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Dreams In a Restroom

Being bullied is not a dream.

By Martina R. GallegosPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Picture Credit: Anthony Delanoix Courtesy images.unsplash.com

There are youth who are naturally timid and introverted, and there are youth who are outgoing and extroverted, but either type can be destroyed by blatant bullying.

Now, if the blatant and vicious bullying isn't enough, the blatant disregard and disrespect from school administrators towards victims' safety and well-being seals the destructive effects of bullying.

For example, wrap your mind around the following scenario:

A female student learns she's being cyber-bullied; she checks out the site and discovers the horrible content of the bullying. School administrators learn of the incident and use their AP system to warn students to stay away from the site and request the person who posted the contents to take them down; the problem is, the incident is announced school-wide and students rush to check out the site.

The female victim begins to be further bullied by every student who comes in contact with her in hallways, the cafeteria, classrooms, around campus, and off campus.

The victim's demeanor quickly goes from a happy, cheerful, and outgoing person to a fearful, insecure, I-hate-school-and-principal-torn-young-lady, and what a sad and terrifying effect that is, as it also affects the family unit. If that were not not enough, site administrators admit no wrongdoing in their handling of the situation, nor do they offer the victim any kind of support. The victim's academic and social performance take a downward spiral hit, and her behavior also becomes very aggressive and dangerous to self and others.

The victim has been an outstanding, straight A student since preschool, but has now lost all confidence in herself.

We'd hoped we'd never hear this kind of story again, but unfortunately, schools seem to be the seeds of bullying and administrators become repeat offenders.

Another straight A, shy young man began to show a remarkable change in behavior and demeanor and his academics were also taking a toll.

Parents would show concern and inquire about the young man's feelings, but he'd never share anything but simply said "everything was fine." Because of age, the school neither shares nor discusses anything related to the young man, making it more difficult to seek help or support.

He started hiding in his room, wearing sunglasses, and changing his physical appearance. He stopped talking and going out with friends, except occasionally.

It was obvious he was being bullied, but refused to share incident(s) with parents until he could take it no more and disappeared after claiming he was going shopping and didn't return; both students attended the same high school under the same administration.

Laws that are meant to protect somebody's privacy end up putting those same people in extreme and irreversible danger.

Law-enforcement are more than willing to comply with this type of law than they are in actuality trying to help victims or find missing young people.

Watch out for young people who have a sudden change in personality and/or behavior, spend too much time online, isolated, are not as communicative, don't sleep well, don't eat well, and neglect personal hygiene.

At this point, victims of bullying can't be approached or interrogated abruptly, because the entire attempt at communication will be counterproductive. They need time and space to process their situation, feelings, and plans to solve their own challenges; do offer love and support, but patience is much more important at the moment.

Many times, parents are left alone to deal with this nightmare, and they become private detectives going from this place to the other and calling every possible place in the planet; the responses they get are rarely the kinds heart-broken parents would expect, but they keep seeking, visiting, emailing, and making phone calls.

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About the Creator

Martina R. Gallegos

Ms. Gallegos came from Mexico as a teen; she went to university, and got her teaching credential.She graduated with her M.A. June 2015 after a severe stroke. Works have appeared in Silver Birch Press, Lummox, https://poetry309.wordpress.com

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