Protecting our children from school bullies
As a mother of a 5-year-old, I have been casually preparing myself for the day my daughter has to enrol into Primary One.
We live in Punggol, thus I was looking forward to f̶i̶g̶h̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ joining other parents to register a place for her at Mee Toh School, supposedly one of the better schools in the area.
So imagine my dismay when I found out about the bullying that happened to Falisya, a Primary 5 student, on OKLETSGO.
Subsequently, I saw it pop up on my Facebook BTO group page, and soon enough, many were sharing the article and the tweet by the victim’s sister:
This morning, Minister of Education Ong Ye Kung wrote in a Facebook post:
“The victim felt that it was a racist act, and that makes it even more unacceptable.”
I was appalled to find out that the young girl was called a ‘black dustbin’ and given unsettling notes by her classmates. I was also indignant that a teacher suggested for Falisya to change to another school when a request to transfer classes were brought up by Falisya’s mother.
Mee Toh School (MTS) is a Buddhist school so it is natural to have more Chinese students there (in fact all secular schools are the same way). But does the school protect the rights of every child equally?
If it is true that Falisya had been a subject of bullying in her years at MTS, and that the school and MOE had been informed; then as a parent, I feel it is unacceptable that she is still receiving hateful remarks in 2020.
In this case, I’ll give the children who were unkind to Falisya the benefit of the doubt. We do not know if they truly grasp the concept of ‘racism’ or the consequences of their actions. I don’t believe in shaming children, but I hope their parents do their part in teaching them a lesson instead of sweeping the issue under the rug.
In this era, “kids will be kids” does not and should not apply anymore in light of the increasing number of depression and suicide rates in youths and young children.
Bullying can happen in any school, with or without reason. A good teacher is equipped to spot it, and a good school takes action when necessary.
I do not want to be a helicopter parent, so when I leave my children at school, I trust that the school will teach them, apart from curriculum subjects, life lessons and how to be kind to others.
I hate to make the mistake of enrolling my daughter into a school that pays no attention to the well-being of their students, however good their faculty or facilities are.
But I also believe values start from home.
Just the other day I caught my 5-year-old make fun of the way her younger sister spoke. Immediately, I nipped it in the bud in a calm and reflective manner:
That’s not nice, Kakak. That’s what bullies do. Adik doesn’t like it and it makes her sad. Do you like it if Mummy talks that way to you? You’re not a bully, you’re a kind and helpful girl.
When I saw that tears started to well up in her eyes (mind you, I did not raise my voice at her), I knew she had learnt her lesson.
It will take a few reminders again to instil empathy in our young children, but as long as we listen and correct them when they’re wrong, we’re a step forward in making classrooms a better and kinder place.
