Obama shares tales of childhood bullying [his "big ears" and unusual name.......]
news.com.au ^
Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 1:08:27 PM by Sub-Driver
Obama shares tales of childhood bullying
* From correspondents in Washington * From: AFP * March 11, 2011 4:35AM
US President Barack Obama has confessed to being taunted as a kid over his "big ears" and unusual name, as he opened a White House summit on preventing bullying.
"Bullying isn't a problem that makes headlines every day, but every day it touches the lives of people all across the country," Mr Obama said overnight, noting a growing movement among young people to combat youth harassment.
"If there is one goal of this conference, it is to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up," he said as he opened the conference. "It's not. Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people."
The White House said nearly a third of schoolchildren or 13 million students are bullied each year.
It said targeted students are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and have mental health issues.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
