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The gist of the story is of a fourth grade girl of devout Muslims was so persecuted by her teacher and classmates for being Muslim, that it literally tore her family apart. She missed most of fourth grade because it was so horrible and in the end her family had to move away, with the mom and five kids moving to one place and the dad moving else where. The principal did nothing to help this family, nor did the school district. In fact, it was district approved and required reading material that started the whole thing! In the end the US Justice Department got involved, but it was much too late. Now the mom has to work and go to school instead of being a full time mom. She and her kids have hardly any time together.
The whole thing made me sick. As a mom, as a teacher, as a Christian, I was hit at every level of my identity. How could this happen? How could a teacher, a person responsible for a child's well being, who was a follower of Jesus- or so she would have us believe- behave like this? Why did none of the other kids or their parents stand up for this girl? She had been in their homes playing with their daughters for years?! Didn't any other teacher know what was happening and why didn't he or she stand up say something? Much of what was done by the other children happened at recess. Where was the playground staff? They just let kids follow other kids around and taunt them?
I like to think, put in that situation, that I would do better. I like to think that is true of the people that I teach with, of the people who teach my children. I like to think that the people I go to church with would be outraged. With any luck we'll never be put in that situation, but somehow I doubt that will be the case. I pray that I will have the strength that I would need. That my own children would be strong.
The most amazing part of the story to me is that both the girl and her mother still believe that this situation was a fluke, that most Americans are not like that. They still believe that this is the best place to live. To have that kind of belief in a group of people, to not become bitter and over generalizing, after having been treated so badly, is very admirable.
1 comment:
I also heard that episode and it also broke my heart! I want to some how write to the mother and ask them if they would like to move to my city so I could be their friend even if no one else wanted to be. and I've been praying that the father will have the grace to go back to his wife and children and that they can all start to heal from this horrible, disgraceful situation. And it made me that much more in favor of teachers not being allowed to discuss their faith in school.
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