My Story

When the love is dead 

the feelings are gone,

but the shadows, the dust 

the little pieces of pictures, 

of memories stay inside 

and hunting you. 

I shall not feel 

I shall not hope 

I shall not try to make it better. 

But no matter what I shall do

that colors, those returns, 

those flashbacks shall not disappear 

for they are not  written in the clouds 

and the wind itself can not blow them away. 

They shall not disappear 

because they were not 

written on something that can 

be erased. 

They are written deep down

in my soul, in my heart 

who is still bleeding 

and still healing. 

Why some kids make us feel like we are less important or like we are not worthy of respect just because we are different from them? There is a large number of kids, students around the world who feel discriminated, humiliated by others because they live in a poor area, or because they belong to a different religion, color or another reason. The school violence has become a serious problem in recent decades in many countries, especially where weapons such as guns or knives are involved. 

First of all, the reason, or the explanation of this behavior of the kids lies in their home education or the home environment. Most of the cases where kids bully other kids are when they are frustrated of the way that their parents treat them. Parents often beat their kids, as a punishment for doing something wrong, and as a result the kids do the same. Furthermore there are cases where kids follow the behavior of their parents. Violent behaviors such as punching and kicking are often learned from observing others. The Constitutional Rights Foundation suggests long-term exposure to gun violence, parental alcoholism, domestic violence, physical abuse of the child, and child sexual abuse teaches children that criminal and violent activities are acceptable. We can effect on them easily with our bad behavior sending them bad example to follow. Children should be educated well in their schools so they can better them self’s.  

Secondly, the problem of this issue also lies in the school system, or the school way of approaching the problem. Recent research has linked the school environment to school violence. Although is known that in the schools, kids can change their behavior if someone show them a way. But the schools don’t take the problem with violence seriously, no matter if it’s physical or psychological. As an example there are cases, when there is a disagreement between two or more kids and they start to fight, but the teacher doesn’t do anything to stop them. With this the teacher lets them know they can do what ever they want, without been afraid of some sort of sanctions. However some teachers try to inform the parents, but sometimes they don’t see this as a serious threat and say that it’s nothing. 

Being bullied and hearing bad words from someone is not something that should be ignored. I know what it is like to feel like you don’t belong somewhere. I walked in those shoes too. I’ve been bullied and called different bad names from the kids in my school. I know how big the pain is. I can barely remember the bulling, but the words, the insults, the feeling will stay forever. My parents taught me to be nice with everyone, and never to start a fight. So as a result I’ve never defended my self. I told my parents and they went to the teacher to complain about the situation. The teacher promised that nothing else will happen, but that didn’t help me much.  My classmates understood the matter and sow me as weak person and tortured me with insults more than before. Every time they get the chance, when the teacher wasn’t there they made me feel like I don’t belong, like it’s a bad thing that I live in a poor area, they made me think the worst for my self. Treating me that if I tell someone it’ll get worst, I was afraid and I didn’t told anyone. I didn’t ask my parents to move me to another school, because the quality of the teaching was significant and it built me as a strong and smart person. Sometimes I tell my self that wasn’t their fault, but to the parents who didn’t teach them to accept people with their differences and the teachers who didn’t stopped them.

People often join together in actions to stop the school violence. There are different programs against violence for the youth, different methods for teachers and the parents. Currently the program against violence from UNICEF in my country Macedonia has finished and hopefully it’ll get with results. “Be example for positive behavior and the others will follow you. Start now, make a difference. Make the world a better place to live in.  ”  

- Kate K.