These days bullying doesn’t mean just getting in a fight at school or physically harming someone on purpose; bullying can be just calling someone a name or saying something about their outfit or their actions through your own voice or even, with today’s technology, through social media; cyberbullying.

Throughout middle school and high school, I was bullied a lot—maybe not to the extent of some of the stories I hear these days, but it was bullying nonetheless. There was always something to make fun of me for; even here at college. People always have something mean to say, and maybe it’s not as bad here as it was in high school, but it still happens. I know that I’m no exception; I have said mean things, but people have said things about me, too.

These days, kids can be really cruel. Sometimes, they don’t even realize what they’re saying or doing and the effect it has on others. Although they should not be saying or doing these things, sometimes it is ignored. Teachers and faculty may see this going on, but won’t take action until it is brought to them either by student or a parent.

Because of all the tragedies that have occurred due to bullying, state governments are starting to create laws against bullying. It’s sad that we now have to threaten students with a law to stop bullying.

When bullying gets to the point where a person’s life is a stake, where are the adults in the schools? Yes, the students may know all the drama because they hear it through the grape vine, but teachers find out the same way too; they overhear students and some students confide in teachers to talk about these things.

When teachers see and hear things that they believe is bullying, why don’t they say something either to the bully or the person being bullied? If teachers actually started to try to be more active with this, I believe the bullying rate would decrease.

However, it is not just teachers; it also stems from how kids are raised at home. Parents have the important job of teaching their kids the difference between right and wrong, and sometimes, this is unclear. Even in high school, students think its ok to bully because everyone else is doing it.