Andy Berlin: Bullied and harassed, a student can't learn

The Legislature should act on a bill that would direct schools to protect children who are viewed as different.

By ANDY BERLIN

Last update: March 24, 2009 - 10:17 AM

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I feel lucky these days that I can worry about normal student things, like whether I'll be able to pass my chemistry test. I used to worry about things besides academics.

When I was in sixth grade, students began to notice I was different and started calling me homophobic names. By eighth grade, I was experiencing verbal, physical or sexual harassment almost every day. Several older students would follow me around, taunt me, grab at me, then ask me if I liked it. I felt humiliated and became very depressed.

My grades were deeply affected. Instead of focusing on my schoolwork, I merely wanted to get through my day without being bullied. I was often late to class because I'd wait until the other students were out of the halls. I was afraid to ask for help, for fear of bringing attention onto myself. If a teacher offered to help me after school, I rarely stayed, because I wanted to get out of school as quickly as possible. I skipped school at least once a week.

Although one teacher and the school psychologist were very supportive, not all staff were proactive in making the school safe. The assistant principal said he felt sorry for what I was going through but implied that I'd brought the abuse on myself by choosing to be homosexual. Most teachers seemed afraid to speak out against homophobic slurs.

In 10th grade, I transferred schools because I couldn't take the pain anymore. I now attend the Perpich Center for Arts Education, a school that strictly enforces rules about harassment, including harassment due to sexual orientation. I'm thriving now that I'm attending a school where I feel safe. I've been able to come out of the closet as gay; my grades have improved, and I feel respected by both my classmates and my teachers. College hadn't felt like an option before, but now I realize I deserve the opportunity to continue my education and have been accepted to several universities.

However, I am constantly thinking about the many students who still face harassment. Without the protection of those in authority, students who are viewed as different are vulnerable. They might be different because they have a disability or were born in another country or because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

To me, the Safe Schools for All bill, under consideration in the Legislature, is not political but personal. I know that getting a good education is simply not possible when you're in an environment where it's not safe to be yourself. Passing the bill would mean that schools would have to have effective antibullying policies, and teachers would have to be trained in how to effectively intervene when harassment occurs.

I want the students who still face harassment to know that the bullying will stop because our Legislature says it must. I want them to be able to start worrying about their chemistry tests instead of whether they'll be spat on while walking down the hall. I want their grades to improve, too, like mine have.

I want the Legislature to stand up to the bullies so that students can do what they're supposed to do, which is learn.

Andy Berlin is a senior at the Perpich Center for Arts Education. This commentary is based on his testimony before the Minnesota Senate Education Committee.

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