Post by xx - The Broad Street Bullies on Sept 25, 2014 21:28:11 GMT -5
Hey guys, so as some of you may be aware, I'm a senior in high school, so the time for sending out college applications has arrived. The application required an essay and the topic was "Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."
In the end, I came out with my essay. 'm asking all the members here for their opinions, as I want to know what people who don't know me that well would think of it. All feed back, be it positive, negative, or just corrections is welcomed.
About halfway through 6th grade, things began to change. I went from having friends to suddenly being the kid no one wanted to be associated with. By 7th grade, each day seemed to be worse than the one before. There was no escape from the insults, taunting and abuse that stemmed from the bullies. In English class they flipped over my desk and when the teacher turned around at the commotion, all shouted "Brendan, why did you do that?" In Social Studies, they would flick wadded up paper at me from the back of the room. In the cafeteria, they would pretend to sit down at my empty table only to make a big production of seeing me and then moving on to sit with their real friends. I was so embarrassed and ashamed that I didn't tell anyone what was happening. The sense of dread I felt every single morning was debilitating; I couldn't bear the thought of spending another day enduring the taunts and insults. Sometimes I would refuse to wake up to my alarm clock and spent many mornings being shouted at by my frustrated parents. I would walk through the halls with my head down just praying everyone would leave me alone. All I wanted was to be left alone.
I finally admitted to my parents what was happening and they tried to work with the school to make things better. And while the outward bullying ceased, the subtle bullying continued. Spitballs were replaced by "Loser" murmured as I passed in the hallway. And somehow gum always ended up on my locker. I felt self-conscious and grew to be extremely insecure, even to the point where I needed to go to a therapist to be able to open up to someone. My parents and I decided that for high school I needed a fresh start and that's when every single thing in my life began to change.
I chose to attend (school removed from post). They talked a lot about being a community and respecting one another; I desperately hoped they weren't just words printed in a brochure.
Finally I had a chance at a new beginning. I met students who didn't have a preconceived notion of me. Students who didn't think I was a nerd or a loser because I liked math and spent my weekends playing Risk. Students who wanted to be my lab partner and sit with me in the cafeteria. Students who I had absolutely nothing in common with but still passed me by in the hallway with a smile or nod of the head. It was a school environment where bullying was not tolerated and it allowed me the opportunity to grow and learn and change. I made friends and joined the band. I auditioned for the drama club. I signed up for Model Legislature. For the first time in years I was excited to start each day. That constant sense of dread slowly faded away.
I did not deserve what happened to me in middle school. It was awful and in a weird way I feel so sorry for my 13 year old self. I had no way of knowing then that I'd become someone who was confident, comfortable and genuinely happy. I do my best to channel the pain from that time into empathy for others. I am always the first person to reach out to the new student or sit with the kid who is all alone in the cafeteria, or offer comfort to the student who is upset. I've learned the absolute importance of kindness and compassion. I know with complete certainty that those awful years shaped the person I've become. I'm grateful for what I know and how it's taught me to relate to other people who may be struggling and I know it is something I will carry with me always.
Again, just looking for feedback. Thanks for helping out, it means a lot.
~ Brendan
In the end, I came out with my essay. 'm asking all the members here for their opinions, as I want to know what people who don't know me that well would think of it. All feed back, be it positive, negative, or just corrections is welcomed.
About halfway through 6th grade, things began to change. I went from having friends to suddenly being the kid no one wanted to be associated with. By 7th grade, each day seemed to be worse than the one before. There was no escape from the insults, taunting and abuse that stemmed from the bullies. In English class they flipped over my desk and when the teacher turned around at the commotion, all shouted "Brendan, why did you do that?" In Social Studies, they would flick wadded up paper at me from the back of the room. In the cafeteria, they would pretend to sit down at my empty table only to make a big production of seeing me and then moving on to sit with their real friends. I was so embarrassed and ashamed that I didn't tell anyone what was happening. The sense of dread I felt every single morning was debilitating; I couldn't bear the thought of spending another day enduring the taunts and insults. Sometimes I would refuse to wake up to my alarm clock and spent many mornings being shouted at by my frustrated parents. I would walk through the halls with my head down just praying everyone would leave me alone. All I wanted was to be left alone.
I finally admitted to my parents what was happening and they tried to work with the school to make things better. And while the outward bullying ceased, the subtle bullying continued. Spitballs were replaced by "Loser" murmured as I passed in the hallway. And somehow gum always ended up on my locker. I felt self-conscious and grew to be extremely insecure, even to the point where I needed to go to a therapist to be able to open up to someone. My parents and I decided that for high school I needed a fresh start and that's when every single thing in my life began to change.
I chose to attend (school removed from post). They talked a lot about being a community and respecting one another; I desperately hoped they weren't just words printed in a brochure.
Finally I had a chance at a new beginning. I met students who didn't have a preconceived notion of me. Students who didn't think I was a nerd or a loser because I liked math and spent my weekends playing Risk. Students who wanted to be my lab partner and sit with me in the cafeteria. Students who I had absolutely nothing in common with but still passed me by in the hallway with a smile or nod of the head. It was a school environment where bullying was not tolerated and it allowed me the opportunity to grow and learn and change. I made friends and joined the band. I auditioned for the drama club. I signed up for Model Legislature. For the first time in years I was excited to start each day. That constant sense of dread slowly faded away.
I did not deserve what happened to me in middle school. It was awful and in a weird way I feel so sorry for my 13 year old self. I had no way of knowing then that I'd become someone who was confident, comfortable and genuinely happy. I do my best to channel the pain from that time into empathy for others. I am always the first person to reach out to the new student or sit with the kid who is all alone in the cafeteria, or offer comfort to the student who is upset. I've learned the absolute importance of kindness and compassion. I know with complete certainty that those awful years shaped the person I've become. I'm grateful for what I know and how it's taught me to relate to other people who may be struggling and I know it is something I will carry with me always.
Again, just looking for feedback. Thanks for helping out, it means a lot.
~ Brendan
= x2 (Rua, Liddel(current))
). But I would replace "wadded up paper" with "wads of paper", as it flows a little smoother, and in the context of that sentence, I don;t feel like you are looking for an intentional break in the flow at that particular junction. 
