Stories from My Youth: X - Matthew the Bully
Grade 6 is a rather memorable year, not for the usual good successes and triumphs. Something usual happened: to my own surprise, I was actually targeted by a bully!
My grade 6 class was one mixed with both grade 6 and 7 students. As a result, the two grades work on projects together, read together, and play together during recess and lunchtime. Whenever there is an age difference among youngsters, the older one is automatically superior. It is one of those unspoken laws out there.
For some reason, that year I had become a target for this grade seven boy named Matthew. I had never figure out why, and now I can only recall moments of his harassment. There was a time when he smacked me twice in the face with snowballs. There was another time when he pushed us grade sixers off the basketball court so he could play with his friends. Then another time he called me "bugar man" after a field trip; that actually caught on and for the rest of the year the grade sevens called me by that. The worst time was again at the basketball court. Again he was pushing us (well, more like me) off the court. I pushed him back and we almost fought.
I didn't understand that Matthew was bullying me. I could not understand why he did that. During the "bugarman" period, it was a really important period. I saw myself getting labeled by that name. Soon, he came up with a few other kinds of names too. I did not tell my teachers, because the unspoken rule is that we take these things in our own hands. But I did not know what to do. All the other instances are fine - the pushing and the violence. But name-calling is just a cheap shot.
I guess Matthew never did realize how much name-calling can hurt people. I had a tremendous internal struggle. I had to be strong. I cannot cry in front of him. I toughen up myself and lasted through the year.
During this time, however, I did find out who are my real friends. There were many who stood by me, defended me and supported me. I thanked them for that. Others were mere followers. Perhaps they were afraid of not conforming, and conformed at my expense. This was also the first time in which I came to study the social structure of our schools. I found out that there are three types of people: leaders, followers and loners. The objective for each student is to not be a loner. Both Matthew and I were among the leaders. Perhaps he felt threatened and had to move me down to the loner section? But thank goodness that never happened.
I suppose the point of this fragment of my elementary school life is that it is important to be strong and persevere. If I had not been strong, I could never become the person as I am right now. Instead of being traumatized for life by this, I now can laugh at this, and tell everyone: remember me? I was the bugarman!
My grade 6 class was one mixed with both grade 6 and 7 students. As a result, the two grades work on projects together, read together, and play together during recess and lunchtime. Whenever there is an age difference among youngsters, the older one is automatically superior. It is one of those unspoken laws out there.
For some reason, that year I had become a target for this grade seven boy named Matthew. I had never figure out why, and now I can only recall moments of his harassment. There was a time when he smacked me twice in the face with snowballs. There was another time when he pushed us grade sixers off the basketball court so he could play with his friends. Then another time he called me "bugar man" after a field trip; that actually caught on and for the rest of the year the grade sevens called me by that. The worst time was again at the basketball court. Again he was pushing us (well, more like me) off the court. I pushed him back and we almost fought.
I didn't understand that Matthew was bullying me. I could not understand why he did that. During the "bugarman" period, it was a really important period. I saw myself getting labeled by that name. Soon, he came up with a few other kinds of names too. I did not tell my teachers, because the unspoken rule is that we take these things in our own hands. But I did not know what to do. All the other instances are fine - the pushing and the violence. But name-calling is just a cheap shot.
I guess Matthew never did realize how much name-calling can hurt people. I had a tremendous internal struggle. I had to be strong. I cannot cry in front of him. I toughen up myself and lasted through the year.
During this time, however, I did find out who are my real friends. There were many who stood by me, defended me and supported me. I thanked them for that. Others were mere followers. Perhaps they were afraid of not conforming, and conformed at my expense. This was also the first time in which I came to study the social structure of our schools. I found out that there are three types of people: leaders, followers and loners. The objective for each student is to not be a loner. Both Matthew and I were among the leaders. Perhaps he felt threatened and had to move me down to the loner section? But thank goodness that never happened.
I suppose the point of this fragment of my elementary school life is that it is important to be strong and persevere. If I had not been strong, I could never become the person as I am right now. Instead of being traumatized for life by this, I now can laugh at this, and tell everyone: remember me? I was the bugarman!
posted by Tristan at 10:33 p.m.
1 Comments:
Hey... as a general comment on ur whole series... they were quite enjoyable. Really nice. I wonder if i would able to pull writing something like that off, only problem is that u seem to REMEMBER ur childhood so vividly, whereas mine is even more harder to grasp at than some of my dreams. Bleh... i can't believe u were more of a leader type when u were young. Bugar man, i think i'd like to call u that in the future... but wat's it supposed to mean? And yah, i enjoyed the camping one... lol. That was really funny and cute.
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