This movie is quite heart wrenching to say the least. It truly hit home for me because our kids were definitely bullied a lot in every school we tried to put them in locally. The private school we put Jimmy in didn’t even bother to tell us what happened to Jimmy while he was in school. We had to find out late in the day after we’d been dealing with a very troubled child all afternoon long. The school did NOT handle the situation well at all. I think this movie definitely enlightens people’s eyes to both sides of the coin. I do believe that no one really has the answer as to how to stop bullying in our schools.
The sad fact is with each generation it seems to be getting worse and starting earlier and earlier in the classrooms. I honestly wonder what is going to happen by the time my grand kids are going to school. (Of course, I feel that there may not be a such thing as a public schools by then.) My five year old complained about how kids were fighting each other in Kindergarten when he went to the public school.
I’ve read many other horrible stories all across the web of how kids are treated by other kids and by school staff. It seems that kids really don’t stand a fighting chance to gain a proper education in our current school systems. I can’t express that enough!! I am a strong advocate for kids gaining a proper education.
That brings me to this wonderful movie!! This movie also came out today. I thought it was quite fitting that both of these movies came out together this week. Even though, it was totally different forms of bullying in my book. The kids also get punished due to the restrictions that are placed on teachers in our school systems.
I think this was a remarkable story about two people who cared enough to do what it took to make a better school for their kids. I know I probably would have been one of those parents who stirred up a hornets nest had my kids had to continue to go to these local schools. I feel for teachers and I also feel for the schools as well. However, there has to be more teachers AND parents willing to take a stand to make a difference for our kids lives and education.
I know many parents and grandparents want to ignore the facts. Many of them just want to assume that the ones who are screaming to the roof tops about how bad it is are just making “mountains out of mole hills”, but I assure you we are NOT!! Yes, kids have been picking on one another and fighting for decades!! I get that fact. But for those of you who have your head in the sand….what YOUR not getting is now guns and knives and even more dangerous drugs are involved…not to mention the vast amount of social media all across the Internet to add more fuel to those fires that have been started.
We need to teach our kids the value of their words and actions. A prime example, is my boys disappointed me dearly the other day. We buy our groceries at the same location almost all the time. We went and got groceries just the kids and I on a rainy day. Normally I buy for the whole month and just go back for little items throughout the month, so I had three carts full of groceries. We know the sales people and the baggers by name at this location. The lady who helped me decided to put on a plastic bag over her head to protect her wonderful hair do (which we know that some people invest a LOT of money into their hair styles..not to mention their time to get it done as well) so I fully understood why she did it. However, my boys proceeded to pick on her big time for it!!
Which, it was all fun and games until….. my darling boys decided to start calling her names such as “flying squirrel” and many others. I asked the boys in an attempt to get them to stop if they would like to be called a “flying squirrel” and they stated they would because then that would mean they could fly. I hoped that answer made her feel a little better about being called one, but I’m confident by her body language that was NOT the case.
I had to have a nice long chat with my boys about their actions that day. Granted in their mind, they didn’t mean any harm by it because they do truly like this woman a great deal!! However, what they didn’t realize was they were offending her and her desire to keep her beautiful hair style nice. She didn’t have to help me with the groceries, but she did it out of the kindness of her heart. She has been nothing but wonderful to the kids and I every time she’s seen us. Now she probably thinks I have brats for kids.
However, it did open up the chance for a very heart to heart talk with my boys about this topic. Amazingly enough, Zeva was quiet through the whole conversation sucking on her pacifier like it had sugar all over it and acted like she was pondering our words. 🙂
