When I arrived to pick him up from school, his teacher had come out to speak with me. She was by no means pleased to relay not so nice news to me about my nephew, who at the time was a free-spirited boisterous 4 year old.
She spoke gravely about his kicking and biting other children, about being disruptive, and she did it right in front of him. I had no idea we were to have that conversation, and in fact it ended up being very one way, without me engaging with her. I watched him whilst she spoke badly of him. I watched the way she looked at him, noticed how she felt about him. I cannot remember what I said to her, but I know she was surprised I didn't reprimand him on the spot.
We left the building, and expecting me to reprimand him then, away from his teacher, he took off. I didn't chase him, and when he allowed me back into his space, I only loved him. We didn't need to talk about what went on.
What I know about this child, and all others, is that he didn't come into this world to be like everybody. Some children acquiesce, easily stimulated by coloring books, crafts and songs, what have you, but some were born seeing past all the frills- that's my boy. He's a ball of pure light, fighting against being put into a square, circle, blue or sticky peg, which is precisely what school does, and teaches children to be- like everyone else.
This child, now 8 years old, is so special, his free- spirit fighting against conforming and yet being diagnosed with ADHD, loosing friends, not fitting in, being so soft and vulnerable on one end, and full of energy, enough to sprint great distances or chop down trees. I see his light starting to dim, at not fitting in, teachers still complaining that "the light doesn't fit in the box, the light is wrong...must be like the rest..." Kindwhile, he has a fascination for crystals. He asks questions that go right to your heart- all normal for a child still "in tact."
What does this have to do with the residing American President?
A glance over at my sisters phone, as she showed me a headline via mainstream media, Mr. Trump is saying something along the lines of, "I do not concede, this elections has been rigged."
Not accepted, not liked, not wanting to fit in, certainly not like the rest, the boy fights, and the teacher, unable to control him, calls him out, suspends him, bully's him, like the children do. They all gang up against him, because he is not the same, and refuses to go along with them, be like them.
I have been privy to this myself, when teaching in Austrian schools, that at the beginning of a project week, a teacher will pull me aside to talk about "the bad apple." That child would be the one who, in my feeling, would get the most love and attention from me. One mother, by the Wednesday of the week I was at her son's school, had wanted to meet me. She came on Friday, and we caught me before running to the train station to get back to Bratislava. We shook hands and she did not let go, saying that for the first time, her son (13 or 14 years old), actually wanted to come to school. I don't share that for a pat on the back or praise, I share that because we've got it all so severely wrong.
I've had teachers pull me aside after a couple of days, to say, "look! she's actually talking!!," when one of the students, who was usually mute, was not only talking, but wanting to speak non-stop at every given opportunity.
I've seen teachers influence the rest of the class, by treating a child who learns differently in subjection, so as to have fellow students do the same. Bullying.
Working in the traditional education system, taught me much about how desperately the systems needs not just a face-lift, but a total restructuring.
Now then, not accepted, not liked, not wanting to fit in, certainly not like the rest, the boy fights, and the teacher, unable to control him, calls him out, berates him, bully's him, and the children follow.
They all gang up against him, because he is not the same, and refuses to go along with them, be like them.
Now then, not accepted, not liked, not wanting to fit in, certainly not like the rest, the boy fights, and the main stream media, unable to control him, calls him names, berates him, bully's him and the masses follow. They all gang up against him, because he is not the same, and refuses to go along with them, be like them.
He refuses to be fit into a square, circle, blue or sticky peg.
~
There is enough division in the world, and my intention here is not to perpetuate that, rather to bring cohesion and unity, through our differences. It is not important to me who you support, what you believe in, what have you. If my song is, "your thoughts create what you see and experience," then I know the same is true for you, and I honor your reality, not your view, but your reality. Who am I to say you are wrong or misinformed about anything? My nephew -who's almost made a whole trip around the sun (at eleven months in his tiny body)- who am I to tell him that the things he sees beyond my physical vision are not real? Just because I cannot see what he does, does not make it unreal. Imagine if we all honored one another like that? I do. That's unconditional love.
There is much more than the education system that begs for change, and luckily for us all, it's happening.