The environment I grew up in was pretty good about physical violence as far as schools go. This isn't the case at every school... and it starts with the adults. There are still schools where kids are beaten by teachers in front of the class or slapped on the hand with rulers.
And there are schools where the teachers are so overwhelmed they can hardly keep a lid on events.
But there are also schools where non physical bullying isn't tolerated. And it's so good for all of the kids. 2/
I remember teachers and adults acting like groups of kids making up chants about me in front of them wasn't anything they could do anything about.
Unless it was a swear word or a slur there was no response or recourse.
And that's just so bizarre to me.
I'm trying to imagine myself just sitting there as a kid cries while six kids make fun of them. I can't. I would feel like I was overseeing the persecution like some kind of captain of meanness.
I was routinely subject to 100 on 1's on my school playground. The teachers didn't see anything wrong with letting the whole class chase me down and kick me until they got bored.
My gym teacher forced me to dislocate my knees on a routine basis for a couple years, too. I was so neglected at home it never occurred to me to tell my gene donors about my knees. Finally a neighbor saw and told mom, who got me a doctor's note for gym.