You have kids and they are going to school, either nursery school, primary school, junior high school or high school: this article should arouse your interest. Going to school should be a happy moment for your children since they are going to learn things, meets friends, learn respect and significant values, maybe find their first love…
Nonetheless, coming across children who behave not properly can sooner or later give birth to unpleasant feelings. Confronted to harassment, your child may be unwilling to go back to school again. How to detect harassment, and how to tackle it in order to prevent your child from feeling uncomfortable when sitting on the benches of the classroom?
First, what is harassment when dealing with pupils? At school, it always starts with stuff that looks derisory at first sight, but considering it as not serious is often a mistake people (teachers and masters, local education offices or even parents) tend to make. Laughing at a child, making jokes or teasing is part of the job when you are a child, and we have all been laughing at someone because he or she was wearing something that looked funny, with no bad intentions. This is not harassment. Harassment is when you regularly say or do something potentially harmful to someone else, and when you do it willingly so as to hurt that person: stealing an afternoon snack every day, keeping saying that somebody is fat, ugly or dumb, gathering with some other children to beat a weaker child, insulting someone on social networks…This is harassment.
If you detect something unusual in the behavior of your child, do not hesitate to ask him/her questions. Maybe your child will be too shy or afraid to tell you he/she is getting harassed. Speak with your child, and if there is harassment indeed, speak to the teachers and masters. You can talk to the involved parents as well, and remember that speaking quietly will always be more efficient than if you get on your nerves, even though you will perhaps be quite angry at the moment.
Take things seriously, and do not say that it is “children stories” that do not need to be considered as a real issue. Tackle the problem from its root and do not leave your child alone. Do not act crazy but wisely, and keep in mind that prevention is better than cure.