On February 14th, I had the privilege to speak with the students at École Elsie Mironuck Community School in Regina (Saskatchewan). I was invited to share with the Grade 5-8 students the moving story of when I stood up to protect a fellow student in my school. For me, this story is still very emotional even after 40 years later. I witnessed the pain this student went through during Grade 7 to 9 and I did my best to protect him. Unfortunately, I was standing alone against the bullies and the bystanders. Still today my heart cries when I remembered how people choose to ignore the reality and pretend that nothing was happening. This action eventually leads to a dramatic conclusion of this story and today my desire is to share with the students the importance of protecting everyone who are struggling with intimidation. By sharing this story, I would like to encourage students to stand up for each other and end bullying by loving one another. To do so, I believe we need to encourage the older students to set the example for the younger students in order to make positive changes in their school community.
Step out of the box and Love one another even though society does not promote these values.
Terry
