A very sweet girl that I taught last year (she is now in 6th grade) lost her mother this year. ( she had brain cancer and other medical problems) Arianna is a beautiful, kind, giving and loving child but for some reason is shunned by her peers. I teach and see her this year when I supervise the 5th and 6th graders at lunchtime. Arianna sits alone. I have seen her try to approach a table of peers only to see them show her in many ways that she is unwelcome to sit there. It breaks my heart… I have tried talking to these students and especially the ones I know are Catholic hoping for some empathy but get none. They are much more interested in their “popularity” and “friends” than this girl. I cannot force them to welcome her although I’ve tried to get them to. Public school teachers are not permitted to talk to parents about “other students” as I would like to visit with the parents from my parish about this. All I can do is pray and ask you to also pray for this very dear girl.
Thank you,
mlz
I got juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was I was 10 years old which caused me to just walk a bit funny, have difficulty opening windows on the bus and other things. Kids used to tease me, make songs up about me. I went, almost overnight from being, probably not popular, to rejected to a point I couldn’t normally belong to the groups.
I’ve felt rejected by people most of my life. Adults, too, seem to reject me, but they just won’t be as open about it as children.
I remember identifying with Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer when they had the Land of Misfit toys. It talked about being a misfit. Rudolf goes there thinking he’s a misfit, maybe he can fit in at least there, is told he’s not a toy. The other character says, “Now, how do you like that? Even in a land of misfits, you’re a misfit!”
Yeah, I wish somebody could show these classes Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer and how he, too, was a misfit, was also made fun of and speak to that class.
Once, when I was about 5 y.o., I had a birthday party, and my friends were invited. Some of my friends thought it would be funny to make fun of my father for being a bit overweight. I listened and joined in with them, making fun of him. My mother called me aside from the group, spoke to me privately. She told me that what I was doing was “not nice”. She said that’s not nice to make fun of people. I explained that the others had started it.
She said that might be the case but told me to go back to the group, stop making fun of my father, and tell the others that it was not nice to make fun of other people.
I was so sorry once I realized how wrong I was, that this was even cruel, that I wanted to cry. My mother told me it was okay, just to not do that again.
I wish somebody in the school could do a lesson on teasing/exclusion and explain what it’s like to be on the receiving end of it.
I can remember being young and that when my mother pointed out the wrongness of my actions, I immediately felt great remorse. I repented immediately! So, sometimes, it’s just that somebody needs to take these kids aside and tell them this is wrong.
If they continue to act like this…excluding her, they need to see they are no better than those who wouldn’t let Rudolf play in any of the reindeer games, excluding him. Now, that may be for younger kids, but surely, they could see the analogy.
Or perhaps, there may be a book or material that would be more appropriate, more to today.
Too bad somebody couldn’t speak to the school social worker and say this is a problem, system wide, and it needs to be corrected. They need to speak to the teachers, who will speak to the kids.
I’ve never personally tried this, don’t know if it’d even work, but it’s just one idea.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.:angel1:
