Professor bullied as a boy at a Rochford school writes book to help other children Proud – Patricia Matthews with a copy of her son’s book that is aimed at helping children who have been bullied The book- Egghead 2 hrs ago / Kristina Drake Share: 1 comment Want more local news stories like these via email? Your email address Sign up A PROFESSOR has described how he was relentlessly bullied through his school years in a new book to help children overcome the problems he faced. Michael Lacey-Freeman, now 52, has written an 80-page educational book called Egghead describing his experience of being picked on. He says the aim of the book is to get a clear message across: “If you are a victim of bullying, tell your family. Don’t keep it to yourself, and don’t believe what the bullies say. They don’t know you.” Mr Lacey-Freeman was bullied while attending Holt Farm Junior and Infant School in Rochford, where he was called “Egghead” due to the shape of his head. But he has turned the nasty name around and used it as the title of his book. The story is set in the early 1970s. It is about a young boy who is constantly bullied at school from the age of seven, both mentally and physically. School for this boy is a question of survival – it is about getting through the day. Patricia Matthews, Michael’s mum, said the book is called Egghead because that is the nick name Michael was given when he was bullied. She says he was bullied due to having a misshapen head because he was born with a different bone structure. The 74-year-old, who lives in Rochford Garden Way, said: “He wants to help the other kids. He went through so much. I’m very proud of him.” Things finally got better for Mr Lacey-Freeman when his teacher suspected something was wrong and convinced him to tell his family. He is now living in Italy and teaching English as well as writing. He explained: “The story is mostly true. I should know, because that young boy was me. “When you are very young, you tend to believe that what others say about you is true. You don’t question it and you have little or no defence. Because of the constant taunts of my peers, I believed that I was worthless, a failure, a freak. I believed that I was unacceptable. “Because of this, at first I kept it all to myself. I didn’t think I could tell my family – then they would also think that I was worthless. I suffered by myself. I tried to deal with the bullying by making myself as small as possible. I would sit by the window, looking out, waiting for the school day to end.” Mr Lacey-Freeman said he didn’t want to criticise the school. He added: “It was a good school with excellent teachers. In fact one of my teachers noticed this small boy sitting by the window, and convinced me to tell my family about the bullying. Once my mother knew, bless her heart, things got a little better. I was no longer alone, and I felt stronger.” The author added: “If even only one child connects with the story and feels less alone, then I will be happy.” The book has been very successful so far and sold out on Amazon but is available online at Waterstones and eurobooks.co.uk for £8.50. Share: 1 comment Promoted stories N. Korea deploys ballistic missile for possible Fri. launch: Yonhap Nikkei Asian Review Adopted daughter reveals 15-year secret relationship with birth mother IrishCentral Bangladesh’s solution to children drownings. Turner Broadcasting System Inc. The cop who forced Target to drop their ludicrous Irish t-shirts IrishCentral Apple spurs industry shift to low-power display technology Nikkei Asian Review Tricks To Make Your Glassware Shine World Kitchen Recommended by People who read this article also read Tourists “detained” by mob – for taking photos of seafront Tourists “detained” by mob – for taking photos of seafront Teenager arrested after ten mile chase in golf buggy Teenager arrested after ten mile chase in golf buggy UPDATED: Road closed after accident along Southchurch Avenue UPDATED: Road closed after accident along Southchurch Avenue Westcliff school head girl dies age 18 Westcliff school head girl dies age 18

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A PROFESSOR has described how he was relentlessly bullied through his school years in a new book to help children overcome the problems he faced. Michael Lacey-Freeman, now 52, has written an 80-page educational book called Egghead describing his experience of being picked on. He says the aim of the…

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