In middle school, I was practically slaughtered by bullying. Grade school also, but middle school was definitely the worst.

Looking back, I let too much of it get to me and wasn't resourceful about handling the situation. Turning the other cheek isn't always a good idea, because they'll just use your butt as a punching bag then. There were times where I should have stood my ground and get payback in the form of a prank or some other kind of sabotage as opposed to just keep everything bottled up as I became more of a victim. Bullies don't stop unless whatever they're doing isn't worth the effort.

Also, despite what they say, telling teachers about it is useless, you're on your own with solving your own problems. There was a time when bullies left thumbtacks on my chair, I sat on them, and the teacher actually defended the bullies by excusing it as an accident (bs). Case in point, teachers are not your allies with this. Also, remove anything and stop doing anything that could be used for ridicule. It can always wait until after school when you're away from everyone else. If you wear glasses, I HIGHLY recommend switching to contact lenses for so, so, so many reasons. I don't know why I waited so late on this considering I've never liked the way I look with glasses on.

If you're not good at a particular sport in gym class, sure, that will probably be grounds for ridicule, but instead of acting defeated, show you don't care. Laugh about it and be overly casual and carefree about it. Focus more on the sports/activities you're better at and enjoy more and don't try to compensate for any weaknesses you have. Also, sarcasm and wit are better weapons against ridicule than hastily falling into the trap of name-calling or whatever.

Also, food. I never tried this back in school, but I think food can make for a beautiful and very effective self-defense weapon. The wetter, messier, and stickier it is, the more effective it can be (Hostess and Tastykake make for a great, portable arsenal). If a bully hits you, a teacher isn't going to call the cops or suspend you if you cram a physically harmless cupcake or your jelly sandwich in their face in self-defense. You may get your hands dirty, but that's easily solved with a quick trip to the bathroom sink. Your attacker, however, will have it all over their face and/or clothes instead, and that's NOT so easy to wash off (and makes them look goofy in front of everyone else). Also, teachers won't bother you for carrying a water bottle around. Your bully, however, may think nothing of it the first time they move in to strike, but one good dumping of water on their head in self defense will make them wisen up about attacking you again as long as you're carrying a bottle of good ol' H20 with you. And then cue in the fun of people asking them why they're all wet (they will either say nothing or make up a sketchy lie that makes them look like a silly victim instead). Wearing wet clothing all day isn't fun, so again, it's all about making bullying you more trouble than it's worth.