Mean Girls-The Hungarian Version

Teaching elementary school definitely brings back old memories of when I was in school. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was sitting where my students are sitting. Today I had an unpleasant flashback to my youth, by witnessing a girl getting picked on in my class. I noticed from the first day of school that the other students didn't seem to like her. She is quiet and sweet--perhaps my smartest student in my 5th grade class, but for some reason is not liked.

Today was exceptionally bad because they started throwing things at her while my attention was diverted elsewhere (like helping other students). The most frustrating part was that I couldn't understand the insults that they were saying to her. But it was clear (no matter what language they spoke) that they were being nasty. You don't have to know what someone is saying to know that it's mean. Their faces were twisted and cruel and I could tell they were not going to give up. I know children are mean for no reason sometimes, but the injustice of it all made me so mad. I had to continually divert the children's attention back to the lesson and make sure they were leaving her alone. I even positioned myself so they couldn't directly look at the girl. Even with me in the way didn't seem to deter them from being mean.

Eventually they did settle down and thankfully class eventually also has to end. But I know there will a next time and a next time. As hard as I try to stop it, they are still going to bully this girl either in class or outside of class. Who knows how long she has had to endure this? Or how long they will continue to tease her? It just makes me sick to think about.

And the worst part I think...is that "mean girls and boys" like this exist all over the world. Every day there are students bullied for no reason. Or bullied because they are smart or just different. In a world that constantly challenges us to all be "unique" why is it that the "unique" people are often the outcasts?

All I know is that this problem is as old as time and will never fully go away. I may sound defeated, but I  hope to make a difference at least in these kids lives. I hope to get across to them somehow that what they are doing is wrong. Even if all I can do is give them a stern look and say "stop it!"