My son, who is in the first grade in a school located in Al Qusais, is bullied a great deal by some classmates. Every time he returns home, I find that his uniform is drenched or his school bag is full of water — sometimes, he loses his lunch box before he is able to eat. I was told some of his classmates hide it.
He never complains to me, as he feels that if I raise the issue, he would be targeted even more. On constant probing, he admitted that some of the boys throw his books on to the fan, spill water and ink on his uniform and also hit him.
Nevertheless, I brought this problem to the attention of his teacher. I was, however, shocked when the teacher told me that my son does not react and that this was the reason other boys tormented him.
I reported the incident to the supervisor, who also had more or less the same opinion. She even told me to urge my son to be smarter and react, so that others do not take advantage of his innocence.
My question is — do I really need to teach my child to be a thug? There was an incident when he came home from school with swollen eyes and a bleeding ear. I was shocked to see my poor child!
On being asked what happened, he said that five boys shoved him on to the floor and battered his face with a shoe. I am surprised that teachers do not notice such instances.
My son feared that complaining to the teacher would only result in the boys hurting him even more. I was later made to understand that the ‘leader' of the group of bullies in question had a behavioural problem.
This time, I took it to the school principal, hoping he would take the necessary steps.
Nothing much has improved, though. Through reading this community report, I expect schools to deal with such situations in a better way.
I also have a few guidelines to deal with children who have behavioural problems:
- Treat them with love.
- Give them importance.
- Appreciate the good things they do.
- Always praise them for the good qualities they have, in public. If reprimanding is needed, do it in private so that the children do not feel low or lose confidence.
- Tell them stories with moral values.
- Avoid junk food and soft drinks, which makes them hyperactive.
- Involve them in games, divert their mind by encouraging activities like drawing and painting.
- No matter how busy parents are, find time for children — talk to them.
- Schools should also not leave them unattended. Give them importance in class — for instance, make the naughtiest child the class monitor. It will build responsibility.
I think these guidelines would definitely help children with behavioural problems and as a mother, I pray that my son is never bullied again.
— The reader is a homemaker, based in Dubai.
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