Unit 1, Activity 2:When Strangers Come To Your Town

             Bullying is a very common thing these days. There are many different forms of bullying; verbal, physical, cyberbullying, etc. The truth is, we've all been bullied, bullied someone or were a bystander to a bullying incident at somepoint in our lives. When I was in grade 6, I was a bystander to a bullying incident. This one girl in my class, had been bullied for all of grade 5 and it was still happening when she started grade 6. A group of boys at my school thought it was funny to call her rabie girl and if she touched them they'd act like they had rabies. Unfortunately, at this time in my life I didn't do anything about it. I just stood there because we weren't friends and I didn't think I needed to be involved. I just sat there, I watched her feeling distressed and I watched the boys bully her. They continued to verbally bully her for a quite a while until one day her parents got the principal involved. Remembering how upset she was and seeing her whimpering due to their ignorant actions and crude comments only makes me wish that I was aware of what being a bystander meant at the time. If I could go back in time, I would. I would stand up for her and tell the boys to leave her alone and if that didn't work I would go to an adult for advice and help. There have been many times in my life where I have experienceed being bullied, maybe even bullied someone without realizing it and have been a bystander to a bullying incident. I only hope one day, that we can all be aware of the different forms of bullying and stop this viscious cycle.