Children can be outspoken and curious by nature as they try to understand the world. Unfortunately, there are times when their unfiltered honesty can end up hurting someone’s feelings.
As a result, the inevitable harsh treatment they receive can oftentimes get out of our control. This could easily make them feel lost and depressed in some cases. This sentiment was recently shared by a mother who uploaded a post on social media about her son who just started online classes for kindergarten.
The mum shared that her son was very excited to meet his new classmates. But both mother and son were disheartened to see that the other kids only focussed on her son’s disability.
6-year-old Mocked For His Disability During His Online KG Class
Image source: iStock
The mum shared that she was a young single parent when she had her son. She worked hard to “be the best mama.” To support her child, she’s been working two or three jobs since he was 6-months-old. She also added that she did “everything” to keep them “afloat.”
But the young mother was faced with a new challenge when she enrolled her 6-year-old son in online classes for kindergarten.
Before getting to the incident, she explains that her son “was born with a disability that has given him a prominent facial deformity and a very mild learning disability.” Since his learning disability was only mild that “you can’t tell unless you are involved in his education plan,” her son was given the go-ahead to start kindergarten.
She adds, “He was only held back in playschool 1 extra year and started kindergarten online this year.”
One little boy told him “We won’t play with you, you’re weird!”
She explains that her son was looking forward to meeting his peers and showing them his LEGO Star Wars Death Star. But they mother and son duo did not expect the treatment they got from his first day in class.
“We ended up having to turn his camera off because the other kids couldn’t focus and some said he looked like a monster or he looked scary, and one little boy told him ‘we won’t play with you, you’re weird,” the mum recalls.
Not only was she deterred by the other children’s reaction, but the mum was also shocked with teacher’s reaction.
Even after being assured that their class would be welcoming of her son and they had “spoken to them lots and read lots of books about kiddos that look or act different[ly] before my son enrolled,” turns out the teacher seemed just as taken aback by her son.
She claims that the teacher only simply announced to the class “James is joining us and he has a disability, everyone be nice” and that was it.
After the incident during one of their online classes for kindergarten, she adds, “His teacher phoned me and asked us to just keep his camera off.”
Image source: iStock
“I Feel Completely Unprepared To Handle This Situation With My Son”
The distressed mother writes, “I got really harshly confronted with the fact that I can’t protect him from everything today and I just don’t really know how to talk to him properly about this. I just feel totally lost as a mother today and I feel like a 16 yo with a baby again; just scared and useless.”
Even with her son being “semi-used” to glances, she says this was the very first time that he was directly told that no one wanted to talk or play with him because of his appearance. She says, “He was upset and cried to himself all afternoon. He asked me today why he was born ugly. It literally tore my heart out.”
She tried to console her son by telling him that the other kids were just being mean. But it wasn’t enough to comfort him.
She also reveals that after he slept in her bed for a “special movie night,” her son didn’t want to get up the next morning. Instead of logging in back to school, the mother and son did their own reading and studying. They watched some Bill Nye videos and practised writing their names on their own.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to let him sit through class with the camera off again. But he needs to go back and I just don’t know what to do here,” she ends her post with requests for advice from other parents.
Parents React To The Shocking Treatment Meted To The 6-year-old
Her post that has now gone viral had many parents commenting on the situation. Majority of them empathised with the mother and condemned the actions of the teacher.
One mum wrote, “Honestly I’m surprised that the teacher hadn’t even bothered to call ahead of time and introduce herself to your child, and show a picture of him to the class before he joined it this spring: “This is Andrew and he’s going to be joining our class starting next week. He likes Star Wars and Legos. It can be hard to be new, and so I wonder who will be his first friend at our school?”
She added, “Or why the teacher didn’t just have all the kids to turn their cameras off, or wear their favorite COVID masks to Zoom class for the first few days he joined the class so he didn’t feel so different, without mentioning it was something she was doing for him. Also, when in zoom class did this child have the chance to say “we won’t play with you” without the teacher pulling him into a breakout room and talking to him? I think this teacher sounds incompetent.”
“There are so many places where she could have handled this better and now your child is suffering the consequences. It’s not the kids I worry about here- they’ll get used to him quickly with the help of a good teacher- but this teacher sounds incompetent and that may not be something that changes this year. The teacher is the one who sets the tone in the classroom.”
While another mum wrote, “The teacher could have done more and your son needs an advocate at the school. I’m so sorry he had this experience.”
And yet another mum sympathised and wrote, “This ripped my heart out… I feel sick for you and your son, all because some idiot teacher never thought of how the kids would react, they way they handled it was horrible. There is NOTHING that you nor your son have to be ashamed of. God, shit like this infuriates me! You kind of expect some comments from kids, but the vast majority of them will be very accepting and be great friends.”
Image source: iStock
Teaching Kids How To Behave During Online Classes
With the “new normal,” there are more opportunities for kids to attend classes online from the comfort of their own home. But just as we teach them to behave in physical classes, it’s also our responsibility as parents to make sure they are respectful to their peers and teachers online.
Here are a few tips on how you can teach your child or student good behaviour and politeness during online classes:
1. Have clear expectations for them. When kids know what is expected of them and are given reasonable rules, this could help them learn about acceptable behaviour.
2. When misbehaving, best to talk to them in private. This is to avoid the child from feeling embarrassed when being told off in front of the entire class. It’s also easier for them to listen to what you have to say when you discuss what they did wrong.
3. Arranging a consistent daily routine. Having a routine for your child to follow for their online classes can also help them know what is to be expected of them and their studies.
4. Talk to them about what is right and wrong. Since younger children have still yet to learn about what is respectful and impolite to say, have constant discussions with them about what words, as well as behaviour, is considered good or bad. Don’t forget to reward your child when they do exhibit good behaviour.
5. Set a good example for your child. Be a good role model for your child. Show them how you would listen attentively to whoever is speaking on-screen and speaking only when you are allowed to. When in a video call with relatives and friends, speak in an orderly manner for them to potentially mimic.
In such a time of uncertainty, it’s normal for anyone to feel overwhelmed and at times lost. But remember that it’s not always your fault and that we can’t fix everything. What we can do is raise our children in a nurturing and loving environment. This way they can grow up to be the best versions of themselves.
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