Bullying in schools

Today, in my Child Pyschology and Development class we got into groups and discussed the topics of our papers. We could choose any problem children face in America, and I chose bullying. Theory and Practice has us focusing on a secondary audience, and adolescence is the age where bullying can become a serious problem. I read that it is most common in Middle School and I definitely agree. 7th grade was when I was harassed on a regular basis. Luckily, it never turned into physical abuse, but the girls who targeted me made sure that every day was a living hell. I lived in fear every day, wondering when it would turn physical, all the while becoming more and more self conscious. I was afraid of what to wear, what to say who to talk to. In reality, no matter what I did they would make comments, kick in my locker, or call me names.
I chose this topic because it is something I dealt with, but I also want to be prepared if it happens to my students or my own children. I don't remember a teacher ever saying a word. In 7th grade the girl who picked on me the most sat behind me in 3 classes. She said things out loud regularly, and I'm sure one of the teachers had to notice at some point. These were not bad teachers, but I don't think they were in touch with their students. They just wanted to move on to the next class period. It really got me thinking, what would I do if I witnessed one of my students harassing another? Or groups of them? My instincts tell me that I would let them know that such behavior is completely unacceptable. I couldn't live with myself if I let some child be victimized while I ignore it! However, just like when we make our lessons we need to consider everything, we must consider our actions in the realm of class discipline. We must stand up for all of our students and let them know we care about what happens to them! This includes the victims and the bullies! The children who are picking on others are dealing with  pain within themselves.
I look back and the girl who picked on me the most was from a broken home. I don't even know if her parents were alive, but she was constantly in and out of children's homes and staying with her aunt and uncle. She missed a lot of school and in 8th grade was gone for half the year. All of the other girls were pregnant by 10th grade, and by the time I was 17 I never saw them in school again. I am able to understand why they felt the need to make me feel terrible about myself. Things were not going so well for them.
This is precisely why we as educators must build relationships with our students. Get to know them, understand that they might be going through hell in or out of school. We can help prevent bullying by creating an atmosphere of acceptance. There are so many programs out there now helping to inform children and adults about this problem and giving tools to cope. StopBullyingNow!.com is an interactive website geared towards prevention and intervention. Rachel's Challenge is another program which includes workshops and awareness education. My fieldwork location, LaGrange Middle School has implemented this program. My group members today told me about peer mediation programs in their schools that seemed to help a lot. I'm so glad people are considering the severity of the situation, and realizing that bullying, whether physical, verbal, or electronic, can have a huge impact on a child's life.