Mrs. Karen Slimick Arnpriester

Slimy Mrs. Karen Slimick Arnpriester

Slimy is the painful account of my experiences as a bullied, isolated and humiliated child. My journey of abuse began in the fifth grade and continued through the ninth. I chose to share my story so that others will understand how bullying can damage and alter a child?s self- image. How we learn to tolerate injustice and mistreatment as if we do not deserve anything better. A belief that can alter a lifetime. My story is sad and filled with powerful memories that affected who I became, but my story is not unique, many children are targeted and suffer quietly without an escape. Every school has bullies, children that are angry, hurtful people who are allowed to control and determine who has value and who does not. I believe that a solution to the rampant epidemic of bullying will need the involvement of parents and teachers, but the most effective resolve for this growing threat will require a student body that chooses not to tolerate bullies and the pain they inflict. The true power belongs to the students who passively watch. These students empower the bullies through their silence and apathy. I hope to encourage the bullied child, inspire the student body to make a difference and expose the fear that bullies operate through.