I am making a few changes for myself and my family! As a mother it is my job to protect my children to the best of my ability! That is very important to me. I always what what is best for them! Here are a few things that have made me make the decision I am about to tell you.
Wednesday was my son's first day back to school. He is in third grade at a local elementary school. The school seems to have gone down hill and I was questioning that over the summer, but didn't want to jump to any conclusions.
Evan (my son) came home from school upset on Wednesday. I asked him what was wrong, but he didn't want to talk about it yet. Sometimes we need to give him time and he always tells us when he is ready. We found out the next morning that he was bullied in the hallway. Another child said some terrible things to him, made threats, and called him a b**ch. These children are 8! Why is that word even in their vocabulary!
I immediately contacted the school. Evan told us he went to a teacher and explained the situation. We spoke with the office too. Friday I went to pick him up and didn't see him at first. A few minutes later he walked out with a teacher and the principal. His face was red and puffy, and he was crying. The teacher looked at me and said " Your son was attacked". (Actual words she used.) I was in shock!
The child that made the threats to my son snuck up behind him and when Evan turned around the child punched him in the face several times. The teacher said she saw what happened and says that it came from nowhere.
While we were talking the child tried to cross the street again and come back to where my son was standing, but the principal told him to leave. Again these children are in third grade! The teacher said she wasn't sure what would happen to the "bully", but that they would do what they could.
I was furious about the situation because not only did my son explain what happened the first day, but we spoke with the office on the second day! They asked us to let them rectify the situation and give them a chance. I told them they had two chances before this got physical! This is not ok at all!
There is no reason an eight year old child needs to feel threatened to go to school. What is wrong with schools these days? Are parents not teaching their children right from wrong? Where are their morals? I raised my children to be loving and not violent!
I was contacted later that evening about the other child, and from what I understand he won't be there for a few days. The teacher suggested that I walk my child into class every morning, and that she can escort him outside and through the halls during the day. What? That will only cause further problems and possible ridicule from other students making the situation worse. He would go from having one bully to being put down by everyone.
Evan is not a wimpy child. He is very loving, caring, and kind. My son has a good heart and many friends, so when this happened it was a shock. This made me realize that my thoughts about the school were right. It is not somewhere I want my child!
Bullying is serious. I didn't really think about it too much until this happened. I also didn't think about it occurring at such a young age. This is where it starts. It starts when no one does anything to stop or prevent these young children from acting this way. If you don't teach a child when they are young they will continue on this downward path. Something needs to be done!
I am in the process of completing the papers to home school my son. I work from home and feel that it is in his best interest at this point to teach him in a safe environment where he can focus on education and learning, not getting attacked. I am also planning to start an organization for these young children to prevent this type of behavior from being repeated.
I have heard negative and positive remarks about my decision to take him out of the school, but I know what is best for my child and my family. This is what needs to be done. We are working on several changes right now, but this is my first step. I will keep you all informed at all the plans we have in store!
