Gosh I thought I'd had a bad time with bullying until I read some of the replies here
.
I got picked on for behaving, I was 'teacher's pet' because I wouldn't rebel, misbehave, be a nuisance, answer back, or get into trouble. I obeyed the school rules and respected them, never yelled down the corridors or outside, didn't smoke, swear, drink, take things to class which weren't allowed or get caught behind the bike sheds as the rest of the class did so I was seen as Miss Goody Two Shoes, and due to this most of the other kids either poked fun at me, teased me, wouldn't speak to me as I wasn't 'cool' enough or tried to get me into trouble as I was so against doing so myself. I didn't mind not being spoken to, infact I used to try and stay silent at the back in the hope of not being noticed as it was better than being relentlessly teased.
The boys I found quite horrendous, they knew I was shy and extremely upstanding and principled so deliberately acted indecorous and crude to try and get a reaction and the girls weren't much better as they encouraged them. They seemed to see being respectable as scornful and stupid. I remember one day while the class was waiting for the teacher to arrive to the after break lesson, a boy who'd been sort of fixated on me for weeks grabbed me and pinned me against him and the wall. All the other boys egged him on which was sadly no surprise, but I was shocked to realise that the other girls, my so called classmates, were doing the same, not one of them told him to stop it or tried to help me as I struggled to get him to let me go, all they did was tell him to 'get it done quick before the teacher comes', which thankfully she did, but I've always wondered what would have happened if she hadn't. I couldn't even tell her as I knew none of them would have backed me up and they'd have only been worse with me then for being a tell-tale. I did make sure never to stand alone outside the classrooms with them again though, instead I would stand around a corner out of sight until the teacher arrived.
I've always been taught never to let someone see how they've affected you as they'll know the chink in your armour, instead smile and laugh to hide it, but I found a lot of the time I just couldn't fake a laugh. I hated my school years because of most of my classmates, I dreaded going in most days, and avoided school outings and trips as I couldn't stand the thought of being trapped in the bus on the way there with them. I pretended I didn't want to go - to the point the teacher offered to pay thinking we were short of money! - I didn't mind missing out the yearly end of term trip but I secretly did want to go to the plays and art gallery visits I turned down. There was only 4 or 5 of us left in the whole school on end of term trip day though so I really enjoyed those days as I could relax. I used to think often how I wished it had been different or that I'd had other classmates because I did love the teachers along with most lessons, and some classmates were ok, just a shame others weren't. I don't think anti-bullying policies really work either, our school had them, didn't mean you wouldn't be picked on as soon as a teacher was out of sight.
Society Member
I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶