By Max Le
Ten-year-old Max Le shares his story about the first time he faced bullying and what he learned from it.
Today, I’m going to tell you my story of being teased and bullied. This is a TRUE story. My name is Max Le. I am in 5th grade and I’m 10 years old. My bullying problem started in elementary school in first grade. I have never forgotten this moment.
It all started at lunch, when I opened up my lunchbox and saw that my Grandma had packed sushi rolls (rice wrapped with seaweed). My grandma is the best grandma IN THE WORLD. Since my family is Vietnamese, my grandma makes amazing Vietnamese food. But sushi isn’t Vietnamese; my grandma just likes to make it for lunch because it is quick and easy. At lunch, a girl in my class teased me saying, “You are weird. What is that food?” I started crying and crying, but I didn’t want to tell anyone. Then, a teacher came over and asked me what’s wrong. I told her, “She teased me about my sushi.” My teacher got really mad at the girl and gave her timeout.
When I got home, I told my parents about what happened, and they started to get scared. They asked me questions like, “Are you ok?” and “Was it scary?” They really cared about me and were scared I went through it. They soon called my principal to tell him what happened and that my Grandma’s lunch food was amazing. The next day, my principal complimented my lunch and I felt a bit better. After a month, I went back to eating sushi rolls.
It really was good to experience it all, so I can help other kids not to be bullies, and also help protect them from bullies’ words. Sometimes, one small moment can help you realize A LOT. If the bullying didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be able to share my experience with you today. Now as a 5th grader, I want the WORLD to learn, especially people who are treated differently or bullied, that you can tell someone you trust and feel better. Sad and happy are like the yin and yang, and you can be who YOU want to be.
THE END of my story…
But not yours.
Join Max and share your experience with #ActToChange: info@acttochange.org.
Take the #ActToChange pledge against bullying and learn more at ActToChange.org.
