100% this. I got bullied in middle school and my mom always preached turn the other cheek. Talk it out bla bla bla. This works for most adults 20+ but I got harassed alot till I decided to fight back in high school. You'd be surprised how many ass holes love to throw punches, kick and push people around but if they get hit once they learn they can't get away with it and stop entirely.

EDIT: this girls response to someone kicking her chair was a bit much imo. But the people talking about civility must have had some privileged upbringings. Or maybe schools have changed since the early 2000s and bullying isn't as extreme or something.

I was unclear, I apologise. I was merely clarifying the distinction between appropriate and effective. An inappropriate response is sometimes unfortunately necessary, when the appropriate response isn't going to happen.

The appropriate response here would have been for the school to discipline the seat kicker. Detention, writing lines, whatever - actions need to have consequences. As an adult, responding to bullying with violence can see you charged with assault, or at worst, manslaughter if the target falls over and cracks her skull on a tile floor.

However.

The appropriate response was unlikely, and in my experience, that's a problem common to many, if not most, schools. Bullying gets swept under the rug, but the emotional reaction is punished. In OP's defence, I wish I had memories of punching out my bullies, and I suspect this will be a positive memory 10 years from now. That response would not have been appropriate. But damn, it would have been satisfying.