Blessed through Bullying

Written By: Elizabeth Rockey

The sneers, fears, and tears are just the tip of the iceberg of bullying. Whether standing silently in the crowd or out of the crowd, bullying isn’t an easy thing for either “team.” Ninth grader Tarra Rotstein can testify to these things and was tired of not doing anything. Tarra felt that nobody stood up for what was right, so she decided to take a stand. As an eigth grade student, she was given the opportunity and tools to create a Public Service Announcement. She produced, “Just Kidding Can Hurt,” a brief commercial about how she has been effected by bullying.

“Chicken legs! You’re a freak!You’re stupid! You’re fat! You’re anorexic! You’re ugly!” These were some things shown in Tarra’s video. Each time an insult is shown someone says, “JK! Just Kidding," as if that takes away the feelings left by them. The words freak, stupid, fat, anorexic, and ugly wrinkled across the screen along with a plain white sheet. “JK does NOT take away from what you say. The hurt is still there just like the creases.” The powerful imagery is a reminder Tarra says that there is a little bit of truth in everything. Whether you know your friends well enough or not, tone can tell what’s true. “JK does NOT take away from what you say.”

Have you ever experienced pain and shame because of bullying? Sitting in a classroom with the same twenty-four students, for four years in a row, Tara had no place to go and no friend to turn to. She had never connected with any of the girls in her class. Merriam-Webster defines bullying “to treat abusively; to effect by means of force or coercion.” The snickers and Facebook just added to the bullying. Tarra's teasing began as early as third and fourth grade.This was real. Tarra felt upset and hurt. She wasn’t “just kidding.” She shared these feelings with her parents were upset by this treatment. Each morning when boarding the bus, Tarra felt there was only one friend she could trust.

Meeting Tarra, you would never believe that being a victim of bullying was part of her past. She is a confident and bright student, who always has a smile on her face. Her interests include riding horses, swimming, and playing basketball. Many things have come out of her experience, including the opportunity to share her message with others. Tarra gives the impression that she was blessed through bullying.

The International Student Media Festival, Excellence in Media Production and Judges Favorite award winner, also has won the prize of sharing her experiences with others.  Tarra says that sometimes the people being bullied, actually turn around and begin to bully others.  Others who make the situations worst are the bystanders, people who just stand there and do not try to stop what is happening.  The one message Tarra would share with those being bullied would be to know that “you are not alone.”

If Tarra had to do it all over again, she would tell someone about the bullying. This experience will influence her for the rest of her life. She is looking forward to living life and watching out for others now that she has overcome this experience.  “You never know,” Tarra gushes, “they just might be your boss one day.” Tarra has been blessed through bullying. Bullying, saying mean things, or just kidding can make or break a person’s day and have long term effects. Here with our St. John family, we want to encourage one another and build each other up so everyone can have a great, bully-free, St. John day.

Click below to check out Tarra's Public Service Announcement, "Just Kidding Can Hurt." http://photobucket.com/blessedthroughbullying