Classroom Bully

In the picture, a student at the back of the classroom has thrown something at the student sitting in front, and the others nearby are laughing. The student in front is hunched over his desk and not turning around, which suggests he is trying to ignore it. I think he feels embarrassed and quite upset, because being laughed at in front of the whole class is humiliating. What I also noticed is that the teacher is facing the whiteboard and cannot see what is happening.

In Primary 4, there was a boy in my class whom others teased about the way he spoke. Most people just laughed along, and I am not proud to say that at first I did too, without really thinking about it. One day I saw him sitting alone at recess looking miserable, and I realised that what seemed like a joke to us was not a joke to him. After that I stopped laughing, and I made a point of sitting with him sometimes.

I feel the student should act rather than wait. The simplest thing is to help the person directly, such as picking up what was thrown or asking them to sit somewhere else, since even a small gesture shows the victim they are not alone. If the bullying continues, they should tell the teacher afterwards, privately if they are worried about being seen. Most importantly, they should not simply laugh along, because a bully usually stops when the audience stops.