4 . In my class in high school, there was a girl who was considered the most unpopular. No one actually knows how this exclusion came from, but we all followed it for no reason at all. One day after lunch, we girls sat on the track field, talking about things that happened in our lives. Someone brought her up, and soon the topic transformed to laughing at the funny hairstyle of her, the stupid way she walked and....I felt extremely uncomfortable but kept silent, because I didn't want to be the one “supporting” the common enemy. After all, it's just a short gossip time among a trusted group of friends; why should I bring unnecessary tension?

Suddenly, one of my friends pointed her finger towards somewhere behind me. All of us turned around and saw that exact girl, hand still in the air, with a twisted (扭曲的) look on her face. She lowered her hand in slow movement, then turned around and ran off. For a second, I wanted to stand up and chase her down to tell her that no one meant what they said, and that she is an amazing person being who she is. But my legs felt so heavy, I didn't want to make a fool out of myself - why bother taking care of the class clown (小丑)? People would think that I was crazy as well!

A few weeks later, the teacher told us that a classmate dropped out of school - it was that girl. Her parents told the school that it was the peer pressure that made her want to leave. The teacher wanted to know who the bully (霸凌) was. Again, no one spoke a word. Perhaps it was exactly this cold, hard silence that drove her away. I certainly did not raise my hand. I had never even said anything bad about her; it was my friends who loved to make fun of her every day. Surely, I didn't bully her physically or with my language, but I kept silent when others did. By failing to stand up for her and offering her support, I was giving agreement, which made others think that it was okay to mistreat her. Perhaps if I had realized I was wrong earlier - instead of convincing myself that I had nothing to do with her leaving, I wouldn't have to bear the burden of heavy shame on my shoulders.

5 . What should you do if there’s an earthquake at school? How can you protect yourself when you are caught in a stampede(踩踏)? March 25th this year provides you with a good chance to learn about safety.

This day is called the National Day of Education on the Safety of Elementary and Middle School Students(NDESEMSS). The theme of the day this year is to give students more knowledge about safety and make sure their lives safe.

A survey done by the China Youth and Children Research Center showed that school accidents kill more elementary and middle school students than anything else. The main accidents come from stampedes, earthquakes, fires and sports injuries(伤害).

What can we do to keep ourselves safe? Staying calm(镇静) is the first and most important rule when facing accidents. But different accidents have different self-protection advice.

A stampede is possible anywhere. The larger a human crowd gets, the more likely stampedes become. When students around you begin to push, stand still and try to hold onto something, or stay in a corner until the crowd leaves. If you fall down in a moving crowd, cover your head with both hands.

Lean to one side, curl up your body and bend your legs.

Earthquakes are common natural disasters(灾难). When you feel the ground shake, drop down, take cover under a desk and hold on. You should stay indoors until the shaking stops. If you are outdoors, don’t stay near buildings, trees or power lines.

When there’s a fire, follow the teachers’ instructions, leave the classroom quickly and use a piece of cloth to cover your mouth and nose so that you don’t breathe in smoke.

7 . Ways to Be Safe in School

School safety problems involve more than violence. It may also include such concern as natural disasters, illness, fire and local emergencies (紧急情况).     1    

Have a plan

Teachers and students should know where to go and what to do in case of a school safety problem.     2     Schools can also post instructions in each classroom with simple pictures pointing out emergency exits, fire extinguishers (灭火器), and other emergency equipment.

Screen visitors

    3     Give school visitors temporary badges (证章) to identify them. Fit cameras at all entrances and limit access as much as possible. Ask teachers and hall monitors to stop anyone in the halls without appropriate identification.

Panic buttons

Provide teachers with panic buttons in classrooms so they can ask for help immediately. Provide clear and brief instructions about use and immediate response when started.     4    

Establish a hotline

Establish a hotline so students can report crimes and dangers. Post the number in obvious locations so students can often see it.     5     Establish a student discipline committee, and develop programs for newcomers and victims of bullying (欺凌).

9 . Rosie Dutton, a teacher from Relax Kids in Tamworth, UK, used two apples to show her students the damaging, and often unseen,consequences of bullying(霸凌). And her post about the powerful lesson has gone viral.

Rosie Dutton explained that during one of her classes she introduced the children to two red apples. What the kids didn't know was that before the lesson, Dutton had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor. And yet, on the outside at least both apples looked perfect. "I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, that I thought it was disgusting, it had a horrible colour and the stem was just too short," Dutton wrote.

She then encouraged the students to do the same. Some of the children looked at her as if she was "crazy", but the students passed the apple around the circle, calling it names. Continuing the exercise, the teacher then passed the second apple around the circle. This apple, however, was showered with comments like: "Your skin is beautiful", and "What a beautiful colour you have."

Dutton then showed the students both apples once again, highlighting that "there was no change; both apples still looked the same . "

That is, until she cut them open. "The apple we'd said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy inside," she said.

There was, she said, an immediate "light bulb" moment for her students. "They really got it. What we saw inside that apple, the bruises, the mush and the broken bits is happening inside every one of us when someone mistreats us with their words or actions."

Dutton explained how important it is to teach children to stand up for one another, and to stop any form of bullying. "Let's create a generation of kind caring children," the teacher wrote." The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words."

10 . The effect of bullying (欺凌) can be serious and even lead to tragedy. Unfortunately, it is still a mostly researched area.

    1     That year, two students with shotguns, both of whom had been considered gifted and who had been bullied for years, killed 13 people, wounded 24 and then committed suicide. A year later, an analysis by the US government found that bullying played a major role in more than two-thirds of the campus violence.

    2     Numerous invaders throughout history have tried to defend their bullying behavior by claiming that they themselves were bullied.     3     Although there is no justification for bullying, many of the worst humans in history have indeed bullies and victims of bullying.

Since bullying is often ignored, it may provide an important clue in crowd behavior and passer-by behavior.     4     Many of them have suggested bullying as one of the reasons of this becoming less sensitive to violence.     5     In this sense, bullying affects not only the bullied but his friends and classmates and the whole society.