Student, fed up with bullying, writes President Obama and gets inspiring response.  Student Ziainey Stokes from West Philadelphia wrote a letter to President Obama about bullying in January. The 11-year-old was fed up with being a victim after several years of abuse at two schools.

“I wrote that some people don’t care if you get bullied or not, but I do care,” Ziainey said.”

Zianey Stokes has been inspired  to start her own anti-bullying organization.  Excellent!

Full story at NBC Philadelphia

Article on bullying at Yahoo and Live Science has some interesting points about how children will often be judged based on their ability to respond to cues from their peers and the world around them.

From the article:

“Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a child’s behavior that can lead to social rejection.

The factors involve a child’s inability to pick up on and respond to nonverbal cues from their pals.”

And further:

“When children have prolonged struggles with socializing, “a vicious cycle begins,” Lavoie said. Shunned children have few opportunities to practice social skills, while popular kids are busy perfecting theirs. However, having just one or two friends can be enough to give a child the social practice  he or she needs, he said.

Parents, teachers and other adults in a child’s life can help, too. Instead of reacting with anger or embarrassment to a child who, say, asks Aunt Mindy if her new hairdo was a mistake, parents should teach social skills with the same tone they use for teaching long division or proper hygiene. If presented as a learning opportunity, rather than a punishment, children usually appreciate the lesson. “