By Gracie Woodhouse - Year 10, East Otago High School
Imagine this. You're walking down the hallway to your next class. All of a sudden, three year 12 pupils push you against the wall and start hurting you mentally and physically.
People are walking past, completely ignoring the situation.
The bullies walk away, and you tell the teacher who says she will deal with it, but the same thing happens again and again.
The teacher must have talked to them, but the bullies didn't take her seriously. This is why I think schools need harsher consequences and more action to stop bullying.
Every day, kids are too scared to come to school because of situations like these, and they're missing out on important lessons.
Situations like these, that happen over and over again, can also lead to suicide.
Firstly, I believe that schools need better consequences for bullying, because many kids are suffering in silence while their bullies are getting away with it.
Some bullies bully kids in places at school where teachers don't go or can't see. Bullies also threaten the victims so they don't tell.
In this case, I believe schools should have security cameras in spots where no teachers go, and also in the playground.
This method is proven to work at Ashburton College, and I think schools and pupils would benefit from this method in more schools.
Secondly, more consequences should be brought into schools because some kids as young as 12 are committing suicide, while some people are ignoring the situation.
Suicide is second to car accidents as the main cause of death in New Zealand.
In the last year alone, 565 people died due to suicide, and that number has risen from the year before.
I think that shows parents, schools and the Government, that they need to control the suicide rate and reduce risk factors involved in bullying.
Finally, many kids are too scared to come to school because they are too scared to face their bullies, which means they are missing out on important lessons.
When a kid sits at home cowering in their bedroom, they might be missing out on a lesson which could be very important to their future career path.
That could possibly put them behind in their studies, and make it hard for them to catch up.
This shows why we need harsher consequences for bullying because it makes kids too scared to come to school, which means they could miss out on important lessons which could effect their future.
In conclusion, I believe we need better consequences for bullying because many kids are suffering in silence while their bullies are getting away with it.
Every day, kids are too scared to come to school and face their bullies. Also, serious cases lead to suicide.
I think harsher consequences would lead to happier and safer schools.
Imagine this, you are walking down the hallway to class and the bullies who picked on you the day before walk up to you and give you a smile and apologise properly.
You are now happy because the teacher has talked to them and they have apologised.
