Transcript
SPEAKER 1
Your head’s on fire.
SPEAKER 2
Ugly.
SPEAKER 3
Ginger. And then any vulgar word you could put in there.
ANDEE JORDAN
They would deface my work.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 3
I’ve had bust lips. I’ve had black eyes. I’ve been kicked.
ANDEE JORDAN
They’d deliberately turn away from me.
SPEAKER 1
They would whisper under their breath or giggle whenever I spoke in class.
SPEAKER 2
She found my weaknesses and then she just chipped and chipped and chipped and chipped.
ANDEE JORDAN
It wasn’t until my drama teacher actually kept me back at the end of a lesson one day and just asked me how I was. If she hadn’t done that, I don’t think I would be here.
How you carry it is kind of different to each other. What kind of tension level is he going to have in his body? [INAUDIBLE] voice, which is much more like this.
It was really hard, and I didn’t actually realise how hard it was going to be until I started. And then just as the story came out, as it poured out, as I was remembering other things that were going on at the time, it just-- yeah, I think I don’t think you ever get over it. You learn to deal with stuff, but as you’re talking about it, it kind of hits home again.
SPEAKER 3
It leaves you feeling empty. Alone, despite the fact that there’s loads of different people can talk to about it.
SPEAKER 1
I felt like I’d rather not go to school. That I didn’t want to see anyone. That people could find all these faults with me.
ANDEE JORDAN
A number of students in my Year 10 drama class actually pulled me to one side and they were like, ‘Miss, thank you so much for sharing. It’s great to hear your story. I hope you’re OK now.’
And since then, you see a marked difference in their behavior in the lesson. They’re much more encouraging. They can see how just a small world, a small action can really impact on someone else’s life.
MELANIE COTTON
I thought that if I could get a group of staff that the students know quite well to talk about things that they’ve never talked about before in front of the students, it might just change that relationship to one that’s even more communicative so that they can use us if they need us.
SPEAKER 4
It just makes you feel like they’re doing this because they want to do it for you to protect you and to help you.
SPEAKER 5
And the fact that they stood up in front of the whole school shows that they really are amazing people and that anyone can get through bullying.
SPEAKER 6
And a couple of children came in, and we [INAUDIBLE]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 1
I’m happy in my life now. I’ve achieved a lot.
SPEAKER 2
I don’t speak to the toxic girl at all.
SPEAKER 3
I shouldn’t hate myself for the reasons that other people treat me badly.
SPEAKER 1
So I’m all right with it now, and I’ve been all right with it for a long time.
ANDEE JORDAN
I would like to be able to be that friendly face that someone else’s and people can come and talk.
SPEAKER 3
The way I see it is, I’m Ginger til I die, go grey, or go bald. So I’ve got to enjoy it while I can.
[MUSIC PLAYING]