Scorpio
When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was live on a desert island. Now twenty years later, I sometimes still want to escape to that island, but the reasons are never as bad as they were then. My favorite book as a child was Huckleberry Finn. I had read Tom Sawyer and liked it, but Huck was the one I kept re-reading late at night under the blankets, with the plastic torch shining dimly. Huck was a free man, he did what he wanted when he wanted and most of the time there was no adults to tell him what to do. Thinking about it now, all the books I read were literally, escapism. Huck Finn, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island - and they all did exactly what they were supposed to: took me away from the place I hated most - real life.
The wood felt cool against my face. Well I suppose it did, I couldn't really feel the wood as my cheek had started to numb up. My mind tried to rationalise what had just happened, but it had all been to quick for my ten-year-old brain to comprehend. One minute I was sitting at my desk writing, surrounded by a roomful of classmates who were all singing their tiny hearts out, the next my head had been smashed into the desk, and it was lucky for me that I'd turned my head just in time or no doubt my nose would have been creamed over the desk. Then I heard the familiar scream and I knew what had happened.
Unknown to me as I sat scribbling away, my teacher had been creeping silently round the classroom, slowly making her way to where I was sitting.
COMMENTS (2)
RATE THIS STORY
Nude photos of the MTV reality star surfaced on the...
Real vampires are used to being eclipsed by the immortal allure of the vampire film....
Comments
Hi Garry, I was quite
By Stephen J, January 18, 2007 at 09:01Hi Garry, I was quite engrossed with your story which sounds very familiar. I am thankful that I never had a teacher as bad the two you described in your story.My hell at school was the other typical one involving the various school bullies.The net result is the same though,being scared as hell to go to school and not having anyone to tell or talk to about it.
My dad was alot like yours too,alot of anger..so much so that I couldn't say anything for fear of being told that I must have deserved it somehow.
I ran into an old school bully once and like you was a bit frozen and not able to speakup and perhaps rebuke that person for what they had done.Wouldn't have had any effect though...why?...get this...I had this person in my taxicab one day and they started reminiscing about the 'good old days'.In his version of the story it was he who was afraid of me...'boy was I afaid of you'..and he repeated this about three more times.It was so galling to be trapped in the taxi with this arse spinning a yarn that was opposite to the true story.
When this bullying was happening I decided to take a chance and tell my dad what was going on and thankfully he took my side for a change, we went and spoke to his parents and his dad answered the door.We lived in the same apartment building which made it even more hellish.My dad and his dad spoke calmly about it and that was the end of it.
That was about 33 years ago and as you can see it has never left my mind in all that time.The experience in the taxi will not likely fade either.As you suggest in the title of your story this kind of experience never ends.
My point I guess is that children need to be told that they should say something,thats the message they get at school these days.Having said that though I must add that it is up to us parents and the schools to help kids feel safe to tell.They need to feel that they will be listened to and that they will be believed and that something will be done.
I volunteer at my childs school and I have to say that we have not really come up with a way to deal with bullying effectively.People are still shy about talking about it and there is never any mention about bully behaviour by teachers.
I see the same things from both students and teachers that was true years ago each time I am there helping out.I know I should talk to the principal about it but it is again hard to speak up for fear of being dismissed as a trouble maker so I continue to suffer in silence because what I've seen is not flagrant enough to warrant any dicipline if I were to report it.So I choose my battles so to speak because I don't want the reputation of being a nuisance but rather a positive contribution to the school.
I hope that by being there year after year that this will keep me in touch with what is going on at school.My daughter is in grade three and I have volunteered there since grade one and will carry on because I believe in a prominant presence of parents on a daily basis so that the children can see that their world at school is not a bubble.Maybe after years of me or someone else being there, some kid will have enough faith and trust to come to one of us and ask for help...I sure hope so.
Nobody should suffer this....
I hope your story will touch others as it has me and maybe,just maybe this sort of thing will be dealt with as the social problem that it is.
Thanks again for your article,I will share it with others.
Stephen
Hi Stephen Thanks for your
By Garry Crystal, January 19, 2007 at 04:23Hi Stephen
Thanks for your thoughts on the story, they were nice to hear. It's good to hear that this sort of thing does not go on anymore in schools. Thankfully, most teachers are very professional while doing a hard job. When my nephew started at the same school that i went to I told him that if he ever had any trouble always to tell someone. Kids always seem to think that it is their fault, especially the younger ones, as some of them have no point of reference to compare it to. The consequences of bullying can stay with you, sometimes thoughout your life unless you just let it go eventually. Keep up the good work in the school and dont worry about reporting what you see, people who stand up to the bully will be thanked more often than be thought of as a nusiance. Garry.