I have a somewhat different story and take about bullying at school that may be too politically incorrect for you to read. My 14 year old grandson had been bullied at school since the semester began. He is tall for his age, a gentle, fun, smart, easygoing, level-headed young man with a wide circle of friends and he’s respected by both teachers and students. A spoiled thug who was clever enough to always stay just below the radar and not get noticed by faculty was continually bullying him verbally and his antagonizing continued relentlessly. My grandson pretty much tried to ignore him as it was all verbal and even attempted to reason with him many times, but it continued on for 9 months until close to the end of the semester.
Now my grandson is Irish on one side and Irish/Hungarian on the other: a descendant of one of the last of the seven warrior tribes that formed the early Hungarian Nation said to be the final resting place of Attila the Hun. The bully decided once more to lay into him with some allusion to his parental ancestry and at that my grandson decided it was time for an ultimatum. The bully was warned if he didn't stop, he would be made to stop. The warning was laughed off and as he reached out and pushed my grandson, it was the last thing he remembered as the rain of 'fists of fury' fell on his head and body. It was over in 90 seconds before anyone could step in. My grandson is also a Karate Black Belt, studied Aikido and is now practicing Tae Kwon Do.
Of course both students were suspended for several days until the school 'investigated'. It turned out both his and the bully's friends, as well as teachers supported my grandson. The bully was such a sleaze even the teachers were wary and suspicious of him. So why did my grandson not go crying to report a mean bully? Because here is a mature young man who handled and took care of his own business. He was also aware of the consequences and faced them like a man. Of course, he was severely counseled to report these kinds of issues in the future, but for a while teachers were handing him covert high fives outside of class with a wry smile and a 'Yes!'
Not sure what message this sends to others, but I'm very proud of this young MAN. In high school they gave us boxing gloves, took us to the gym and let us go until we tired of it. Today we seem to depend on others to stand up for us.
Fred
Grandfather
Karate 2nd degree Black Belt
