There I am, in a brand new school; I came from an eighth grade graduating class of nine to a freshman class of 600.  Sure, there was bullying in middle school, but I never experienced a school that had students with special needs.  As I strolled through the halls seeing new faces, I witnessed snickers.  I wondered, why are they laughing?

And then I looked and saw the student with special needs by herself.  I was hurt by the pointing fingers and smirking faces so I walked over and introduced myself.

“Hi! I’m Maggie want me to walk with you to your next class?”

She replied, “Hi! Sure!”

Throughout that day, I wondered Why?  Why would someone want to make another feel badly? Thankfully this is a rare occurrence of bullying--typically I do not see bullying. As I have grown, I  noticed the spectacular job my school does at preventing bullying.  My school makes it a priority to make each kid feels just as important as the next.  My school accepts all kids--rich, poor, ugly, pretty, and even those with special needs.  And that’s exactly what kind of school I want to attend in my teen years.

My school has a Spread The Word To End The Word policy.  This targets the word retarded.  My school has banners hanging around the school and at the beginning of the year, students were asked to sign them.  Not only do we have banners reminding students to end the word, but we also have bracelets made with that saying on it--and students are encouraged to wear these.  This is fascinating to witness because when you ask a student with special needs about the banners and bracelets, they know exactly what they are for and you can see the joy on their faces. 

From the day I walked the special needs girl to her class, I have been an active participant in stopping bullying at my school.  My school has taught me not only to stop bullying, but also to stand by students who are bullied and make them feel just as important as everyone else.