Everyone,
at one time in their life, has been the victim of bullying or even
been the one bullying others. Parents, teachers and adults have their
different opinions of how to eliminate the bullying problem: some say
to simply tell an adult, some say return the favor (bully them back),
some say to ignore it. As a person who is deaf, I have grown up in the public
school mainstream environment and I have dealt with my fair share of
bullies. Ignoring the bullies solves nothing. Returning the favor
solves nothing. No surprise here, but telling an adult solves nothing
as well. The only way you will eliminate the bullying problem is by
standing up for yourself. My bullies didn’t understand why I had to
wear hearing aids, so they made fun of me. It wasn’t until I stood up
for myself, in a respectful and nonviolent manner, and explained why I
had to wear them that they stopped. Some kept bullying me, but it
didn’t matter since I had solved the problem and it no longer affected
me. Some even became my friends and gave me much more respect.
Knowledge really is power! I thank God daily for His many blessings, one
of which is making me deaf-perfect in His eyes.
