Take a stand against bullying

B ullying. It's a subject we've all heard a lot about.

All schools in Will County -- including mine, Reed-Custer Middle School -- are trying to stomp out bullying, but it will never happen.

Teachers who catch a bully in the act of punching, name calling or swearing will give the offender a detention. That's fine, but what happens when bullying occurs outside of school? It's not as if schools can have a secret spy monitoring all students 24/7.

And how about "sneak bullying"? That's when you see someone smirking, pointing, whispering and snickering.

You can't prove they're making fun of you, but you KNOW they are.

Surprisingly, bullying is more common among girls. I actually envy guys. They fight and 10 minutes later they're hanging out after school, best friends.

Not so with girls. Girls who bully hold a grudge for eternity.

Girls not only gossip and poke fun, they hit, push and give you "the look."

The look is truly terrifying. The girl bully has a big (fake) smile on her face. Her eyebrows are arched, and she has an evil glint in her eye. She's out for blood -- yours.

The best thing to do is to ignore the girl -- or give her the evil eye in return.

Trust me, it works.

I can't stand people who don't stand up for themselves once in a while.

If you're picked on, do whatever you can to show the bully your anger. Let them know you don't like it. That doesn't mean murder or violence. Just tell them how you feel.

If somebody says, "Move over, Fatty," say something such as, "I would if there was some room!" Sometimes, pointed humor helps.

I asked one of my teachers about bullying.

She asked me not to use her name, but she said, "Bullying will never be stopped. We can only take steps to improve the situation."

She is right. Unless we all turn into plastic Barbie dolls who look and act exactly the same (which is never going to happen, thank heaven), bullying will be an ongoing part of school life.

Next time you get bullied or see someone else being bullied, don't back down. It's a fact that bullies don't go after people who stand up to them.

Go ahead, instead of cowering, look the bully in the eye, squint and say slowly and clearly, "I don't have to put up with this -- stay the heck away from me."

Write to Justine Panieri at justineisverysmart@yahoo.com.