there will be counselors set up to answer any questions you may have or if you just need to talk to one of the counselors you can come down here.
What do I expect from you for the next couple of hours? I expect you to listen attentively, and show them the respect that we have tried to teach you all at this school. Anyone talking out of line, or causing problems will be automatically sent to detention or suspended. I don’t want to hear a peep out of you unless you are asked to speak.
Let’s get started, I want to introduce you to this wonderful group that has taken time out of their schedules to be here today. The first one I would like to introduce you all to is Mr. Gary. Mr. Gary is a counselor, and he is one you will talk to if you need someone to talk to after the presentation. There are also your teachers who will be helping Mr. Gary during the counseling time. So put your hands together for Mr. Gary.” (The entire gymnasium full of students stands up and gives a round of applause to welcome Mr. Gary.)
Mr. Gary: “Good morning students, I personally would like to thank you for taking time out of your classes to sit and listen to us as we give our presentations. I will be here to listen and answer any questions you may have afterwards. You may be wondering why we are here today, well simple really; your principal has called our group and has asked us to come speak to you today about bullying.
Bullying happens everywhere no matter how big or small a town or school is; it is happening. I started this group because I felt that if we don’t do something about it the Bullycide will increase and the bullying itself will increase. None of us want that to happen, we want to try to stop it, and we will actually meet with the teachers after you all go home today, so we can put our Anti-Bullying program into place.
Looking at your faces, I see the fear, and I can see the hurt in some of your eyes. We are here to help you all and we are especially here to help all of you. Whether you want to admit it or not, we were once your ages. We know how cruel this world can be, and the stories you will hear today are stories that happened around your ages. Without further ado, I would like to turn the floor over to Mike. Please put your hands together and show a warm welcome to Mike.”
Mike: “Thank you, Mr. Gary, and thank you students for such a warm welcome. I was a bully back in Middle School, and this morning, I will share my story and how I overcame the hurt I have caused so many people. It took me a long time, but I have made amends with everyone that I have hurt. Some were more forgiving than others. Nonetheless, I want you all to listen to my story, and if you are a bully, you can stop at any time and I will give you the tools to do so. I have overcome it and I am sure you will overcome it given the right tools. You don’t have to be stuck in the bullying stage, and you can certainly learn how to use different techniques that will aid in your stopping bullying.
Girls, I hope you have your tissues ready because, some of these stories will undoubtedly make you cry. I will wait until it is my turn to share my story, but please know, if you are bullying someone, you can stop and please know, if you are bullying someone, you can stop before the consequences get too bad. Now, I would like to introduce you to my best friend, my rock, and most of all; my wonderful mother. Please put your hands together for my mother, Mrs. Fryer.” (The students cheer her on, and sit down when she motions them to take a seat.)
Mrs. Fryer: “Hi everyone! I am Mike’s mother, and I would like to spend time today talking about what it was like raising a bully. It was hard to say the least; and I am not ashamed to say I tried my best raising him, but somewhere along the way things went wrong. My story will show you, after I found out what Mike was doing, the steps I took and the steps your parents can take if you are bullying someone.
I know most of you are trying to find where you fit in, but let me tell you something. Bullying someone to fit in will just make things worse and the outcomes of this are detrimental to the others you are bullying. You bullies know who you are, and my story will hopefully make you see why it is so important to stop the nonsense quickly before you ruin someone’s life for good.
Please raise your hands, if you have been bullied (half the student body raises their hands). A special request, for you all that have been bullied, I want all of you to move to one side, and the others I want you to stay where you are. I see the confusion in your faces, don’t worry, it is part of the plan; you will understand why I have asked you to do this when I get to my story. Now, I would like to introduce you to Annie. She has a similar story to Mike’s story, but I will give the floor to her so if you would please welcome Annie.” The crowded gym of students stands up and claps for Annie.
Annie: “Thank you all for the warm welcome. I am not sure after you hear my story you will clap for me. You see, I was a bully in Middle School until I graduated from High School. I ruined so many lives, and I will ever be apologetic for the things I have done. When it is time for my part of the speech, I will ask of you two things.
The first thing I want to ask of you all is that you not only listen attentively, but I also want you all to realize a few things. The first thing I want you all to realize, is that yes, I was your age once. I know you are all thinking at this age, adults don’t know crap. Well guess what; we do know a whole lot more than you, but we have also had to learn tough lessons that you all are facing or going to face at this moment in time.
The second thing, I know by the time it is my turn to speak, your bottoms will be hurting, so I will make my story quick, but I would also like some interaction with you. That is the key to finding out what is going on and how to fix the problem. Just like Mike; my mom is here today, and she will tell you everything that I put her through and how she helped me. That being said, I would like to welcome my wonderful mother Mrs. Baker. She is the sweetest woman I know and she has taught me so much growing up and still teaches me lessons today. She will also help me today as we perform a skit. So please welcome my mom, Mrs. Baker!” The crowd stands up hand hoops hand hollers for Mrs. Baker.
Mrs. Baker: “Good morning student and Faculty; my name is Mrs. Baker, and as Annie said we will perform a skit together then after that when it is my turn we will have another activity. I guarantee with all the activities we will have today, you won’t be bored just listening to us. In fact, these couple of hours will fly by.
When we formed this group, we thought of ways to make our message be implanted in the memories forever and we found some interesting interactions that will be fun but quite a learning experience. As Mr. Gary, Mike, Mrs. Fryer and Annie have said, we have been through Middle School.
There were countless times we would be pulled into the gym and just be bored to death with the speakers, and we would get nothing out of it. So when this group was formed, we thought what a great idea if we can get the students and Faculty involved in and interacting with each other so it won’t get so boring just sitting here.
We know that the attention spans are not quite there, we have been through this, that’s why we came up with this program. Think of this as a big school party, with lots of fun things you are sure to enjoy. There is only one rule to the activities; which is have fun and don’t laugh at anyone. That is a very important rule that must be enforced, so I need you teachers to help us with this. This is not JUST for the students; it is for you all too. Please welcome Roy, he has been a victim of bullying his entire life, and his story is very heartbreaking.” As Roy is wheeled out to the middle of the gymnasium, the crowd bursts into cheers welcoming him.
Roy: “Thank you all for the warm welcome. Please don’t be scared of me, I am in a wheelchair, but I still have a voice. Like Mrs. Baker said, I have been bullied all of my life, and I have a story to share with you. After my story we will do an activity. I want honest output; and this activity will surely help all of you and touch you in a mighty way.
One thing I would like to say to the victims of bullying, there is help out there, and most of all you are not alone. Don’t let the bully win by keeping quiet. If you see others getting bullied, stand up for the other person and go tell a teacher or Principal Smith. You don’t have to go through anything alone. There will always be someone there who is willing to help or get you the help you so richly deserve.
Each and every one of you is special, it is important not to forget that in the midst of your turmoil. As the famous saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day”; it might take a little longer for you to realize that you are special. The activity I have planned has a wonderful lesson around it and you are sure to enjoy it. We are not here just to tell you our stories but we are here to help you in any way we can.
All of the activities planned today have been carefully planned out and have been very effective in each school that we have been to. I am here to promise you, we won’t talk your ears off; we want you to interact with each other and interact with us. Yes, everyone has stories to tell, but sometimes words are just not enough. Bullying is such a hard topic and has become so hard to talk about, people keep quiet. Not today students, we will not keep quiet and we will have fun doing it. So get ready for a wonderful afternoon with activities and things that are sure to get your attention.
You are probably wondering who this beautiful woman is behind me; I am here to tell you that she is my rock, she gives me strength, she knows me inside and out. Please give a warm welcome to my mother; Mrs. Larkin.” Everyone is silent and watchful as Mrs. Larkin wheels Roy to meet the others in the group. She gets to the stage again and the crowd cheers her on. Smiles were all over that gymnasium when she walked up to the stage.
Mrs. Larkin: “I would like to thank everyone for giving me and our group here the opportunity to speak with you all today. As you know, I am Roy’s mother, and he is my constant joy to be around every day. When he was around your age though, he was not the same happy, bubbly little boy that I have raised. I will share with you what I witnessed as my son was being bullied. He went from happy go lucky, to sad and depressed.
Roy started to withdraw from the things he enjoyed doing. I knew he wasn’t being himself and I tried reaching out to him. I was the one person he could always talk to; but not this time; he didn’t want to talk to anyone. Oh, how I wished I could just comfort him and I wish he trusted me with his pain. I didn’t want to see him go through this.
Eventually we did find out what was wrong with Roy and we got him the help that he needed before we lost our son for good. You will find out more when I share the story, and I have an activity for you all to do as well. This will be an emotional day for some of you as we share our stories. Nevertheless, our stories must be told. I am pleading with you students; please if you are getting bullied, tell someone before it is too late.
I would like to now introduce to you a remarkable woman who has been through so much than she deserved to go through. Her story is one of courage and strength to overcome what she has experienced. Please without further ado; please give a warm welcome to Sarah to the stage.” The crowd stands up as Mrs. Larkin exits the stage and Sarah steps up. Everyone gives her a round of applause and sits quietly and attentively.
Sarah: “Good afternoon everyone, I am Sarah, and I am a SURVIVOR of bullying. I was bullied all through Middle School and all of High School. I would like to take the opportunity for the next few minutes, about how this group works and what our goal is. I have enjoyed being with this group since it was started and I have enjoyed going around the country and sharing and helping others with my story.
Some parts of my story are graphic and it tends to be disturbing to most. That is quite alright because sometimes you must hear the bad stuff in order to understand where we are coming from when we speak. We are just normal people that have overcome so much, and we just want to share with everyone our stories to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers alike.
The activity I have planned today will get you thinking about things, and put those thinking caps on because you all will need them. It won’t take up a lot of time, but after the activity you will better understand how it all fits in. I hope you enjoy this day as we begin to take you on a journey, one of tragedy and of course, one of strength. My hope is that each and every one of you go home today with a lesson and visions implanted in your memories for years to come.
By the end of this program today, you will have participated in a lot of activities. Please be respectable as we get things started, and listen to the instructions carefully. Each and every of you will have a special role to play today. As the last person comes up at the end of the introductions we will take a break and when you come back into the gym, we will get started with the activities and the stories. I promise you; today you will learn a lot and have lots of fun learning it.
Now I would like to introduce you to my mother. My mother has raised me right, but we seldom had a deep relationship especially when I was being bullied. There were times I felt like I couldn’t talk to her, but I was wrong, she was always there for me even when I didn’t want her to be. Please welcome Mrs. Carmen.” The crowd starts clapping as Sarah exits the stage and Mrs. Carmen enters the stage.
Mrs. Carmen: “Thank you Sarah for the warm introduction, and thank you students and Faculty for allowing us to come speak today. I won’t take too much time in this introduction since we have lots to do in such a short amount of time.
I however, would like to say that yes, Sarah was not always open with me when it came to telling me what was going on at school or on the computer. Granted, I wanted to know what was going on, she wouldn’t open up. Until one day something happened and she really had to open up to me. Today, in my section of the program, we will go over some ways to let your parent or parents know what is going on.
Don’t let them be in the dark as to what is happening. Your parents love you and want to help and be involved in your lives. You will never be alone, just know that if you don’t remember anything else about today. I am a daughter, and I know it can be very scary to tell your parents something so horrible, and fear their reaction. If you don’t tell anyone what is going on, there is no way to help, and we so desperately want to help.
That being said, as much fun as we are going to have today, there will be a presentation in memory of children that have taken their lives because of bullying. They could just not take the pain and the torture anymore. They couldn’t handle the secrets and the hurt they felt so they took their own lives. Bullycide has been around for a long time, but it hasn’t been in the media until recently.
No one really knows how many suicides have happened to bullying. With that being said, please give a warm welcome to my friends Mrs. Boudreaux and Mrs. Arnold. They will share a presentation in memory of their children that have been victims of Bullycide. Without further ado, I present to you Mrs. Boudreaux, and Mrs. Arnold.” The crowd is silent as these two women enter the stage.
Mrs. Boudreaux: “Good morning everyone, I would like to say that each story you will hear today from the former bullies themselves and survivors of bullying. You will also hear my story of how I lost my son due to bullying. He was a happy boy, and excelled in everything he did and I thought everything was just peachy, until one day he took his life. It has taken me years to understand why he took his life, but I am here to tell you, his story lives on every day, he is not forgotten, and because of his story, thousands of lives have been saved.
Now I will let Mrs. Arnold talk then we will take a break and get started with the activities we have planned for you. If you have any questions or comments please wait until after the speech then you may address us. This is not an easy story to share, but if we don’t share the stories, nothing will change. That being said I will now ask Mrs. Arnold to speak.”
Mrs. Arnold: First, thank everyone for having us here today to talk to you all about our stories. Just like Mrs. Boudreaux, I have lost my daughter to Bullycide. Since this has happened I have made it my life’s work to go around telling everyone what Bullycide does to a parent. I miss my daughter every waking moment, but I have learned to take the lessons I have learned through this experience and turn it into good. It helps me to know that because of my story my daughter’s memory will last forever.
In advance, I would like to say, some parts of this story can be disturbing and bring us in the group into tears. Crying doesn’t make us weak, it actually makes us stronger. Crying is a healing process, sometimes we can go days without crying, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we miss our children. If you have or known someone who has thought about suicide to get away from the bullying, I urge you not to do it. There are ways to handle this without taking your life. You will see through our stories, what you will put your parents through if you go through with this.
We have a special surprise for you all, although, you may not like it at first, there is a special reason for this surprise. You will just have to wait and see what we have in store for you today. Once again, I would like all the members of the group to come up here, as you sit and look at us, I want you to realize, we are here for you and after the presentations, you can look for us and if you want to talk, we are all here to listen.