Think before you tease

By Emily Carden
Sherman High School

Let’s face it, teens make fun of their peers. They start fights, spread rumors and intentionally say things they know will hurt someone’s feelings.

Almost everyone is on the giving or receiving end of this teasing at some point in his or her life. So why do teens do it?

“When teens ridicule other teens, they feel better about their own faults,” said Sherman junior Janie Wilson. “It helps to improve the image they have of themselves.”

But would teens still make fun of other teens if they knew what some of their peers went through at home? Would it affect how they treat a person at school if they knew that that person had a less than ideal home life?

Sherman junior Amber Estep thinks so.

“There are people who will try to be friends and that can decrease people’s anti-socialism,” she said.

Not everyone is willing to be so kind, though.

“I think people might be slightly nicer to the person [when they’re face-to-face], but as soon as that person’s back is turned, they’re going to make fun of them again,” said junior Jessica Kirk.

Wilson believes that it all depends on whether or not people identify with the student’s problems. “If the teen could identify with the problem, it would make a huge difference, but if they couldn’t, then they wouldn’t understand,” she said.

School, however, is often a place for abused teens to escape, offering a seven-hour refuge from their home lives. But what happens when these students are bullied at school, too?

“They would have to be less mentally stable,” Estep said. “Having to deal with physical abuse at home, then emotional abuse at school would take a toll on any kid.”

Regardless of a student’s home situation, Estep tries to be kind to him or her. “I treat everyone as good as I can. I’m a big follower of the Golden Rule. I try to live by that.”

It might not always be easy, but try to stop and think about how your classmates feel before teasing them. Remember, everyone already has problems. Do you really need to add to them?

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If you are being bullied, you do have options. You can talk to a trusted teacher or counselor at school or report the incident to the principal. If you’re not comfortable doing that, confide in a parent, family friend or other responsible adult.

You can also visit www.bullystoppers.com/Report_Form_Print.htm to get a form to anonymously report bullying at your school.

If you are being abused at home or know of a classmate who is, you can report it by calling the national child abuse hotline at (800) 4-A-CHILD or the state hotline at (800) 352-6513.