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BULLIED!Mr. Hepworth finished marking the register and spoke to the class.“Listen carefully, boys! I have some terrific news – Stuart of this class hasbroken all school records in the recent exams. Well done, Stuart. Tomorrow, theHeadmaster will present you with special prizes!”The whole class gasped and turned round to look intently at Stuart. The shy,bespectacled, nervous and frail boy of fifteen reddened and blushed uncomfortably.The next morning, Dr. Ferguson made several announcements – sports results, datesof P.T.A. meetings, warnings, threats and general advice. Then he smiled broadly.“And now!” boomed Dr. Ferguson, “I have splendid news for the whole school.Stuart Hammond of 11E has attained 100% in mathematics and 98% in English languagein the recent examinations. Congratulations, lad! Please come to the stage andcollect your prizes – a framed certificate of commendation, a Waterman Deluxefountain pen, of the value of £37, and a WH Smith book voucher worth £45. Thesegifts are worthy of the highest results in the history of the school!”Stuart fumbled blindly through the various columns of boys, breathing deeply, hisface scarlet with anxiety. Then he crawled up the creaking, wooden steps andstaggered to the headmaster.Dr. Ferguson shook his hand enthusiastically, and spoke a few congratulatorywords, and then handed over the precious prizes.“And now I wish Stuart to tell his peers how he managed such a remarkableachievement!”As Stuart came to the microphone, his senses became blurred with terror.“I-I-I’m v-v-very p-pleased to have won these p-prizes!” he stammered. Then hegathered undue composure, “I went to the l-library regularly, consultedcomplicated b-books, had my m-meals l-late and s-swept the Internet for relevanteducational information. I hope everyone tries really hard and wins p-prizes forthemselves!”“Splendid advice!” barked Dr. Ferguson, snatching the microphone. “Go back toyour place, boy!”At home time, Stuart whistled as he walked. He felt really cheerful and couldhardly wait to show his prestigious prizes to his parents. To his horror, he sawthree vicious bullies of Year 5 approaching him from afar. They looked grim!Dubberley, Jewitt and Chadwick were three very ruthless bullies. The whole schoolwas afraid of them. They were rather tall and dressed in denim and bots, ofteninfringing uniform rules. Dubberley had had an ear pierced and wore a goldenstud, as well as a rather garish bracelet on his right wrist. It was rumouredthat even some of the younger teachers were afraid of them. Often had they beenignored when breaking rules.As for the pupils, they froze with terror whenever the gang bullied them. Howmany 50p pieces they had extracted from weaker pupils, no one knew. How maydinner-tickets they had stolen and forced others to hand over, could not bedetermined. Pupils often walked home instead of catching the bus.

And now Stuart’s heart was not in its correct rhythm! He wondered what to do!Should he run? No, the gang would only ‘split up’ and catch him. Then hisbeating would be even more severe. Instead, he calmly approached the gang, tryingnot to look afraid. But the gang blocked his path.“So”, began Dubberley. “You think you’re clever, eh? Robin, my mate, from youryear, has been telling tales about you! Says you were acting cocky in front ofthe whole school! We were off that day – fighting our enemies from St. Robert’sschool!”“Yeah!” agreed Jewitt. “Learning everyone lessons!”“Well teach you a lesson – one you won’t forget quickly!” hissed Chadwick.Suddenly, Dubberley punched Stuart in the stomach. The poor boy groaned anddoubled over. Jewitt pulled him up by the hair with one hand and, with grittedteeth, head-butted Stuart forcefully. There was a sickening thud and drops ofcrimson blood began to ooze out of Stuart’s head. Chadwick began to twist andturn, his hands raised at different angles, and he landed a thumping Karate kickon Stuart’s jaw. The poor victim fell backwards and landed with a crash on theground. There was a screech of car tyres, but the bullies were oblivious toeverything else!.Dubberley slipped his hand into Stuart’s pocket and helped himself to the pen.Jewitt took the voucher. Chadwick helped himself to the precious certificate andsome loose change! Then they got ready to kick the defenceless Stuart, who laymoaning on the ground.Suddenly, the hooting of a car horn made them jump. They were shocked to see thefurious, red face of Dr. Ferguson.“Oy, you there! Over here, now!”The three bullies were disheartened and feared the consequences.“I was passing here on my way home! I witnessed the entire assault! Dubberley,Jewitt and Chadwick – don’t you dare come to my school ever gain! You areexpelled! I shall be telephoning your parents to explain the circumstances!”They all began to plead for clemency.“Please sir, don’t expel us!” begged Dubberley. “My dad will kill me!”The others added their voices, but their pathetic cries made the Headmaster evenmore furious.“Silence! If Stuart beat you academically, you should have competed academically.But you resorted to physical violence. That cannot be excused under anycircumstances! As it is, I shall make sure that you all go to different schoolsfor your final year. The way you have chosen leads to borstal and then to goal.Take my advice. There is still time to change yourselves! Dubberley, then pen!Jewitt, the voucher! Chadwick – did I see you take money from Stuart’s pocket?Stuart, jump in lad! I’m going to take you to casualty!”As Dr. Ferguson drove off, the three bullies began to slowly walk homewards. Withheavy hearts, they began to wish that they hadn’t bullied Stuart and then had toface the wrath of their fathers.

QUESTIONS1.Which news did Mr. Hepworth have to convey to his class?2.Describe Stuart’s reaction as the rest of the class began to stare at him.3.Give an example of the headmaster’s announcement of:i.A sports result.ii.The date of a PTA meeting.iii.A warning.iv.A threat.v.A piece of general advice.4.How had Stuart excelled in the examinations?5.Which prizes was he awarded?6.Which words and phrases in the story convey Stuart’s embarrassment as hemade his way to the stage?7.How can you tell that Dr. Ferguson was a very confident personality?8.What did Dr. Ferguson order Stuart to do?9.What were the secrets of Stuart’s success?10.Why was Stuart so pleased at home time?11.How did Dubberley, Jewitt and Chadwick infringe on school regulations?12.How did the gang intimidate the other pupils?13.Why didn’t Stuart run away from the gang?14.Why had the gang made the intention to punish Stuart?15.How did the following bully Stuart:i.Dubberley?ii.Jewitt?iii.Chadwick?16.How can you tell that the gang were thieves as well as bullies?17.How did Dr. Ferguson deliver instant punishment?18.How can you tell that the parents of the three boys were probably violent tothem at home?19.What is the moral of this story?20.Imagine the conversation Stuart had with his parents about his success afterbeing discharged from hospital. Write half a page.21.“The teachers are to blame for what happened to Stuart.” Do you think theschool should have dealt with the bullies more firmly?MODEL ANSWERS1.Mr. Hepworth told the class that a fellow pupil, Stuart, had broken allschool records in the recent examinations and hat the Headmaster would bepresenting him with special prizes the next day.2.As the rest of the class began to stare at him, Stuart’s face reddened and

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bullying in school

bullying at school

Bullied!

BULLIED!

Mr. Hepworth finished marking the register and spoke to the class.

“Listen carefully, boys! I have some terrific news – Stuart of this class has broken all schoo... (More) BULLIED!

Mr. Hepworth finished marking the register and spoke to the class.

“Listen carefully, boys! I have some terrific news – Stuart of this class has broken all school records in the recent exams. Well done, Stuart. Tomorrow, the Headmaster will present you with special prizes!”

The whole class gasped and turned round to look intently at Stuart. The shy, bespectacled, nervous and frail boy of fifteen reddened and blushed uncomfortably.

The next morning, Dr. Ferguson made several announcements – sports results, dates of P.T.A. meetings, warnings, threats and general advice. Then he smiled broadly.

“And now!” boomed Dr. Ferguson, “I have splendid news for the whole school. Stuart Hammond of 11E has attained 100% in mathematics and 98% in English language in the recent examinations. Congratulations, lad! Please come to the stage and collect your prizes – a framed certificate of commendation, a Waterman Deluxe fountain pen, of the value of £37, and a WH Smith book voucher worth £45. These gifts are worthy of the highest results in the history of the school!”

Stuart fumbled blindly through the various columns of boys, breathing deeply, his face scarlet with anxiety. Then he crawled up the creaking, wooden steps and staggered to the headmaster.

Dr. Ferguson shook his hand enthusiastically, and spoke a few congratulatory words, and then handed over the precious prizes.

“And now I wish Stuart to tell his peers how he managed such a remarkable achievement!”

As Stuart came to the microphone, his senses became blurred with terror.

“I-I-I’m v-v-very p-pleased to have won these p-prizes!” he stammered. Then he gathered undue composure, “I went to the l-library regularly, consulted complicated b-books, had my m-meals l-late and s-swept the Internet for relevant educational information. I hope everyone tries really hard and wins p-prizes for themselves!”

“Splendid advice!” barked Dr. Ferguson, snatching the microphone. “Go back to your place, boy!”

At home time, Stuart whistled as he walked. He felt really cheerful and could hardly wait to show his prestigious prizes to his parents. To his horror, he saw three vicious bullies of Year 5 approaching him from afar. They looked grim!

Dubberley, Jewitt and Chadwick were three very ruthless bullies. The whole school was afraid of them. They were rather tall and dressed in denim and bots, often infringing uniform rules. Dubberley had had an ear pierced and wore a golden stud, as well as a rather garish bracelet on his right wrist. It was rumoured that even some of the younger teachers were afraid of them. Often had they been ignored when breaking rules.

As for the pupils, they froze with terror whenever the gang bullied them. How many 50p pieces they had extracted from weaker pupils, no one knew. How may dinner-tickets they had stolen and forced others to hand over, could not be determined. Pupils often walked home instead of catching the bus.

And now Stuart’s heart was not in its correct rhythm! He wondered what to do! Should he run? No, the gang would only ‘split up’ and catch him. Then his beating would be even more severe. Instead, he calmly approached the gang, trying not to look afraid. But the gang blocked his path.

“So”, began Dubberley. “You think you’re clever, eh? Robin, my mate, from your year, has been telling tales about you! Says you were acting cocky in front of the whole school! We were off that day – fighting our enemies from St. Robert’s school!”

“Yeah!” agreed Jewitt. “Learning everyone lessons!”

“Well teach you a lesson – one you won’t forget quickly!” hissed Chadwick.

Suddenly, Dubberley punched Stuart in the stomach. The poor boy groaned and doubled over. Jewitt pulled him up by the hair with one hand and, with gritted teeth, head-butted Stuart forcefully. There was a sickening thud and drops of crimson blood began to ooze out of Stuart’s head. Chadwick began to twist and tur (Less)

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Category:	Uncategorized.
Rating:	(1 Rating)
Upload Date:	02/20/2008
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Tags:	Story literature English & Language Comprehension Story literature English & Language Comprehension (fewer)