Descriptive Essay: Personal Experience with Bullying in School
When I was in junior high, a new student was enrolled in our class. He was a Muslim of Arabic descent in a school that was dominated by Christians. His adherence to his religious requirements such as saying prayers and eating habits set him apart from all the other students. He became a target for the bullies, negative stereotypes and insulting jokes were hurled at him.
Speaking Out Against Bullying
Since I was brought up in a religious family that believed all people were equal in the eyes of God and should be accorded the respect they deserve; I could not partake in the assault against the new student. One afternoon, my friends and I, found the new student on his way to the library; as was the habit of most of the students, they began to tease the boy, taking turns to hurl insults at him. I could hardly stomach what I was hearing, and the look on the boy’s face was disheartening. I chose to speak out and defend the new student instead of partaking in such a derogatory behavior.
Stand by My Beliefs
My actions surprised the other students, and they were quick to voice their displeasure by demanding that I could only choose between them and the new student. This was a decision that required me to stand by my beliefs that no student should be bullied because they are different or join them against my beliefs in assaulting a student whose only fault was being different. I chose to stand by my beliefs and invited the new student to be my friend. My other friends considered the decision I made to become friends with the new student as a betrayal to the extent that they managed to turn some of the other student’s against me. However, in the school, there were other students who held similar values and beliefs as I did. Among them was a respected senior student who surprisingly joined the new student and me during lunch break.
A Surprising Turn of Events
At first, I thought that he had come to add injury to an already bad situation; he asked me why I was sitting away from the usual spot with my friends. The new student told him that it was because I had defended him against being bullied that caused my friends to shun me. It emerged that the senior student’s had attended a previous school where he was perceived in the same light as the new student. Consequently, it was his belief that no one should experience isolation and subjected to bullying just because he or she had different perspectives on issues such as religion.
Taking a Stand Against Bullying
He invited us to join him and his friends, a spectacle that caused heads to turn our way. There was deafening silence and expressions of disbelief on the other students’ faces. Though I was not popular in school, I became noticed, in addition, the fact that the senior students did not have a problem with the new student, proved that I was right to stand up against bullying and discrimination in my school.
An Anti-Bullying Campaign
The following day I was invited by the senior student to join him and his friends in the library. There, I found the new student and my friends waiting; after everyone was seated, the senior student asked my friends and some of the other junior students who were present what their issues were with the new student. None of them had a valid reason for their behavior or attitude towards the new student.
In the library meeting, the senior student proposed that those that were present form an anti-bullying campaign, which was then approved by the school principal and given support by the member of staff. The fact that I did not take an indifferent position in making my decision, made me realize that it is critical to take a decisive position on making a decision that may or may not change our belief system. My decision to support the new student contributed towards the creation of a comprehensive anti-bullying campaign in the school.
