Middle school student shares her experiences to help others

When she set out to raise awareness about bullying, Avondale eighth grade student Bailey Babinski didn’t know that statistics on the website stopbullying.gov indicate that between 1 and 4 and 1 in 3 students in the U.S. say they have been bullied. What she did know was that sometimes intentionally or unintentionally kids can be hurtful.

“Sometimes it starts as a joke and a way for kids to fit in. Sometimes people don’t realize how mean they’re being until they think about it later. I’ve made fun of people without thinking about it and I’ve been made fun of. I hid my feelings when it was happening and then I would cry about it later when I was alone.”

“I remember the first time it happened to me. Some of my friends were looking at an art project that we had done and they were making fun of a particular piece. They didn’t know that it was mine until they turned it over and saw my name on the back. They didn’t seem to care at all that they hurt my feelings. It was like they didn’t know they were being so mean.”
The incident stuck with Babinski and she grew apprehensive about going to school - a red flag for her mother that something was wrong. “When I pressed Bailey for a reason why she didn’t want to go to school she shared her experiences with me and opened the door for us to have some relevant conversations about how she felt about school, her classmates and most importantly about herself,” said Bailey’s mother, Rebecca Barritt. “It took a while to work through her anxieties but she is now in a healthy place and wants to share her story to help others.”

Babinski decided to compile a book of poems, lyrics and personal accounts written by her and some of her classmates. “I told everyone they could be anonymous but most people signed their work. It made me think they were serious about sharing their feelings and that the things they wrote were true. I didn’t even make many spelling changes or correct any of the typing mistakes. I wanted their words and their feelings to be exactly what was in their hearts.”

The books were assembled using donated binders and distributed around the school. Avondale Middle School Counselor, Jill Amico keeps one of the books displayed in her office where students can stop by any time to look through it. “There are so many strategies and resources and people for our students to talk to about bullying. This is a different perspective though. It’s powerful because it was put together by kids and for kids. It really shows the students that they are not alone and that there are a growing number of their peers willing to speak out about this issue.”

Babinski hopes her book sends that message, “no matter what you think, you are not alone - reach out to someone, talk about it, write about it – people will listen.”