THE EDITOR: I was bullied as a child as I walked the one-mile trek from my primary school to my home. The attacks were meant for my quiet and brilliant sister but, by association, I too somehow got bullied. We were both often kicked by the bully.
My father, not to be trifled with, put a stop to most of the bullying of his children at the primary school level.
Our primary school teachers have to bear a great deal of responsibility for some of the abuse, because we were being beaten for the most trivial, inconsequential actions by teachers who had anger issues.
My mother, who was very much involved in our lives and by extension our education, visited our primary school a few days a week to ensure that this did not continue to happen to her children, since she too had been physically abused by her teacher and still speaks of this experience. She is 87.
Nevertheless, I was beaten quite mercilessly because I could not grasp the concept of telling time.
My three children were all bullied and abused at their primary schools and two of them at the most prestigious all-girls high school in San Fernando, in the presence of their classmates. Both of my children who were humiliated in high school never returned to their respective classes.
They nevertheless graduated and are professionals today.
One of my children feels that I did not adequately address what happened at her high school and that the teacher was not held accountable for her actions. I could go on and on about my children’s experiences at every level of school life.
Children seeing abuse by teachers think it’s acceptable behaviour and also act out what is heard and seen.
One child recently brought up the incident at her high school, which means there is still some lingering trauma.
We live in a world of bullies, many of them with fake profiles anonymously attacking anyone who dares to have a different perspective. Unfortunately, social media has shown who people really are. I refuse to participate in such odious and harmful behaviour.
This may be is why my children prefer animals to human beings.
S RAMKISSOON
San Fernando
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