2. Bullying Did you know…. Thirteen million kids will be bullied this year in the US. One third of teens reported being bullied while being at school. Twenty percent of teens had been made fun of by a bully. Eighteen percent of teens had rumors of gossip spread about them.

3. Bullying Eleven percent were physically bullied such as being shoved, tripped, or spit on. Six percent were threatened. Five percent were excluded from activities they wanted to participate in. Four percent were coerced into something they did not want to do. Four percent had their personal belongings destroyed by bullies.

4. Bullying Most bullying occurred inside of the school. Only about one third of bully victims reported the bullying to someone at school. About one in ten were bullied daily or several times a week.

5. We never know what will happen to those whom we bully….

6. Mrs. Newton’s difficult high school years... Freshman Year 1976-77 Junior Year 1978-79 Sophomore Year 1977-78 Senior Year 1979-80

7. 8X10 Glossy Black & White Acting Resume Photo Fall 1982 (20 years old, 30 years ago!) Quite a change in 6 years….

8. Then 5 years later in 1987… And now, happily ever after…

9. What is Bullying? What do you think bullying is? Have you ever seen or experienced bullying? If so, perhaps you can discuss now or share on the ERASE blog. In your opinion, why do students bully? Is it because they don’t like the way someone looks? In what ways do students bully? Have you or a friend experienced bullying in a different format than someone walking by and making a comment?

10. What is Bullying? Do you think there is more bullying amongst girls or boys? Is there more bullying in the younger grades than there is than in high school? Many students who are bullied believe that they are the only victims in the school and are not aware that other students share similar experiences. Some relate about wanting to be invisible, feeling helpless and just struggling to get by day after day. What can students do alone or as a group to support a victim.

11. What is Bullying? How do bullies target their victim(s)? Do you think bullies might have problems of their own that lead them to target certain people? In your opinion, at what age do you think bullying begins?

12. Make a change! You have the power to make a change. Be thankful that your peers and school staff want to rally together to proactively make a difference and rise above this insensitive behavior. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I had had this kind of support 35 years ago.