Everyone Belongs: Voices on Bullying & Mental Health

The topic of bullying was presented through interviews and class discussions from Diana Cabe’s Health Class students who created posters to help illustrate how bullying still is an important problem and issue in society today.

One of the many students interviewed, Mayara Nathan, defined bullying as “a big issue” and that her class focused on providing tools for “both the bully and the victim.” She went on to explain that her class provided examples of all the different types of bullying: “in person, cyberbullying, physical, and with words.” Therefore, bullying does not have to occur in person; there are also opportunities for bullying to happen online at home and during non-school hours.

Emotional impact was another of the most prominent themes. In response to the question of how bullying can affect a person’s mental health, Mayara described it as making someone feel “drained and worthless,” and further added, “it really takes the life out of you.” She also expressed that bullying can lead to long term problems for a person with “depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia.”

Student hand written quotes taken by Ms. Cabe during class were a great example of how personal these experiences truly are. Students stated things like “they would leave me out,” or “they would call me names for my hair color,” or “people would throw things at me and use slurs.” A student wrote, “They created a game to avoid me — it was like the cheese touch.” Another student shared, “I was bullied for being shorter than other kids in my grade.”

Many of the more serious quotes reflected, “I thought about suicide,” and “I wanted to go home and disappear.” These quotes reflect how bullying can have implications that go far beyond hurting a person’ s feelings; bullying can negatively affect a person’s safety, self-confidence, and emotional well-being.

The class poster titled “Be the Change” emphasized action. The class poster illustrated the “3 R’s: Recognize, Refuse, Report” and encouraged students to speak out against bullies. The poster also encouraged students to “stand up for yourself and for others,” “to respond quickly and to report what happened,” and “to stick with your support system.” The final statement on the poster read: “Everyone Belongs.”

A quote that caught the eye of the students, which was placed in the classroom, was “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” An interview quoted, “this quote illustrates how far kindness can go.” The overall message of the materials was clear yet strong: bullying is unacceptable and kindness should replace cruelty.

Ms. Cabe supported this message by stating, “Bullying is not acceptable and never will be.” She also described bullying as “a major source of trauma” that has the potential to produce “long-term psychological issues…not just now, but years later in life.” Ms. Cabe described bullying as producing anxiety, depression, and emotional harm to students that will extend beyond the classroom.

Although the topic of bullying is discussed frequently, Ms. Cabe stated that people do not always take it seriously. “If the behavior is derogatory and hurts that person, then that should be addressed,” she stated. Ms. Cabe also stressed that reports of bullying need to be handled immediately and that schools need to provide students with better mental health support, including daily availability of counselors. Ms. Cabe stated, “we cannot tell people how to feel…but we can change the way we handle it and attempt to reduce its negative impacts.”

Both students and Ms. Cabe agree that awareness, quicker responses to incidents, and greater support systems can assist in addressing bullying. The message of this unit is clear: bullying can profoundly and lastingly damage mental health. By identifying the signs of bullying, rejecting negative behaviors, reporting incidents of bullying, and promoting kindness, schools can create safer environments. The poster reminds us that “everyone belongs,” and change begins when we decide to be the difference.