B.U.L.L.Y.I.N.G.

I've only been in ISKL for a couple of months, but I remember last year, in my old school, I observed several cases of bullying. There was this particular incident in which a close friend of mine was seen by me bullying a smaller boy in the school corridors. All this while, I had never suspected him of being capable of such a cowardly act. But, I suppose he never showed this dark side of him to me. I remember it was a Monday morning, just after the school assembly, when I was on my way to class that I saw the incident which left me with feeling of disgust. I saw my friend ( let's call him Jimmy ), twisting the arm of a first grader and demanding his lunch money. The little boy was seen sobbing away while grimacing in pain. I hid behind a pillar and watched the whole episode unfold. I didn't intervene because I suppose I was too surprised and remained rooted to the spot. I saw the little boy hand over some money to Jimmy. I heard Jimmy laugh and then roughly push the boy away. Within seconds, he swaggered away leaving the boy crying uncontrollably. I was in two minds in whether to comfort the boy ,but I, still believed that Jimmy was incapable of committing such a violent act.

Later that day, I confronted Jimmy about what had happened earlier and he sheepishly replied that it was all a joke. Despite this explanation as I had seen everything with my own eyes, I only wished that I had been brave enough and had the presence of mind to do something when the first-grader was being bullied. Somehow, I felt that it was my fault. I learnt never to trust Jimmy again after that day and hope that should I ever be involved in a similar situation, I would find the courage to speak out and stand up for what is right. The very least I could have done was to have reported the case to the school authorities. I believe that bullies are just cowards turned inside out and need to be educated and understood in order for them to change.


In my opinion, everybody is entitled to certain rights, especially the right to be educated in a safe and conducive environment. In order to ensure this, I have set up 2 goals for this year namely, to report any episodes of suspected bullying that I come across or has been related to me. I will then leave it to the relevant authorities to handle the problem as they would be in a better position to do so. Secondly, I have decided that , as a student of ISKL, I am duty-bound to look after the welfare of my fellow students and will , in future, speak out against all cases of bullying and school violence. To this end, I am committed to any campaign against bullying that the school may undertake and will do my utmost to ensure its success.