Eighty-nine middle school students were interviewed about their thoughts on bullying. Student participants were identified as bullies, victims, or neither by their teachers at the start of the study. Student responses matched current definitions of bullying and included unprovoked acts of physical aggression, name calling, rumors, destruction of personal property, and verbal threats. Gender differences in the types of bullying reported by students were also consistent with the current body of research. Students reported that male bullies engaged in more acts of physical aggression while female bullies relied more heavily on rumors and teasing. In general, students reported bullying other students because they did not like them. Students also reported bullying others when they felt upset or angry in order to feel better. Other reasons for bullying included a means to impress peers, to "be cool," or because someone looked or behaved differently. Students reported that some kids were victimized because they wore glasses, did not wear fashionable clothes, were a different race or religion, or failed to fight back. In a middle school setting sixth graders being the youngest and weakest students were generally the victims while eighth graders were generally the bullies. Many students who were identified as current bullies admitted to being victims of bullying themselves at some previous point in time. Student participants offered several suggestions to reduce bullying in their schools. Suggestions included involving bullies and victims in extracurricular activities, establishing reward systems for good behavior, having consequences for bad behavior, and treating all reports of bullying as confidential. Other suggestions for possible interventions were support groups for bullies and victims, mentoring programs for bullies, individual counseling, and peer mediation. Many students reported conflicting responses from parents and teachers regarding bullying. Some adults advised students to ignore the bullying while others advised them to fight back. A consistent response from figures in authority would be less confusing for students. Lastly, students reported that many student bystanders joined in with the bully so that a victim was being harassed by a group of people as opposed to just one bully. Bystanders reportedly joined in teasing victims as a result of peer pressure. The researchers also discovered that many victims did not report their negative experiences and therefore parents should ask their children how they are being treated at school. References