The Momma Bear in Me Is Coming Out! - Kindergarten Bullies

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Days like this, I wish we were a homeschooling family...

Upon dropping the kids off from school this afternoon, Dave informed me that during recession, Reed was punched in the face and stomach by one of his classmates.  The incident was witnessed by the teacher, who made the offender walk the track for the rest of recess, wrote the child up and contacted the parent(s).  Thankfully, Reed wasn't hurt and doesn't seem the worse for wear.  He even said he had a good day at school!  

But, this Momma Bear is seething.  It's not just the incident today.  But, incident after incident that has been happening since the beginning of the school year.  Usually by the same one or two boys in the class that don't seem to know how to behave.  It started with poking.  Then, pushing while in line.  At that point, we went to the teacher and expressed to her our concerns.  We also spoke to Reed about standing up for himself and going to his teachers when someone pushed or poked him.  But, things really came to a head when Ashleigh happened to witness a group of boys pulling on Reed and pushing him to the ground repeatedly as her class passed by the playground.  Angered and upset, we requested a meeting with both the school principal and Reed's teacher immediately.

The principal was very attentive and took the matter very seriously.  Like us, he wanted to make sure Reed felt comfortable and safe at school.  He also (as tactfully and as PC as he could) stated most of the school's discipline issues resulted from boys in homes without fathers.  He noted those boys seemed to lack the understanding of when roughhousing is appropriate and when it's not.  Dave and I left the meeting very satisfied with the measures the principal and teacher put in place to stop the harassment.  And for awhile, Reed did not report any troubling incidents from school.

But, now this...sigh.  It's just frustrating!  While it's unfortunate this boy comes from a "challenging" home environment, that's not my concern.  My primary concern is for MY child!  I'm sure the teachers are frustrated as well.  They've already placed this particular boy to a table by himself due to his disruptive behaviors in the classroom.  And, I guess in today's world, kids aren't sent to detention anymore.  I guess it hurts their self-esteem or someone might accuse the school of racism. {rolls eyes}

I hate that my baby's first year of elementary school has been like this.  I remember telling Reed when he was in preschool how exciting big kid school would be.  And, that he would finally get to go to the same school as Ash & Clay.  They both had absolutely wonderful, positive kindergarten experiences.  It saddens me that Reed's has not been the same. 

Mary Ellen