This is a beautiful story and reminds me of several childhood friends who also suffered silently in elementary school. One girl in Grade Two was of German descent and her first language wasn't English. I attended a school on a military base and there was considerable prejudice against Germans in those times. Every Friday we had a spelling test and if we got below a certain mark, we were strapped. This poor child was strapped every Friday. I remember the teacher asked us to put our heads down and close our eyes while she was being humiliated, but I can still recall the small whimpers she made in-between strikes. I couldn't hold her hand during this trauma, but the girls gathered around her in the playground later and comforted her.
Maybe that is why I became a school counsellor. Her suffering motivated me to spare others that kind of pain. We have come a long way since those times!
ORIGINAL COMMENT
Maybe that is why I became a school counsellor. Her suffering motivated me to spare others that kind of pain. We have come a long way since those times!