Schools

Mill Creek Middle School Students Learn About Bullying

Dexter seventh and eighth grade students share their thoughts on bullying with poetry and prose competition.

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series featuring poetry and prose about bullying written by Mill Creek Middle School students.

Classroom bullying continues to be a major problem in the United States. To help bring attention to the issue, teachers at in Dexter conduct yearly anti-bullying programs.

The lessons are delivered in students' homeroom classrooms. Students learn about the effects of bullying, the emergence of cyberbullying, Matt's Safe Schools Law, the new anti bullying law in Michigan, and the power of bystanders or upstanders (those who stand up to bullying).

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mill Creek students were invited to submit a written piece to the school's anti-bullying committee. Writers were encouraged to write poetry or prose, fiction or truth. They were encouraged to take on the perspective of another character in the bullying equation to deliver a powerful statement. Five pieces were selected by the student committee. Some are true, some are fictitious. All were selected by peers for their poignant statements about bullying.

The winning entries will be published on Dexter Patch throughout the week.

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Story of the Devil Bully

By Sami H.
Grade 8
Mill Creek Middle School

Picking up the books again, they knocked them on the floor

It’s been nearly 13 months, I can’t take any more.

Hateful words fill my head, entering my ears,
From all the physical abuse bringing me to tears.

No one cares, no one loves me.
No one reaching out to hug me.

Rancorous feelings in my heart,
Wish I wasn’t here
Hoping for death to come
Relieve me from my fear.

At school again just the next day, and for what did I see
Is the devil army heading straight for me.

They rip the books straight from my arms
And beat me on the head
They say mean hatred words
Of wishing I was dead.

And through the hall an angel jumps to my rescue
He yelled at them with mighty words like, “Hey what’d he do to you?”

With teary eyes I gaze up high, while picking up my books
Making sure he doesn’t see me flashing him these looks.

Crouching down right next to me, he whispers so I hear
“It’s okay they’re gone now, you’ve got a great friend here.”

Feeling hopeful of the world, upstander just for me
My pain is healing quickly now, no more bad bullies.

Perspective of a Bully

By Lee R.
Grade 7
Mill Creek Middle School

I do it because I can
I hurt to feel better
When you scream I smile
What you don’t know is why
Why do I do it?
To feel better about myself.
I want your life to be
Worse than mine
But it can never be
Because I am a bully.


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