Dear Incoming Freshman,
High school is a huge milestone. It’s a new beginning, a fresh start, and a place where many things begin to change, from the choices we make, to the the friends we lose, and the friends we keep. But along with such a huge change comes difficulty. And high school has become increasingly more difficult for our generation.
Bullying is in the movies and on the television, but it is also a problem in schools across the country. But recently bullying has changed, as it became easier to bully through advances in technology. And, bullying has impacted even more kids.
In particular, bullying is no longer just a physical thing like most movies portray it. Even more alarming though, bullying has taken on forms such as verbal harassment, gossiping, and cyber-bullying. As our society continues to get more technologically advanced, computers and social networks are move available to teens. And the greater availability is what causes these problems. Teens are much braver behind the protection of a computer screen than they would be in person, and that is when some nasty things occur. And that is why we need your help to stop this horrible epidemic.
You may think that as an individual you can’t make a difference, but, the truth is, you can. Your actions, whether you know it or not, affect the people around you. If you set an example by being kind to others, the feeling will spread. Plus, you never know what anyone is going through at a given point in their life. Always remember to keep that in mind. Just one compliment, one smile, one nice gesture, or even one favor could make a huge difference in someone else’s life.
Sometimes people can be bullied to a point where they start to believe what is being said about them is true. In this case, those people need someone to be able to pick them back up and help point out the good in life. Don’t be a person that puts others down. Instead, be the person that picks people up.
My mother always said, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all. I think this is such an important statement to live by. There is no need to say mean and negative things to other people. In fact, putting other people down with derogatory comments is just a sign of. Think about it: using other people’s pain to make you feel better is selfish, and secondly, it signifies lack of self-confidence.
So do yourself, your school, your classmates, and your community a favor and stay away from bullying. Don’t wait around for other people to stand up against bullying, you take the first step, and be the change.