How to Avoid Drama in Middle School

By Kenzie Hart

Whittier Drama
Middle Schoolers are having a hard time figuring out if bullying and drama
are different. According to a Team Valiant student,"Drama is kind of all over
the place and involves many things. Bullying is
focused on one person or group."

What is Drama?
Drama is a situation or rumor that someone
creates to get attention or to make another
person feel bad about him or herself.

What is Bullying?
Bullying is when a person or group targets a person on how they look, what
their interests are, and how they act.

Teen Drama: Online

An article called How to Handle Teen Drama states that teens are putting
themselves out there. Sometimes teens put information online that people
shouldn't know. For example, they will list their phone number, email, and
home address. 20% Facebook is made up of teens that are from the ages
14-18 who have contact information available On an average teens
Facebook he or she does not know 89% his or her friends. This is making a
lot of teens at risk of being vulnerable and getting caught up in dramatic
situations. 24% of teens in the U.S are currently using Twitter.

Bullies and Drama

The article Mean Girls; How to Deal with Them from February 2015, states
that there are ABCS and Me of a mean girl (a female bully). The
reasons behind why people bully are:
A stands for: Acceptance
B stands for: Belonging
C stands for: Control
ME stands for: Meaningful
Cheryl Dellasega, professor in mental health, states If teens dont feel like
they have control in one area of their life, they are more likely to be
aggressive trying to control another area of their life, good or bad.

Steps for Tacking the Problem:

1. Carefully choose
friends: Don't put being
accepted before your
personality. Find people
who have similar interests
and stay away from people
who may have a
connection to drama.
2. Be honest: If someone asks you if you have heard a rumor about them,
make sure you tell them privately and don't give false information.
3. Don't gossip: If a person who is not directly involved in a rumor talks to
you, resist passing drama. Also,if you have been told something don't
acknowledge it. If you draw attention to the drama, there will be more
drama.
4. Stay offline: As bad as that sounds, the majority of drama in middle
school is caused over Facebook, Twitter and more. Weigh out your benefits
of not being involved. Find other ways to connect with your friends.
5. Keep drama to yourself: This depends on what the situation. For
example, if you hear drama about the new popular couple, no one else
needs to know. If the drama is serious, like a rumor about someone putting
him or herself in a harmful situation, talk to your parents or someone you
trust.(I.e, your Mom, Dad or an adult person you trust)

Strategies from Team Valiant Students:

A survey was put out to 8th grade students of Team Valiant. The question
asked was: What strategies do you use to stay out of drama? Here are
some of the responses:
I'd choose my friends wisely, if you're getting into too much drama with your friends,
they probably aren't the best friends. If your friends do get into drama, keep your
distance and do not take sides, if nobody else has, seek adult help. -Erin G
I only hang out with good friends that feel the same way about drama as I do.- Josh C.
I stay away from people that cause drama and don't do anything for them to dislike
me.- 8th grader on Team Valiant
Dont hang around people that have a lot of drama, that simple- Jonathan C.

Sources:
"How to Handle Teen Drama and Parents in Middle School." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 28
May 2015.
Gibson, Danielle. "No More (Friend) Drama: How to Stay out of a BFF Battle." N.p., n.d. Web.
28 May 2015.
"10 Ways to Avoid Drama in the Workplace or School." YA Chit Chat. N.p., 08 May 2013. Web.
28 May 2015.
Trudon, Taylor. "Is It Bullying Or Drama?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d.
Web. 28 May 2015.
"Bullying or Drama? Reaching Teens on the Issue." Freemindsthinkalike. N.p., 08 Oct. 2012.
Web. 28 May 2015.
"Dealing With Mean Girls in High School and Middle School." WebMD. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May
2015
"Maine Principals' Association." Drama Guidelines/Rulebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.
Hart, Kenzie. Team Valiant Survey. 28 May 2015. How to Avoid Drama in Middle School. Maine,
Poland.