FROM THE EDITOR

Bullying remains among the cruelest and most devastating experiences many children encounter as they grow up. In this series Central Maine Newspapers details the extent of the problem, and explains how teachers, administrators and others who work with children are responding.  In investigating the issue, Central Maine Newspapers asked readers to provide examples of how bullying has touched their lives. The response was overwhelm

BULLYING: A SERIES

PART I:
Battling the bullies
Though they have been given pseudonyms to protect them from embarrassment or future abuse, these children and their stories are real.

Survey details effect on third-graders
Most Maine third-graders say they experience only milder forms of bullying, such as teasing, and then only rarely.

PART II:
Feeling the effects of bullying
CANAAN — Cindy Dupre has lived for most of her life with scars from having been burned horribly as an infant.

From the bully's perspective
ANSON — Michael A. Procino says he knows what it is to be a bully and what it is to be the bullied.

PART III:
Victims need support of parents, teachers
Bullying remains one of the more underrated but important issues plaguing schools today, according to experts who say its consequences are underestimated.

Bullies learn from what they see
Abusive language and sexual put-downs heard in school hallways, lunchrooms and playgrounds is learned behavior, according to experts.

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