Kids Helping Kids

Story Scenario 3:
During class one day, a group of students were sitting together talking when Hannah
heard three older kids bullying another boy, Dave. At first she could hardly hear their
harassment, but when Dave didn’t respond they became louder. Now everyone
heard them, but the class pretended not to hear. Finally, they decided to throw
spitballs at him and this was when Dave went to the teacher (a substitute) to
complain. The substitute told them to stop, but they didn’t. Dave asked for a hall
pass and raced out of the room. Hannah had been trying to ignore what was
happening, but when she saw Dave leave she couldn’t take it anymore and so she
stood up and yelled at the others. She pointed her finger at them and said, “This has
got to stop. This has got to stop! Look at what you did to him! Look how you hurt
him! Cut it out.” There was dead silence in the room. Then Hannah’s best friend
started clapping. Then the entire class began clapping loudly for Hannah.
Aggressor:
Target:
Kids in the Middle:
Story Scenario 4:
James was the kind of boy who loved being in plays and playing the piano more than
playing sports, and that is how he spent much of his time after school. Most of his
friends in the fourth grade were on the soccer team and really liked to win. In the
early spring, the fourth graders started playing soccer in gym. James often missed the
ball, and when he would get near it, his teammates would steal the ball from him. All
the boys started laughing at James after gym and during recess. They began to call
him “piano boy.” On the playground they would call him names and then run away
from him; even some girls started calling him “piano boy”. When his classmates knew
a teacher was around, they would just silently move their fingers like they were
playing the piano. James started to get stomachaches after lunch so he didn’t have to
go to recess and then started dreading going to school. After about a month of this
taunting, his classmates decided to pick on someone else and left him alone. But the
damage was done. James decided not to try out for the spring play and begged his
mother to let him quit piano lessons.
Aggressor:
Target:
Kids in the Middle:
©2006 The Ophelia Project ®
Kids Helping Kids - 39