6068 bullying series part 3 bullying upstander

“I am an upstander: I intervened to stop the bullying”, by
Sydney Davis
Physical and verbal bullying can never be fully eliminated from schools. Teachers only have limited control; the
students really have the power to suppress the abuse. In the past, a person who stood up for the victim or told an
adult was called a “tattle-tale” or “snitch.” But times have changed. Today, one attempting to halt the actions of a
bully is considered an “upstander,” which surely carries a more positive ring. I have had several experiences as an
upstander; yet, one stands out.
During a free period at school, I was sitting in the lobby near a group of boys. One of the boys, Eric*, suffers
from Tourette syndrome, causing him to twitch constantly. Eric is well liked, and, to my knowledge, had not
experienced any bullying because of his disorder. Yet, while I was sitting near these boys, I overheard Eric’s
friends poking fun at him, possibly just a little too much. One of the boys, Colin*, said he would pay Eric twenty
dollars if he could go a minute without twitching. I was bothered by the comment, but I knew Colin and Eric were
friends, so I opted to mind my own business. A few minutes later, I turned around to witness many of the boys
mimicking Eric’s quick spasms, laughing hysterically. Eric forced a smile and some fake laughter, but it was clear
he was uncomfortable. To me, the boys were crossing the line.
I waited until Eric walked away to confront his friends, not wanting to embarrass him. I calmly approached the
group of boys and asked why they were taunting their friend. Laughing, they said they were just kidding and that
Eric was used to it. I explained that, from my experience, even though he acted unaffected, the teasing and
taunting hurts. I revealed that when I was in lower school, my friends would occasionally joke around and tell me
I was fat. I always laughed it off, but it really got to me, and also made me extremely self-conscious regarding my
weight. As I was speaking, the boys seemed to understand where I was coming from. Their eyes became
sympathetic as they realized what they had been doing. With some help, they realized that sometimes, when
someone is your friend, you fail to sensor yourself appropriately.
The line between taunting and teasing is thin, and it is easy to unknowingly cross it. With this in mind, it is
important to keep other people’s feelings in mind, and to stand up for what you believe is right, even if it may cost
you a bit of your popularity.
By Sydney Davis
/>
A) Say who or what the following words refer
to.
1. who----------------------------------------2. one ----------------------------------------3. him----------------------------------------4. he------------------------------------------5. he------------------------------------------6. he------------------------------------------7. it--------------------------------------------

B) Match the words on the left with their equivalent on
the right.
limited ●
● restrain
suppress ●
● entrance hall
stood up ●
● go into spasm
lobby ●
● disturbed
twitch ●
● defended
bothered ●
● false
fake ●
● partial


C) Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1. Sidney, the author of the text, bullied her classmates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Teachers fully control bullies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Nowadays it is accepted that teenagers defend others from bullying.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Sidney has got some bullying stories to tell.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. She suffers from Tourette syndrome.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. The author of the text thinks one should do what we think is right, even if that implies losing some of your friends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D) Answer the questions about the text.
1. According to the author, who can really help preventing a student from being bullied?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. How do we call a person who helps a bullied student?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Why was Eric bullied?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. How did he react?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. What did Sidney, the upstander, do when she realized the situation Eric was in?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Explain the meaning of the following expressions:
a) “Their eyes became sympathetic as they realized what they had been doing”.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------b) “The line between taunting and teasing is thin”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E) Topics for discussion.
1. What do you know about bullying?
2. Why do students bully other students?
3. What can we do to protect ourselves from bullies?
4. Have you ever been a victim of bullying?
5. Which punishment should a bully have at school?
6. Would you defend someone in trouble, like Sidney did?