It was not for nothing that wise people in ancient times said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I don’t know about hell, but how many great ideas and initiatives have turned into something completely opposite simply because the people who implemented them overdid it, or, conversely, neglected the concept itself?
For example, the school “You have to include everyone” principle, initially aimed at increasing the level of inclusiveness in education, has been turned by some teachers and education staff into a means of encouraging bullying. In fact, this is exactly what happened in the situation described by the user u/protectivemommyg in the story we'll tell you today.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post has a 12-year-old daughter whose classmate has been frequently bothering girls at recess
Image credits: Max Fische (not the actual photo)
The girl told this to her mom and she asked her to report this to the teacher if the situation continued
Image credits: u/protectivemommyg
One day the class was split into groups and that boy tried to impose himself on the group of girls, despite their group being complete
Image credits: Julia M Cameron (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/protectivemommyg
So the teacher wrote to the mom demanding an official meeting over this case - but the woman took the initiative into her own hands
Image credits: Max Fischer (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/protectivemommyg
The mom stood up for her daughter's rights, and cooperated with other parents to get their common point across to the school staff
So, the Original Poster (OP) is a mom of a 12-year-old girl and, according to the author’s daughter, there is a boy in her class who often indulges in inappropriate behavior towards her and other female classmates, continuously bothering them at recess. The girl once told her mom about this, and she praised her for speaking up about it, suggesting that next time, if this happens again, she should report everything to the teacher.
And so, after some time, the OP’s daughter returned home and said that during one of the lessons the students had to split into groups of 4-5 persons to work together. There were already 5 girls in her group when that boy approached them and literally demanded to be included in their group.
To the objections that their group had already been formed, and that there were many groups of no more than two students who definitely needed reinforcements, the boy replied that this was where he wanted to go, and that the teacher did not specify exactly how many students could be in the group. An argument ensued, and the teacher sided with the boy, citing the “You have to include everyone” rule.
Moreover, the teacher even officially invited the OP to a conversation about her daughter’s behavior! The woman could no longer endure this. She, firstly, praised her daughter for standing up for her own personal boundaries, and secondly, she wrote a rather angry response to the teacher, claiming that since childhood she herself had often had to obey to similar rules to her own detriment, and she didn't want this to be repeated with her daughter.
Finally, the mom contacted the parents of the other girls involved in this situation, and they agreed to take the initiative into their own hands - they themselves demanded a meeting with the teacher and the school principal. Well, the initiative paid off - following the conversation, the school staff admitted their mistake and apologized, and the mother once again showed her daughter how important it is in our world to defend one’s own rights and personal boundaries.
Image credits: Anastasia Shuraeva (not the actual photo)
“Apparently, the teacher simply didn't understand the situation and preferred to act according to the standard rule, without delving into all the nuances,” says Vladimir Nemertsalov, a school principal and teacher from Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment here. “The principle that all students in a class should be included is indeed against any discrimination against children on any basis - but if following this principle causes other problems, then it's worth trying to understand everything properly.”
“I’m glad that the parents were able to cooperate and agree on a meeting with the school management, at which they conveyed their point of view. And, in turn, I can’t help but be glad that both the teacher and the principal finally changed their views on the situation. Although, I repeat, it would be way better if there were no reason for such a meeting per se,” Vladimir concludes.
The vast majority of people in the comments also agreed with the original poster that in the situation described, the parents did exactly the right thing by encouraging kids to assert their personal boundaries. "You should ask them why are they more concerned about your daughter saying no than being concerned that the boy is constantly harassing your daughter and friends," one of the commenters wrote.
Some teachers in the comments also sided with the OP and her daughter, arguing that their colleague clearly acted inappropriately in this case. "I actually find it quite concerning that the teacher in this situation is trying to justify this boy disrespecting the boundaries of others, female or otherwise," one of the commenters pondered. "I am a teacher and I had to have this conversation as well, but in reverse," another one added.
Well, when I was a student, I myself had to deal with similar decisions of teachers and school administration as well - and I won’t say that they always seemed balanced and wise. By the way, if you or someone you know have also witnessed something similar, please feel free to share your own stories in the comments below.
People in the comments unanimously sided with the mom, even the teachers claimed that their colleague was wrong here
