Bullying, as we know, takes place in multiple forms. However, the way bullying takes place starting from elementary and moving on towards high school is different, as our brain and body develop. The level of understanding, processing, and experience of bullying is different throughout the multiple stages of schooling. The way that bullying comes about and originates differs upon how the victim is able to absorb or defend the bullying. As children, the way we saw the world was completely different when compared to how we see the world now. As we progress, we develop many different ways to think and react differently, and also to cope differently.

Keep this in mind as I discuss my journey over the next couple of blog posts. In Alberta, Canada, Elementary is defined as K-6, Junior high as 7-9 and High School as 10-12 in terms of grade levels.

When bullying occurs, we are encouraged to tell our teachers and/or parents. The result of that are discussions that take place between students, parents and teachers. Such that, we are told that it isn't nice, it's not something we should do and that if it does occur, to report it. However, one thing that they didn't teach us or inform us about is retaliation. It is possible, that at a young age, we may not fully understand what retaliation is, but to discuss this concept with children, I believe, is very crucial. We all know that in elementary, we move up every grade with the same classmates, if not, that's how it occurred at my school. By about grade 2 to 3, I was picked on, so the opportunity to be bullied again by the same individuals was present. Believe me, I was not the only victim. They also alluded to name calling and assigning those names to certain classmates. For example, 'tattle tale' was being overused in the class by so many, yet the teachers didn't do anything to stop it as they told themselves that we were just being kids. It didn't break me, nor did it strike me to act this time to report it, as I found my classmates to actually be accepting, they worked with me, and last but not least, they agreed with me at times. That feeling of acceptance and acknowledgement was all I needed. It really was all I needed because, by about grade 4, I learned to ignore the hateful things that certain individuals spewed not only towards me but towards others as well. Teachers were present and nearby in many cases where such acts took place; they obviously were not deaf to what some students had said as they would even look over at times. In the end, they chose to let it happen naturally. I felt at times, if a teacher had stepped in and actually and said something, it would've shown that they cared for their students and that they were there to help us if something similar were to occur again in the future. In the end, by ignoring all the nasty things that these individuals have said, I regained control and composure of myself. But, only for a short term.

Moving forward to grade 5 and 6, they changed. Could this be a form of retaliation? The way that I was treated by other classmates was evidently troublesome, as I wasn't someone that they would come find to talk to, I wasn't someone that they could look up to, and I wasn't somebody they treated nicely like the rest (yes, life isn't fair). I was actually being used, I was abused for how I chose to be myself, and, later on, I was excluded from the group I was most close with. This may have happened naturally, but at the same time, they showed signs of hate. However, there is this one day that I will never forget and I just won't. There was a huge traffic jam on the north side of the city that day and I arrived late at school. I walked into the room and the unexpected, yet expected happened. I was asked by this person (a classmate at the time) why I was late, and I told him the reason. He then went on to say: "why did you even come/ show up?". I was intrigued by it but as I built a tolerance to bullying, I let it go. An important thing to note is that the teacher was in the same room and nearby. Somehow, they let slide as if they hadn't heard it. I had a feeling that something similar would occur as I was being driven to school. How did I have that feeling? That's simply because I was abused, mistreated and from their past actions of bullying, I was able to predict what could happen in future scenarios. The takeaway from this is: why do teachers not step in to say something? Why treat it as 'they are just kids'?

So, that's that. That was my elementary life. I graduated elementary school with people I was abused and bullied by. 

While this did take place years ago, I am fully aware that teachers have gone through professional development and have attended conventions, where more emphasis is placed on the topic of bullying. In my opinion, what's being done is still isn't enough. To this day, bullying still occurs, reported or unreported. The discussions that take place between students may not be in-depth or thorough. However, I am delighted that junior highs and high schools have taken the role of informing and talking to students about bullying, especially on days like Pink Shirt day. For now, take notice of how bullying is handled in elementary, take notice of how easily it is brushed aside, and take notice of how little the teachers actually care as they aren't able to decipher when a student is being bullied. As always, there are two sides to a story, or there is information that is left out, but in retrospect, the pieces that I left out, don't affect what happened at the end of that day.

Authors note: I know I did not discuss in depth about the idea of retaliation. This will take place in my future blog posts.

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