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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

We’re All The Same We All Need Kindness, Not Cruelty

Michelle Kelley Special To Opinion

In class last year there were these kids that were a bunch of jokers. There was this new girl that arrived one day. She had one eye that went in. A lazy eye, sort of. They called her “Cross Eye.” They said: “Get some glasses, you nerd.”

They then drew pictures of her and gave them to other classmates to laugh at. Most of the other students laughed at the pictures, but a few didn’t. Nobody said anything to stop the drawing and laughing because they either didn’t care or were one of the ones teasing her.

It made me mad and I told the kids who were laughing that what they were doing was mean. I said, “What if you got teased about something that was different with you?” Most of them said, “I wouldn’t care.”

I went over to the new girl and told her not to listen to them. I then made a new friend. We worked on school stuff together. We both liked that and that’s a big thing because most of the kids don’t like to work on assignments. The incident probably made us friends even though I knew I wanted to be her friend when she walked in that first day. We found out we had a lot in common. For instance, we both like animals.

All this stuff happened last year, when we were in middle school. I’m in high school now and I don’t think kids in high school are as immature. But they still tease and some of the things they tease about are obesity and the way some people talk like hillbillies.

New kids also get teased because nobody knows them and they think they act or look funny. I have been teased about my clothing and how I talked, because I used to stutter. It didn’t feel good, but I ignored them and went off with my “dorky” friends.

I wish kids would stop teasing other kids. It’s a waste of time. What is different anyway? Nobody is really different from anyone else. People tease each other because they like to be “higher” than someone else. It gives them a sense of power. People should become friends. And if they can’t, they should just leave each other alone.

I’m still friends with the girl who got teased; we don’t see each other as much because we’re not in many classes together. Now, in high school, the teasing doesn’t happen as much. I guess you sort of outgrow it. But also, in a way, you probably never do.

MEMO: “Your turn” is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a “Your turn” column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write “Your turn,” The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane 99210-1615.

“Your turn” is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a “Your turn” column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write “Your turn,” The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane 99210-1615.