me alone . I was back to being what my parents had described when I was in third grade — a cute kid with a great personality who loved to laugh .
__( 6 )____ I shared my story with 85 important people , including Michelle Obama . I inspired 85 other kids . I hosted or attended 85 events that raised awareness . I ’ ve been on TV , in magazines , even got to fly to Washington , D . C .… twice . I ’ ve spent the last year traveling around to schools and telling them bullying is never okay . I was overweight but I didn ’ t deserve to get picked on .
Here ’ s what the bullies say to me now : “ Can I have your autograph ?”
__( 7 )___ You have to believe in yourself and not let mean kids decide who you will be and what you can do . If you are being the bully , stop ! Come run with me instead or go ride a bike , climb a building , hit a punching bag . Do anything other than try to make a kid , like me , feel bad about himself . You never know … the person you ’ re picking on could turn out to be the president one day .
Mason Carter Harvey
An extract from “ Chicken Soup for the Soul - Think Positive ”
By Kevin Sorbo and Amy Newmark
Image credit : http :// www . clker . com /
Dodinsky
1 . Why did the little boy refuse to go to school ? 2 . Who helped him overcome the problems he had at school ? 3 . What is “ Strive for 85 ”? How did it help other children ? 4 . Have you ever been bullied ? Did anyone help you ? 5 . What would you do if you saw a friend of yours being bullied ? 6 . How can a teacher help a child who ’ s been bullied ? 7 . Do you think that adults could be bullied , too ?
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