Stories

DOOLY's WISH

Posted: 5/11/2012

My daughter Johanna has PDNOS and is on the Austim Spectrum. She was severely bullied at school. They stole her IPOD, took her money, made her do their homework, continually teased her to the place where she was the last into school, and the first out. Johanna never wanted to join any after school activities, because she could not enjoy herself, because she was always on edge, waiting for the next incident to start up.  Much of Johanna's problems, were her misunderstanding of  non verbal body language. She also had problems, accepting even a kind child’s reaching out, because she had lost her trust in her peers acceptance.

Johanna is very high functioning but struggles socially, especially within her own age group. Her appearance is almost completely normal, so many children saw her social struggles, her gestures as weird or different from the others, and did not have a kind heart and reach out to her. Part of the reason for the continuing of the bullingy, is because children with special needs, do not report the times that they are bullied.  They just want to be accepted, have friends, and not be called a tattletail.  They just want to be like everyone else.

As the years went on, we fought with our school district to do something to help Johanna enjoy school and be a typical student.  Eventually the bullying go so severe we had to hire and lawyer and remove  her from the school. When a child "hit her for not doing his homework" it took an violent act and a kind hearted lawyer that fought with all her strength, to get Johanna into another high school that was better able to handle children with her type of special needs.  Johanna went on to be happy, make some friends and graduate with honors
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Together with her talent for drawing and her story we created a website called DOOLY's WISH, that we hope to use to bring awareness to this issue. 

Johanna producted a T-shirt that we sell  to raise money to support our efforts to educate other children that bullying, especially a special needs child,  is just NOT OK.  We have wrist bands  that state "Stand Up for a Special Kid – Be a  Hero". Because of Johanna’s struggles, we are trying to help another child, aid another parent, and to "Start a Movement" to STOP the Bullying of a Special Needs Child.  

Johanna's high school has proudly produced a bullying video that stars Johanna and her story. We are so proud of this video that is now in the last stages of being finalized and will be shown in schools in our area.  

Parents do not know where to turn to help their children.  We are working hard to get the audience to tell her story. We want to start a movement to save a child. Dooly's dream is that no child has to endure the bullying that she went through just because she is Special.

By: Jo

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This Is MY Story

Posted: 5/11/2012

I have been picked on my whole life. You see, I have been diagnosed with something called ADHD - when you have a lot of trouble focusing and you have too much energy- and Bipolar Disorder- a mood disorder which can make you have mood swings (when your mood changes in a pattern) and with the version I have, it can cause severe depression.

I am a very sensitive person, and kids took advantage of that, and they bullied me so much I attempted to commit suicide. However, I didn't, and I got help immediately.

Teachers have also bullied me. There is something called a 504 in place for kids with disabilities, and I needed to have one in case I wanted to commit suicide again. But I made it through.

A lot of times I wished I didn't have what I have…. But no I know that even if you have a disability, you still aren't different from anyone else. You're a human being, and you deserve to be treated right.

By: Livie Love

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Hurting Yourself On the Outside to Kill the Pain On the Inside

Posted: 5/11/2012

There's this girl in the mirror, I wonder who she is.

Sometimes I think I know her and sometimes I wish I did.

There is a story in her eyes, lullabies, and goodbye.

When she's looking back at me I can tell . . . she's hurting inside.

She smiles with all that she has left, yet tears are left un-dried.

And though she's got so much to say, she bottles it up inside.

If you look past her broken eyes to a shadow no one sees, a disguise so you won't recognize, the girl is really me . . .

Sometimes the pain's too strong to bare. . . and life gets so hard you just don't care.

You feel so alone . . . you just sit and cry

I could go on with my day and act like everything is okay.

But as my life goes on it hurts more in every way.

You'll just never know . . . So many emotions I choose not to show.

How it hurts to smile.

How you try to fit in but you can't.

How you hurt yourself on the outside, to try to kill the pain on the inside.

By: Leanna

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EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE THEY MATTER

Posted: 5/11/2012

Sometimes i think to myself, why me? Do some people really lack that much self confidence that they have to say things to bring others down just so they can feel good about themselves? It tears me apart to read some of the things people have to say about others on Facebook, through texts, emails, twitter, etc., but yet they never have the guts to say it to one's face. If they only knew what the cruel things they say can cause one to think about themselves.

I have been bullied from pre-school up, but i also know that i can't let the bully know that they have one. That the mean things they have said or posted bother me. Because if i do it only seems to get worse! I'm not only trying to stick up for myself but for everyone who has been bullied in their life. It's not right, and it's time for a change.

Together we all can make a difference.

Put a stop too bullying and make every victum feel beautiful. Like they matter, and let them know they are perfect the way they are and not to let others actions or words bring them down.

Life is a gift, many people take advantage of that and they have so many insecurites the only way they know how to feel good is too only bring others down. If only the parents knew the things there children say to others, imagine how different things would be.

When my parents were in school they didn't have facebook, or cell phones to communicate. So if there was a problem they confronted the person. But in our time kids think they can get away with make rude comments to bring others down. In general this world is slowly falling apart. We have kids comitting suicide because of others actions. They know what they are doing is wrong but they think they are made of steel.

We are only human, and we are only as strong as our heart lets us. We all have emotions and they will pick on anyone until they feel so low about themselves they don't even want to leave there house. You should never judge one by there clothes, hair, shoes, grades, only because you don't have any idea how there life may be at home. If anything, you should try to support anyone no matter what the situation may be. Yes schools may have bullying programs, but they are not enforced  enough and i think they should be. Everyone should be treated like they matter. I'm ready to make a change, are you?

By: -carrington

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You Will Get Throught It

Posted: 5/11/2012

When I was in 8th grade I was bullied by my 4 best friends.  Or so I thought we were best friends until the one girl got the rest of them to turn on me.  It was boiling up and there were times where I had feeling where the one girl didn't really like me, but I didn't think she would go to the extreme that she did and get the other girls to turn on me too.

I was always a happy go lucky girl growing up. I had many friends and was an outgoing person always smiling. Not so much anymore. I was receiving threats through the internet about how worthless I am, what they were going to do to me, and heaven forbid, if I tell anyone it will get worse.

Oh, and when I showed my parents and they found out I was told "you crossed the line, you thought it was bad now, wait until you see what's next".  I was scared out of my mind to go to school. I was a straight A student, and then turned into someone who didn't turn in their work and dropping to Cs and Ds.  At this point I was scared out of my mind to go to school. Everyone looked at me weird because I was this depressed person that exploded at everyone.

I couldn't keep a friend anymore because I let my insecurities get the best of me. Who likes being around a debbie-downer? No one, and that's what I was left at. The school didn't care. The school told me they were filing my papers away with the proof which they actually just threw them away. I was told if they ever did anything to me in school to go to them immediately. Well the one girl attacked me in gym, I went to my counselor hysterical and she just sent me back to class and didn't even hear what happened. Uhm, what? Because the school made it look like nothing was wrong, I forced myself into thinking the same.

So when I was sitting in my room alone at night dreading school the next day, all alone, I didn't know what to do. I turned to self harm. From bottling all these emotions in because I didn't find it necessary to bring up to my parents or anyone because I was basically told its okay by my school I just kept to myself.

I cried myself to sleep almost every night. I cut myself constantly. I thought about how much easier it would be for me to just leave, run away and never come back, to just end my life right then in there.

Whats the use going everyday scared, alone, sad, depressed when I could end the nightmare that I was living in? I didn't though, and looking back I am so thankful that I didn't because I wouldn't be here today able to tell my story, and experience the things I have been able to experience since that time.

The bullying didn't stop until the police got involved. ;Still to this day that leading girl still finds anyway possible to terrorize me.

The bullying didn't only affect me. It also affected my family. My family has never been the same since. We use to be a close family, now we can barely stand to be with each other. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't blame myself for that. I was and still am very hard to be around, especially when I'm in one of my moods. It has torn my family completely apart.

The bullying has had long term effects on me that will probably stay with me my whole life. The first thing I have the scars that remind me everyday just what I went through and will never go away. I have major trust issues. I in affect push everyone away from me, including my family. If I don't trust myself, how can I trust anyone else? It's something I have been working on, and am slowly getting better at, but it takes awhile. The thing about this is that it has made me a stronger person. I'm a survivor of bullying, I survived and that the best thing about it. Despite all the relapses I have had and the times that I could have ended things, I'm here today... I'm a survivor. If you are sitting there reading this and your a victim of bullying, your a survivor, or you are surviving bullying at the moment and even though you may feel weak you are strong, stronger than you can ever imagine.

My goal in life is to reach out and help others. I'm going to college and studying psychology and criminology in hopes to a career path to help victims.I have a story to tell and this is where I am starting. I won't stop until I make a difference in at least one person's life.

KEEP SURVIVING, IN THE END ITS WORTH IT. YOU CAN CONQUER THE WORLD, YOU CAN CONQUER YOUR DEMONS, YOU CAN LIVE ON TO TELL YOUR STORY. KEEP SURVIVING AND REMEMBER, IT GETS BETTER!!!

By: Anonymous

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Ribbons Against Bullying

Posted: 5/11/2012

My name is Cami and I am 14 years old. My friends and I have started something called Ribbons Against Bullying and domestic violence. We have been starting out small in our community. We wanted to spread and branch out and we wanted to help donate to your organization.

Recently, I performed in a version of High School Musical Junior and my director Buddy Reeder made an announcement at all of our shows about the ribbons. We sold 52 ribbons. We sell them for 50 cents each. We earned 26 dollars and we wanted to help your organization by donating about 25% - 50% of the profit to you.

We are just starting out but we want to help and make a difference so badly we can almost taste it.

By: Cami

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Don't Kill a "Mocking" Bird

Posted: 5/8/2012

She taunts me,
her pecking call
digging into my soul,
Hitchcock style.
But cage the rage
of my bully,
and set free
the sweet melodic,
independent tone
of my lifted wings.

By: Submitted by: Patricia A. Hawkenson Gr. 6 Language Arts Instructor

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Don't Kill a "Mocking" Bird

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NOBODY

Posted: 1/18/2012

Walking through the halls all shaken and scared,
She covered her face thinking no one would stare,
Staring into her eyes,
I could feel the pain, the sorrow,
The feeling she felt as if she was nobody,
She had the look on her face as if she felt like vanishing,
Disappearing,
Running as far away as she could,
Knowing that no one would notice because she held the name, Nobody,
Looking at her,
I cringed inside,
I wanted to cry,
Just knowing I was that girl before,
I knew how she felt,
And I was in her footstep,
Feeling like no one could help,
This wasn’t fair,
No one should ever have to go through life feeling like no one cares,
We should put bullying to a halt,
It’s not fair to hurt those people, who aren’t at fault,
I look back at that day in such amaze that I went through that horrific phase,
The threats,
The harassment,
The dreaded feeling of just wanting to be liked,
I remember that day of 6th grade when I was betrayed,
I was left for the other’s who took all my friends away,
Making it clear that no one wanted me to stay,
I was so depressed I just wanted to scamper away,
Surrounded by people I thought were my friends,
Until the bullying started and didn’t seem to end,
Those who once stood by my side,
Slowly but surely went by my way side,
How does this happen just out of the blue,
How could one person cause all this to do,
It’s scary to think that in just a quick flash,
Life as we know it can turn in a dash,
I went through it all day after day,
Until I learned to keep what I thought put away,
No more will I repeat what others say,
Now once and for all I stand tall and help others who are about to fall,
Together we can stand hand and hand,
Making a difference united we stand,
Standing up tall for what we believe,
Together we can all succeed.

By: Taylor

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A Poem for Those Who Think Bullying is Cool

Posted: 1/18/2012

This poem is for all of those who think bullying is cool and to let those being bullied know that those who bully often have their own weaknesses and pick on others to feel better about themselves.

Cyber bullying just give them a way to hide.

So all of you who are being bullied – remind yourself- these people are no better.

For those of you who are bullying – it could be you....so cut it out – step up and step in and stop the bullying.

Cyber Bully

You hide behind your keyboard
    cowardly disguised
hateful words spewing forth
    with the distance it provides.

You prattle on feeling oh so brave
    while you shred another to bits
seeking to elevate yourself
    but you’re really not legit.

You prey upon their weakness
    yet you have your very own
come out from behind your keyboard
    stop texting with your phone.

Because the pain of another
    is nothing to laugh about
you’re not so brave, you’re not so cool
    when you’re hiding out.

By: Deb

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I Always Remember

Posted: 1/18/2012

i am a girl from Chicago Illinois but i live in a little town in Mexico when i first got here i was 6 years old since then i been bullied for many reasons:

1 - cause i was born out of marriage
2 - cause my mom is single
3 - cause my skin color is darker than everyones here
4 - cause of my body shape
5 - cause i am really tall
6 - cause i am from USA
7 - cause i wanna be an actress
8 - cause i like to write and share my thoughts
9 - cause i'll like to write a book some day
10 - cause i love to sing

They say that i should go back to where i come from,.

when they started with all that i broke and i'll cry for nothing all day. suicide was always an option in my mind, i din't killed my self cause i though my mother will break down cause she always said i am avery thing she has.

But there was some one that helped me, my best friend.
he is a man we practically grew up together so i love hem so much like a brother, he alway was there and  he started to make me trust and believe in my self.

right now i am in 9 th grade and i work part time in a bullying prevent house.

my best friend turned into my boyfriend and we work together in a bullying prevent campaign

and now i always remember:

IT GETS BETTER!!!!

By: Alexis

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