GET some friends

i have een bullied so many times. All because of the way i look. i wear black make-up and skinny jeans whats wrong with that. ok sure i haave gone to the counclor the principal and many other adults but they did absoultly nothing for me. i need help.but no one is here to give it. this year my best frined and i are creating a support group. its for anyone that is being pushed around,knows that some one is being pushed around, or some one that is pushing other people around. i wont tell you that everything is going to be ok because it isnt. im not going to tell you that yelling, crying, and screaming will help because it wont.im not going to lie because it wont help. if you know something you probaly shouldnt you need to tell some one. it may put you in danger but at least it puts the other person out of it.

I have been bullied, its the worst feeling in the world. I've always kind of been bullied because I have ADHD and a learning disorder. Kids would make fun of my writting and spelling, and how I had trouble reading the smallests of words. I think the worst bullying I've ever had was in middle school. I am mixed black and white but you really cant tell most people think I'm hispanic or Greek. I wanted to fit in with the other kids so i told them what i was, at first they laughed but after a while they became violent and no one wanted to be around me. this sent me deep into depression. It feels horrible even to write this!

Bullies just dont understand or are following the crowd. Thoughs who are bullied just want to be loved and cared for. They want to know that they are still cared about by someone other than a family member.

this also has happened to me tell them " its not my fault that you are getting expelled you should have started with me and know you know never to do it again

I grew up in the shadow of the deadliest school shooting until Virgina Tech, Columbine High School. I know the family of a girl who was killed that day. I live two towns over. Of course Colorado has so many laws to keep these things from happening agian it was the worst shock when a gunman took a classrom full of students hostage, ending in the death of one Emily Keys, in Bailey, Colorado this past September. It was the scariest thing because a friend of mine lives in Bailey and knew Emily. It hurts to know that where we feel the safest is so dangerous. After the Virgina Tech shooting, it was not uncommon for, on a daily basis, for a school to be closed because of threats. A girl from my school was expelled for making an idel death threat to another student. I felt it was a little be of an over reaction on the AP's part but I'd rather have them over react than under react.

Hey, I was jsut recently a victim of school violence on friday. Some kids hit my laptop and then started hitting me. I stood up and punched them back and slammed then into the lockers as a form of self defense. Some kids came up stairs to see what happened and then went back downstairs to report it. I was bruised on my head and arms after the fight. Now on email, the kids who hit me started saying that i am the fault they are getting expelled. What should i do?

Take action when events like this ocurr, is what americans need to learn from the time there babies to adults, now if every one did not panic that that day, if a teacher had a weopen or like 20 students rushed that dude alot of people might have lived. It was a shame what happened that day but what are we gonna do when it happens again run like wimps with or tales between our legs or take action. Evetryone may find this message offensive, good but I was offended when I saw dozens of Inocent people slaugtered by ONE of there own americans, people need to stop acting better then one anouther,AND if u see some dude suffering don't screw with that dude's head leave him alone, talk to him.don't make fun of him . Help him, be a friend not on some fake crap. Help him get some meds, well thats my opion, Its only common scence we are not gonna beat this kinda of crap with out tuffening up. These are strange times and we are getting caught with our pants down too much anymore, cause we are to worried about Brittneys Spears shaved head, or Paris Hilton bagging every guy she see's.Who cares. We are better then them that is not reallity, you seen reality .911, and virgia Tech, Wake up America get your head out the clouds. You can't make gun control laws worse then they are. Police already harass every one anuff. We need to Just work with one anouther at all times then we can live in a better world. And the government needs to listen to our opion more. That all I got for now. JuttFu

In light of the V-Tech murders, there has been so much talk recently regarding stricter gun control and heightened security at schools. While I definitely agree that these issues deserve coverage I must criticize the timing. I am a product of the public school system in NYC and I remember that everyday I was faced with some sort of violent issue both directly and indirectly. Our schools are places of extreme conflict where there is a constant threat of being violently confronted, injured and even killed. This is absolutely ridiculous and should be at the forefront at any social justice initiative. These experiences make deep impressions on children of all ages and I would make the arguement that at violence in schools are most impactful during high school when teens are so much more focused on creating an indentity for themselves. School violence is a sensitive issue that requires much time to discuss and find solutions for. However, it is something that we need to believe can be eliminated. It can begin with even the smallest steps. I've seen kids who were enemies at one minute finally see eye to eye and end their differences simply by talking. This may sound so simple (and that's because it is) but it works!

I would suggest that schools that experience much school violence set up 'conflict resolution workshops' where a mix of students would come together to talk about what they experience. Such a forum would not only allow students to realize similar experiences but also how their actions affect others. By keeping the forum going as a series, that is, it would occur several times within a given period, students would be able to form bonds with eachother. These bonds can mean anything from actual friendships to simply learning how to trust one another.

Kids will be kids, yes. I assume this is supposed to point out their immaturity and naivete. However, kids grow into adults and if they learn while they're young how to resolve issues peacefully and with an open mind,I do believe that issues such as school violence, gun control, and the heightening of security (anywhere) won't necessarily need the kind of attention they receive today...because they'd be resolved.

i'm not a current college student nor do i believe in gun control. besides at this point gun control would only affect the people that only want a weapon for recreation, self defense, or general fun purposes. the problem isn't guns and bullets, it's poor parenting. i grew up in the south, and if you grew up in the south then you know that being picked on is just a part of growing up. it is not on your friends to hug and kiss you all day. it is on your parents to teach you right and wrong and care for your needs whatever that may include from a scratch on your knee to you coming home crying becouse you were picked on too much at school that day. kids today have way more access to drugs and alcohol than most people did growing up and without a basic home life they end up becoming adults much quicker. lack of parenting leads to obesity, lack of communication skills, and depression as well as other ADULT problems. all of these things are seen as a weakness by our peers. and without some type of parental guidence kids are getting into more and more trouble. people with poor coping skills as well as no examples as to what is right and wrong end up with little or no mature responses to anger, depression, and lonelyness. the only way to change the world is to change our kids. i'm 22, curently serving in the U.S. ARMY and have every intention to have children one day. i just hope our generation figures this out before it is too late for change. kids are kids and it is on us to mold them into mature responsible functioning adults. remember it takes a village to raise a child. and trust me i know how violent, uncaring, and irresponsible our village is. and the only way to fix it is at home.

In light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech the issue of school/teen violence has once again taken a hold of the media, in a way extremely reminiscent of the news following Columbine and the rhetoric in Michael Moore's take on the incident in Bowling for Columbine. Activists and professionals with experience on the surrounding issues (e.g. gun control, teen counseling, background screenings as part of the admissions process) immediately began harping back and forth in an almost militant fashion, which is the exact opposite of what those directly affected, and indeed anyone who had any solemn reaction at all, needed at the time. While ideological battles were being fought on television, thousands of students across the country held vigils, moments of silence, discussions, and even intimate conversations between friends devoid of anger or vengeful thoughts, simply to remember the victims and analyze once again the society that allowed this to happen.

Of course it would be unfair and probably futile to try to pinpoint where Cho Seung-Hui was led astray, or whether the administration or society on the whole is at fault. In the past the blame was placed on someone, punishment was administered, and the issues eventually sunk into the background as soon as the next big issues arose. We cannot let these things slide by anymore. Thankfully the incident was a shock to universities everywhere, many of which responded by securing their emergency plans and ensuring the students that there was proper protocol should it ever be needed. That's all well and fine but why should we sit idly by and wait for it, if it is indeed coming as so many prophesied? Unfortunately we can't do much elsebut try to nip the problem in the bud before it grows any further. This brings up more issues of discrimination and the like and we eventually have to ask ourselves at what point does safety end and blatant invasion of personal rights begin? On a final note I want to bring up a situation I'm sure everyone has been in, and may even recall fondly or jokingly; how many times have we seen (or been) children huddling around a group of people whose buttons were pushed just one too many times fighting in the school yard as everyone chanted "fight, fight, fight!" Eventually the scuffle would get broken up by some administrator or injury, and everyone would go back to their business satisfied or not, with not another thought to the issue except to gossip about it over the lunch table. No one realizes that the seeds of such atrocious behavior as the shootings could be laid at such moments; while I am not exactly advocating disciplining children before they have time to be children and learn from youth's mistakes, we need to keep in mind the dangers associated with the problematic social hierarchy that has been ingrained in our minds since childhood. I don't have a solution, and I'm not sure anyone ever will, but now is the time to actively pursue one whether we get there or not.

In light of the tragic events recently at Virginia Tech, I've realized how fragile life can be. As a freshman in college, I couldn't help but think that it could happen here. It could happen anywhere. On the days following April 16, 2007, I was glued to the TV screen, constantly checking CNN for new updates on the shooting. The whole academic community weeped. That day, we mourned the lost of 32 lives, lives that had much more to give. Questions were asked, fingers were pointed. People asked how could this happen? Why was this allowed to happen? Personally, I've always been a believer that we need to learn from our experiences, mistakes. It does nothing for us to sit there and think the millions of 'what ifs'. Many have advocated stricter regulations on gun control. But guns do not kill people. People kill people. The education system and children services have let so many people slip through the cracks. It is not merely enough to give help on a one time basis and expect people to change. I know that we cannot change society as a whole. That was be quite a task. But the least we can do is give help. Violence is never the answer.

Hey folks, this is a place where you can add ideas that YOU have for taking action around this cause.