'Bullying Goes Start To Finish In Life'
But Washington schools are under orders from the state to try and stop what's called the "bullying cycle."
You either were a bully, knew someone who was bullied, or maybe you were a target yourself.
"They would just tell me I was ugly and stupid," says one student, who didn't want to be named.
"I had three black eyes, and was tripped down the stairs a lot," says Alex, who remembers being bullied in the 6th grade.
The targets usually accept being pushed around.
"I kept on telling myself that it was my fault," Alex tells KOMO 1000 News.
Maybe teasing and put-downs are somewhat normal for kids. But the problem with bullying is that it usually doesn't stop upon graduation.
"Bullying goes on start to finish in life," insists Jon Halfaker, principal of Washington Middle School in Seattle. His school and others around the state are devoting class time to educate the kids about the impacts of bullying, both now, and in the future.
"And hopefully at this age, if we can help them see it and name it and understand what it is, we can break that behavior cycle," Halfaker says.
"Bully Class" begins with ground rules.
"We agree to respect each others comments," says teacher Kathryn Ellison as she begins class.
The bulk of the conversation comes from the kids, who were asked to identify potential targets.
"People with disabilities," says one girl.
"Kids who are small or weak," says another
.
"Kids who are alone and isolated," says a third girl.
"Most kids who witness bullying feel like it's not right, but they also don't know exactly what they should do," Ellison says.
After three classes, are the kids willing to stick up for someone being bullied?
"In some situations I probably would, but most I'd probably be too scared to," says one of the students.
That may be disappointing to some, but the key is that at least the kids are talking about it, and perhaps that will cause someone to think twice before picking on the little guy.