This past week, talk show host and former provincial politician Christy Clark, with the co-operation of Black Press and other media outlets and schoolchildren across the province, donned a pink t-shirt to raise awareness of bullying, and children who have been bullied.

While the effort of Clark and the people around her is admirable, it doesn't stop the fact children are bullied every day in schools, with teachers, parents and administrators still turning their backs.

I spent my entire childhood in the Surrey school system, graduating from high school in the early 2000s, and there was never any attention paid to bullying, and more importantly, bullies.

During my time in high school, I was mercilessly teased and bullied, in plain view of teachers and senior staff, but any time I had a concern, I was dismissed.

"Oh, you know, boys will be boys," I was once told. "Eventually, they'll grow out of it."

There was never anything 'wrong' with me. I was polite, reasonably well-read and approachable, much like I am today. I liked sports and had a wide circle of friends.

I remember a specific incident in Grade 9, walking to gym class, when a boy, who was a year older than me, probably four inches taller and 50 pounds heavier, threatened to 'knock my teeth out' (which would have been tough, as they were glued together by braces) because I happened to have a crush on the same girl his brother did.

His threats and taunting got progressively worse over the next two years, until he dropped out, and presumably went on to bigger things.

My brother, who was overweight during his early years in high school, was also taunted, and often came home upset from school and didn't want to participate in PE like the rest of his classmates.

Until he had a receptive teacher who understood his anguish and gave his tormentors an ultimatum: stop it, or leave and don't come back.

For his part, my brother dedicated his life thereafter to physical fitness, and melted away those extra pounds and inches quickly.

My story was largely different from his, because he spoke out, while I decided to internalize my pain, eventually devolving into a deep depression.

Kids can be screwed up by bullies, not only physically, but mentally as well, so the onus is on parents to pay attention to their children for any warning signs that they are being targeted by bullies.

Eventually, if you pester the administrators enough, you will get results. The old equation applies here: persistence plus time equals satisfaction.

I still bear a deep resentment towards the people who made my high school years unpleasant, and I am disappointed that little has changed since I graduated those many years ago.