Stand Up, Fight Back

This is the story of a little boy in being terrorized by bullies every day. It started on the bus with verbal taunts by bullies to all kids. Everyday they systematically made their way around teasing everyone. When it was my turn for ridicule, I tried to ignore them and hoped they would go away. Eventually the bullies pushed further and more aggressive in their attacks to get a reaction. As they increased pressure, I would retreat further into a dark hole of emptiness to get away. This drove them more and more to hurt me. Eventually I caved and started to cry. Once the tears started coming I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was suffering and the pain was deep in my soul. It was a huge victory for the bullies to get a victim to cry.Later, the attacks became more frequent and more physical. They would slap my head, flick my ears, punch & poke me. They would pull my shoes off and even throw them out the bus window. And the bullying made it's way off the bus and into school, the schoolyard and even out in public places. I couldn't get away. No matter where I went there was a chance those boys would find me. Whether it was in the woods behind our neighborhood, the mall arcade, grocery store or sledding hill behind our church. They were everywhere. Constantly hunting and tormenting me. At least I assumed I was their mission in life. I lived in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder. Always worried they were coming for me. As a 9 old boy, no one should have to live life believing they're being hunted. The level of PTSD I was experiencing is far too much for anyone of that age to deal with. It led to bedwetting, nightmares and a severe lack of focus in school. I was always a bad student. Nothing made sense to me and I couldn't figure out why I was failing. Teachers said I should be held back a grade, some labeled me ignorant or learning disabled and others made fun of me in front of my peers. Needless to say I hated school and life. My book details the plight of bullying that goes on every day in schools all over the country. You'll hear details about how I was systematically broken down to the darkest lows where a soul could go. I discuss failures of the system along the way as I was being bullied. The Bus Driver that saw it all, the principal that heard from my mother about how I looked getting off the bus being beaten to finally the bully's parents denying any wrong doing of their son. Many adults knew what was going on but none did much about it. I conclude the book with details on how to fix the epidemic. It won't be easy, we'll never wipe it out completely. But we can take a stand against bullying and have to do it together. We have to start now. The first step begins with parents. Parents need to get real selfish about the welfare of their children and demand accountability from the schools. Schools need to put aside politics and get real about bullying. Kids are not a statistic that should affect budgeting or ratings. They're kids. Teachers and school administrators have custody of our children for about 1/3 of the day and bear responsibility to ensure their safety and their upbringing. Work with the parents and get solutions that work for all in these matters. Lastly we need to work with children and teach them self esteem and personal accountability. For those that are bullied, we need to show them that they can protect themselves. They have that right and they should always fight against aggression. For those that bully others, we need to pull them aside with parents and school administrators and figure out why they are conducting themselves in that manner. It may be for a multitude of reasons. But we have to dig deep and know that we can help even those that torment others. Our mission in life should be to ensure the next generations have a better opportunity for growth and success. Bullies come at us from all walks of life and from all age brackets. We need to resist and put and end to it.
About the Author: Jeremy M. Burke has recently published a book detailing the story of his childhood when he was bullied on almost a daily frequency beginning when he was 9 years old. The story begins in fourth grade while on the bus. Some older kids spent their time on the bus ride and to and from school tormenting all the younger kids. When it was Jeremy's turn in the gauntlet he was unprepared to face the level of terror these older boys inflicted on everyone. Throughout the story you'll hear how he tried to escape further into a subconscious dark place to run away from his fears. As the weeks and months went on it escalated and went from verbal tormenting to physical abuse. These years of terror turned him into a lost kid who somehow made it through the turmoil of adolescence without killing himself. He lived every day in fear and these fears expanded and followed him every where he went. Jeremy was constantly on alert and always looking over his shoulder for when the bullies would come for him again. His story is a wake up call to the parents of the world to get involved in their children's lives, learn what's going on and don't take lip service from anyone that says they'll take care of it. And this is also for the teachers, administrators and any other adult at schools to put aside the political correctness and stop protecting those that are tormenting others. If you're going to take a stand then take that stand! Don't just say you are. Jeremy's parents decided when he was in eighth grade to take him out of the public school system and enroll him in the Jesuit run Canisius High School in Buffalo. After Canisius, Jeremy graduated from another Jesuit institution, St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Upon graduation, Jeremy was commissioned as an officer in the US Army and served in the National Guard and Army Reserve including one tour in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is married to his wife, Thea and father to two twin girls, Erin & Fiona, currently attending high school as Sophomores. Jeremy has been a small business owner and entrepreneur. Currently he is the head brewer at Steel City Coffee House & Brewery. Additionally he has recently founded a new business, Follow Me Leadership, which focuses on speaking and mentoring kids and adults to combat bullying in life and encourage others to Stand Up, Fight Back and live with a Follow Me mentality.