By Qu’Chae Madison

Bullying is a growing  epidemic  in schools across the nation. Most of the time, bullying starts in school. Some students hide it from their parents because they are afraid. Like many students, I was bullied in elementary and middle school. It was very difficult for me because I didn’t have any friends in elementary school. I was made fun of and I would get depressed a lot. I even went to a counselor to talk about it. I was always sad and I always felt alone.

Bullying is something that can be stopped and it needs to stop now. When I posted,”What do you think about bullying?” on Facebook, I received this comment in response from senior Allyce Black: “Bullying is stupid and it needs to stop before someone kills themself. People need to realize that words hurt.”

In fact, several children and teens have already committed suicide because of bullying situations. One example is Joel Morales, a middle school student from East Harlem in New York City. Joel was very intelligent but was depressed over how other students treated him. One night this past May, Joel hung himself from a shower curtain rod in his home. His family said he had killed himself because he had been picked on repeatedly. He was 12 years old. (Source: New York Times – May 31, 2012)

Bullying is an important and personal subject to me because I’ve been through it and I know how it feels. Some ways you can help to stop bullying include telling a teacher or other adult about it, speaking up for the victim and even stepping in if possible. Help stop bullying now. It hurts!