Author takes message on bullying to Dist. 13
No matter how insignificant the actions may seem, schoolyard bullying is no laughing matter in Bloomingdale School District 13.
Bullying victim-turned-activist and best-selling author Jodee Blanco visited Westfield Middle School on Tuesday to share her story of being an angry, lonely school outcast, beaten down by years of teasing and rejection from her classmates.
Troubles for Blanco, 44, began more than 30 years ago.
As a student in the Chicago suburbs, she stuck up for a mentally handicapped friend who was being bullied by "the popular kids." The torment then was focused on Blanco and continued until she graduated from high school.
The pressure from the abuse peaked when she was a 15-year-old sophomore. Fed up with her tormenters, Blanco packed a butcher knife in her backpack before heading to school. But her mother saw the weapon and took Blanco to a hospital.
"The bullying got so bad, I got to the point where I realized I was angry enough to kill," she said. "I had a knife, and I was prepared to cut out the hearts of those kids that had damaged mine."
Throughout the years, students who had picked on Blanco denied they were bullying her. They were just joking around.
"It is not just joking around!" she exclaimed. "Bullying damages you for life."
Eighth-grader David Rzeszutko said he has never witnessed bullying to the extent described in Blanco's presentation but was moved by it regardless.
"It was really inspiring and drove home the importance of being nice to everyone and respecting people," the Roselle resident said. "It gave us all something to think about."
Seventh-grade language arts teacher Donna Marino was inspired to read Blanco's memoir, "Please Stop Laughing at Me," after witnessing some "borderline bullying" near the end of last school year.
"As soon as I put the book down I went to the computer and wrote her a note, never expecting a reply," Marino said. "Pretty quickly, she wrote back and told me I made her day. Now she's here spreading her message on the dangers of bullying to our students."
Blanco's presentation was the start of a yearlong campaign to educate District 13 students about bullying.
The author says the district already is heading in the right direction.
"I've given this presentation to more than three quarters of a million students, and I'm ranking this district in the top 3 percent for its positive and comfortable environment," Blanco said after Tuesday's presentation. "It's obvious that these students are comfortable enough with each other and with their administrators to be able to prevent any serious issues."