Ignoring/silence sounds good on paper, but it generally doesn't work with persistent bullies. They notice your reaction e.g. facial expression. Even if you just

Ignoring/silence sounds good on paper, but it generally doesn't work with persistent bullies. They notice your reaction e.g. facial expression. Even if you just twitch or blink. It fuels them. If you physically fight back, you need to do it effectively. Perhaps follow some martial arts lessons. My partner got bullied by one person (very hard), and practiced kickboxing. Yet when they got in a fight, she got blamed. All the, literally years, of bullying be damned. That's a blow in face from adults who are supposed to protect you, and it hurts.