Featured Stories

Below you will find stories on school-aged violence that we've collected from this website. Please feel free to share your own story by visiting our story submission page.

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Monsters by: Safiya Washington

People could argue that monsters weren't born they were made
Some of you may consider me a monster because of what i have done
it's about time you opened your eyes to the bad things that happen here
We all know i didn't get here by myself, I'm the product of my environment
Our environment
You made me
all of you made me
the enemy was always supposed to be an outsider
not the mom who punishes you for never being tough enough
not the kid sitting right next to you
throwing spit balls at the side of your head
the kid that decided to rip your homework up when the teacher asks you to pass it forward
not the first grade teacher who couldn't help you
the 6th grade teacher who told your mom you needed to learn to fight
man up
if you can't beat them join them
become them
they'll find a different target if you do
but that doesn't change anything does it
become the problem we don't have a solution
all I've ever known are enemies
You sit here and say how could this happen?
but how could it not?
what did you expect? they had to make up for the life they stole from me somehow
You say how could this monster kill my son
my daughter
my nephew
my boyfriend
you say this is a tragedy
and maybe for you it was
but where was all this support when my tragedy began
where was this support when it could have saved our lives
where were you then
i just wanted it to stop
all i wanted was for it to stop
they started it
for years
in every aspect of my being
I couldn't walk home without fearing for my life
so maybe this was a bad thing
but bad things happen in cycles
i didn't start this one
You look at me and say i'm a monster
but what were your kids?
you mourn them
but did you even know them?
would you mourn them if you did?
would you be calling me the monstor if you did?
They started this
They made me this
This is their tragedy to own
I will not own this
I did not start this
I just ended it

Bullying Must End Now
In this video, a volunteer at The Attic, Philadelphia's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth center, interviews a number of youth as well as staff members to discuss their experiences with bullying and what teachers and educators can do to address this issue. In partnership with The Attic's Bryson Institute, the video was developed to train students and teachers in the Philadelphia School District on how to work with LGBTQ youth.

Angel Wings
Watch an 11th-grader perform a spoken word piece on bullying.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the stories on this website do not necessarily reflect those of Goodwin College or Drexel University. They should be understood as the personal opinions of the author.