Solar shares his experience with Lunar, speaking of bullying and harassment, that is one of common problems faced by students, highly concerned by educators.
Solar: Speaking of bullying and harassment, it's crucial to understand the reason a student is targeted is never their fault. If a student is targeted is to be blamed, he may require professional support to walk out the shadow of bullying and harassment.
The moon sprinkles a strand of moonlight, that penetrates branches leaving a shadow.
Lunar watches branches shadow, thinking of campus bullying and harassment.
Lunar: Go ahead.
Solar: The responsibility entirely lies upon the bully. However, the bullies often choose their targets based on perceived differences or vulnerabilities.
Lunar: Perceived differences?
Solar: Appearance, race, religion, gender identity, disability, and socioeconomic status, all of these can tell perceived differences. Being different is being targeted by the bully.
Lunar: Perceived vulnerabilities?
Solar: The poor, the week and the lowly, who have little power to fight back, would be easily targeted by the bullies.
Lunar: How can students deal with bullying and harassment?
Solar: It takes strategies to deal with bullying and harassment.
Lunar: What kind of strategies are they?
Solar: Immediate response strategies and long-term response strategies.
Lunar: Immediate response strategies?
Solar: Stay calm, use fogging or non-reactive responses, use with caution, walk away and get to safety, don't fight back physically, all of these strategies can avoid the bully, and help students to stay in safety.
Lunar: Long-term response strategies?
Solar: Report it properly and save evidence.
Lunar: How can they report it properly?
Solar: Tell an adult about what happened? Who was involved? When and where did it happen? How long has it been happening?
Lunar: What if the adult ignores this case, what should he do?
Solar: Tell another adult. Keep telling, until someone helps.
Lunar: If they learn these strategies. Nothing they can't handle with, can they?
Solar: There is one more thing that they should learn about. There is a kind of bullying, called cyberbullying.
Lunar: Cyberbullying?
Solar: Cyberbullying is bullying and harassment in the internet.
Lunar: How can students deal with cyberbullying?
Solar: Don't response or retaliate, block the bully, save the evidence, and report it.
Lunar: What kind of question did you ask about bullying and harassment?
Solar: When I stood in front of them at teaching platform, through the window of eyes, I looked upon them, someone looked the chubbiest, someone looked the loneliest, someone looked the weirdest, those of them looked easily getting bullied. I asked of how many of you have ever felt the threat of bullying and harassment?
Lunar: How many of them have ever felt the threat of bullying and harassment?
Solar: Wow, all of them.
Lunar: What kind of essay was assigned to them?
Solar: It's an essay about bullying and harassment. Imagine yourself during the case of being bullied. Ask yourself what is the case that you are involved with? Why are you targeted by the bullies? How can you deal with bullying and harassment?
Lunar: May you please tell me some of your students' works?
Solar: After climbing down baobab, the others called me spider kid, and a guy who was bigger in seize, got in my way. I was told that I couldn't pass through this way, unless I could climb through under his pants. I said fuck off, and then I was bullied by the bully. I dared not fight back physically. I only reported this to my elder sister. In the other day, I saw the bully avoiding to walk on the same way with me. Zombie Brother.
Lunar: Zombie Brother?
Solar: Zombie Brother was a chubby naughty boy. His appearance was chubby, his character was naughty, and his response to the bully was unwise.
Lunar: What is the case that he was involved with?
Solar: The case that he faced was campus bullying.
Lunar: Why were he targeted by the bully.
Solar: Because he was called as spider kid, smaller in seize, and easier to be bullied.
Lunar: How did he deal with bullying and harassment?
Solar: Don't fight back physically and report it.
Lunar: What did his sister do after hearing her brother being bullied.
Solar: Revenge.
Lunar: Revenge?
Solar: Zombie Sister was the weirdest one among them, but nobody dared bully her. Because she was also the strongest one among them. She broke in the swimming gym, where the bully was swimming with his group. She didn't fight them physically, she just summoned some crocodiles, throwing them in the swimming pool. They were just small crocodiles, but they were in favour of biting their things down there.
Lunar: Wow, what a cool girl she was.
Solar: There's no wonder that the bully would be avoiding him in the other day.
Lunar: The next essay, please.
Solar: The case that I was involved with was not in the reality, it was in the interest. Cyberbullying was worse than campus bullying, because rumors in the interest spread all over the world, and there is no secrets for this small community. In this community, everyone knew the rumor that I am a gay, and everyone looked at me with special eyes. My reputation was ruined, my life was screwed, and my explanation was meaningless. Because people tend to believe what the many believe. I reported this cyberbullying case to the police, and they helped me to refute the rumors. A few weeks later, people forgot the rumors, and I came back normal life again. Lonely Prince.
Lunar: Lonely Prince was the loneliest one among them, wasn't he?
Solar: Yes.
Lunar: What is the case that he was involved with?
Solar: The case that he faced was cyberbullying.
Lunar: Why were he targeted by the bully?
Solar: He was the loneliest one among them with no backup. Being left out made him be noticed by the bully, and his loneliness encouraged the bully to spread his rumor.
Lunar: How did he deal with cyberbullying?
Solar: Report it and call the police. He took screenshots of evidence, which was the crucial proof, and handed the proof to the police. The case was concerned by them, and the rumor was refuted by the bully's public apology.