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At some point, many of us are confronted by a bully in our life. For some, it take place when we are younger. Still, others must deal with our first bully when we start college or when we enter the workforce. Perhaps there is a bully at the gym? Or maybe a bully on the freeway? You know, those jerks that tailgate you and flip you off in their manic states of road rage are really just bullies.

Now, imagine being a teenager with years of experience being bullied beyond the standard pushing or name calling of typical bullying behavior. Imagine being repeatedly pummeled by other students at your school where teachers say that “you had it coming”. Picture your mother watching the doctors pull the inside of your mouth off of your braces.

Throw in a few death threats and a list of 20 students who claim to want to beat you up, and you are living the life of Billy Wolfe, from Fayetteville, Arkansas according to the recent NY Times article about Billy Wolfe’s experience.

Well, that’s one side of the store. Another side of the story is unfolding. This side of the story shows Billy Wolfe as a bully. Not just any kind of bully. A bully who picks on a child suffering from Muscular Dystrophy! A story published on NWAnews.com (the website for the Northwest Arkansas Times) shows the story of a frail Billy as a one-sided tale. Scott F. Davis and Dustin Tracy (no relationship to me) provide greater detail about the actions Billy has perpetrated against his fellow students. I won’t expect to see Billy at any of the motorcycle rallies I am attending this year.

So, what might have happened here? Is Billy a victim? Or, was the teacher who said “he had it coming” right? Violence and malicious behavior at any age and in any location is unacceptable. Even if Billy had bullied a student with Muscular Dystrophy, the other students should not have beat him up. The school should have taken greater action to discipline Billy and to make sure that his parents educated him on respect for his fellow man.

If the students who beat up Billy were retaliating for Billy bullying the student with Muscular Dystrophy, it makes it hard pressed to label them as bad. They are standing up for someone who can’t stand up for himself. They are protecting their fellow man. That deserves praise. One should never just sit by and watch another human abuse anyone, let alone someone who is practically defenseless. Still, they didn’t need to beat up Billy.

What is the solution then? Education. It’s funny that this takes place at an educational institution. Educate students on respecting your fellow human. Educate students on standing up for what is right and not letting someone step all over your fellow students. Educate students on defending those who cannot defend themselves. And most importantly, educate them on being able to forgive.

McNair Middle School has an opportunity to provide a phenomenal example for every school in the country. They can turn this tragic series of events into a lesson for all of humanity. Solving the problem of one violent bully with more violence does not necessarily solve the problem. Turning one’s head doesn’t solve the problem either. Solving it with education will last for generations.

If everyone can learn from this experience, these events will be more than sensational headlines on the New York Times, The Today Show, 20/20, and countless other news shows.