Bullying: Different Ways We Could Stop It
By GERALD BETANIO
The Tower
MANTECA – You are walking to your next class after you have lunch with your friends.
“There’s a couple of students that always come to me. They’re looking for a safe space to be, and they are looking for a trusted adult that they can talk about the bullying problems. ”
While walking, you see one student has his hood on, hands in pocket, and is incredibly quiet, sitting on the bench.
You feel embarrassed to talk to him, but he feels scared to talk to anyone, and he is zoning out in the big crowd.
He is then seen by an adult, and they ask if he is okay. The student responds with the four words: “I have been bullied.”
Bullying is a major issue in workplaces, and schools, mostly elementary schools, and high schools around the world. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center’s website, students are targeted due to their own physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. The most common forms of bullying are spreading rumors and being made fun of and being called names.
On the same website, it is said that more male students report being bullied physically, while female students have been the subjects of spreading rumors.
Moe Khan, a VCC counselor at Manteca High, deals with students who have been bullied mostly due to their own races or religion.
Khan even said that when students are bullied, they can seek comfort and talk about it with a trusted adult, especially in his office.
“There’s a couple of students that always come to me,” counselor Moe Khan said. “They’re looking for a safe space to be, and they are looking for a trusted adult that they can talk about the bullying problems.”
When asked what signs to look for that could indicate a student may be experiencing bullying, Khan said that students experiencing bullying avoid crowds, and they could have their hood on.
“Students tend to avoid big crowds or certain types of crowds,” counselor Khan said.
To create a safer environment, students can have a positive bubble, meaning that they can build a group with much positivity.
According to The Tower survey, 62 percent of students believe that the school effectively policies bullying on all levels, while 38 percent of students are not sure if it effectively policies bullying.
A group of students walk in the halls of Manteca High School on December 16, 2025 (Alex Rizo/The Tower).
Sixty-seven percent of students think that MHS does not educate students enough on bullying. Only 24 percent of students said the school provides substantial education on bullying.
Bullying is one genuine issue that should be dealt with in schools and workplaces. Sometimes, people get depressed and their education can be affected by this. Currently, there are different ways we can deal with bullying, and other ways we can prevent this from happening again.
Seeing a trusted adult like a counselor or a teacher can be a way to prevent bullying. If a student has been bullied, and needs to talk to someone, it is always important to talk to an adult about it.
Another way is that if you see someone being bullied, or someone is bullying another person, report to an adult immediately. This can help deal with the issue rather than waiting for an adult to appear, as waiting for an adult to appear can escalate the situation.
Students can suffer from long-term effects of bullying. Some could include negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues, like depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, headaches, stomach aches, different attitudes, lower GPAs, and struggles with friendships.
If students have been bullied, there is a possibility that they could miss various school days, making their attendance very weak and can cause their grades to decline and they will not be able to graduate, or they could also drop out of school.