When it comes to bullying, I am no stranger. I have been in plenty of situations. It is a very relatable topic for me. I was often the victim and only on a few rare occasion when I was bully and I certainly did not enjoy being on the other side.

Even as a teacher I was bullied by my students but I never got the apologies or the compensation I deserve. I didn’t even got the decent sympathy from my own mother. The way she talked about it made me feel like I deserved the bullying. She made it sound like because I was worthless and that’s the reason I get bullied. No one deserves to be bullied by anyone.

The worst kind of bullying is assault and I came extremely close on only one occasion, thank God. Once a person’s been assaulted, it will forever be stuck in their brain along with other issues that may arise.

China, Second Grade

Social order-wise at the time, I was ranked second-to-last. The only reason I wasn’t ranked last was because of my body odor. The girl that came in last had such terrible BO that nobody dared to get within two feet from her. I know what I’m saying now is a form of bullying but this was completely true. I was the shortest, slowest, and maybe possibly the student with the lowest IQ in the entire school. Least to say, I wasn’t very athletic or smart.

Before my grandfather agreed to be my babysitter during the lunch-hour, I ate at school. We had two hours for lunch since it’s traditional that everyone took naps after lunch or some would go out to restaurants for lunch. The school lunches was costly and tasted awful but I endured anyway.

That day, after eating and cleaning the classroom, I had decided to take a light nap before class resumed and I had just barely closed my eyes when I heard banging in the classroom. I opened my eyes and saw three boys stroll in. They were third-graders because the school had four levels and each level was strictly for one grade, ground floor for first grade, second floor for second grade, etc.

I have seen these boys before, running up the stairs to the floor above. They approached me, the only other person in the classroom. They laughed and taunted about something I can’t remember. The next thing I can remember was one of them yanking my sandal from my feet while another one pinched and slapped my cheeks while the third yanked on my shirt and red tie. I remember screaming and crying for help while trying to fight them off.

I don’t remember how the situation ended but I ended up at the vice-principal’s desk after class and one of the bullies stood across from me. My cheeks were swollen red and the bully denied the accusation but after a while, he admitted his involvement, he apologized and walked away with no further consequences which I admit it’s not even closed enough to the compensation I deserve.

The event was beyond traumatizing and it made me become extra careful. Of course, that’s a good thing but at the same time, it can be a very bad thing. That’s an effect bullying can have on people especially the victims. It is what causes someone to develop trust issues and other problems when they’re trying to develop an open relationship with someone they love but because of past trauma, it causes them to build a protective wall instead.