Jessi is in the 2nd grade. There is a 5th grader that lives down the street and gives her a hard time. I'm considering going to her house this evening and talking to her parents, but wanted some advice before I start raising hell. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible.
At the beginning of the school year, this 5th grader was a safety patrol. She used to be really ugly and rude to the younger kids, especially Jessi and her friend Alexis. The safety patrol started sending home notes to us, the parents. The content of the notes was something to the effect of "I can't stand your child and neither can the bus driver. Control your child or else. This is your final warning".
She would push around the younger kids (not mine obviously, as I was the ONLY parent that bothered to walk to the bus stop every day). She would hit the kids (with things like a jacket that folded up into a little drawstring, if you understand that), yell at them, and litter in the neighbor's yards.
Finally, one day a few months ago, Jessi walked to the bus stop ahead of me while I fought with the boys. She was still in my sight, and when she got there, this safety patrol did the "talk to the hand" thing and put her hand up in Jessi's face, then told her to get away. Jessi tried to say something else, but she yelled at her "I told you to shut up!"
So I made a point to tell her that I was going to call the VP that day, since he's in charge of buses and safety patrols. I later found out that she approached Jessi as they were getting off the bus at school and told her that she'd better tell her mom to shut up or she was going to get it!
In the meantime, I had called the VP and apparently I wasn't the only one that felt this girl's power had gone to her head. Two days later, she was no longer a safety patrol. The next morning, I approached her at the bus stop and asked her if she had something she wanted to say to me. She was all in shock and claimed she was just upset because Jessi told her I was going to call the VP. I let her know that I *had* called them and I doubted she'd be a safety patrol much longer. I also told her that she needed to quit pushing the kids around and doing stupid things like littering, hitting other kids, etc since she was supposed to be a role model for the younger ones. I also told her she didn't have to like my child, but she did have to quit treating her like dirt. And next time I'd be having this conversation with her parents.
So for a few months, she's actually been nice to Jessi -- or at least just ignored her. This morning, Jessi walked down to the bus stop ahead of me again, with me only far enough behind that I could still see her. One of the other little girls at the stop had asked Jessi to bring her an Avon book because she liked the way one of the pages smelled or something. So Jessi goes to walk up to her, and the ex-safety patrol jumps in front of her, does the "talk to the hand" thing by sticking her hand in Jessi's face again. Jessi tries to go around her, and she blocks Jessi, with her hand still in Jessi's face.
She tells this girl that she had something for the other girl, so the ex-safety patrol YANKS the book out of Jessi's hand and throws it at the other girl. I WAS FURIOUS! I walked up and asked her if she had a problem again, and she said no, she was just helping Jessi out. BULLSH!T! I watched the whole event. I asked Jessi if she was like this to her yesterday (TJ was sick, so I stood in our driveway and watched the girls at the bus stop, which is 2 houses down). She said she was ALWAYS that mean to her.
Well, I'm tired of it. I know it's the end of the year, but this little b!tch has no right treating Jessi or any of the other kids like that! I can't decide whether to go talk to her parents this evening or just call the school and tell them my child is being bullied on her bus. Am I over reacting? I don't want to be one that calls and whines every time my child has a problem, but I can remember being scared to go to the bus stop when I was young because some of the other kids would give me hell and call me names.
Should I stick up for her, or just let it be? Jessi's not aggressive enough to take up for herself, so I'm afraid it won't get any better if I don't step in. Advice? And so much for being brief, eh?
At the beginning of the school year, this 5th grader was a safety patrol. She used to be really ugly and rude to the younger kids, especially Jessi and her friend Alexis. The safety patrol started sending home notes to us, the parents. The content of the notes was something to the effect of "I can't stand your child and neither can the bus driver. Control your child or else. This is your final warning".
She would push around the younger kids (not mine obviously, as I was the ONLY parent that bothered to walk to the bus stop every day). She would hit the kids (with things like a jacket that folded up into a little drawstring, if you understand that), yell at them, and litter in the neighbor's yards.
Finally, one day a few months ago, Jessi walked to the bus stop ahead of me while I fought with the boys. She was still in my sight, and when she got there, this safety patrol did the "talk to the hand" thing and put her hand up in Jessi's face, then told her to get away. Jessi tried to say something else, but she yelled at her "I told you to shut up!"
So I made a point to tell her that I was going to call the VP that day, since he's in charge of buses and safety patrols. I later found out that she approached Jessi as they were getting off the bus at school and told her that she'd better tell her mom to shut up or she was going to get it!
In the meantime, I had called the VP and apparently I wasn't the only one that felt this girl's power had gone to her head. Two days later, she was no longer a safety patrol. The next morning, I approached her at the bus stop and asked her if she had something she wanted to say to me. She was all in shock and claimed she was just upset because Jessi told her I was going to call the VP. I let her know that I *had* called them and I doubted she'd be a safety patrol much longer. I also told her that she needed to quit pushing the kids around and doing stupid things like littering, hitting other kids, etc since she was supposed to be a role model for the younger ones. I also told her she didn't have to like my child, but she did have to quit treating her like dirt. And next time I'd be having this conversation with her parents.
So for a few months, she's actually been nice to Jessi -- or at least just ignored her. This morning, Jessi walked down to the bus stop ahead of me again, with me only far enough behind that I could still see her. One of the other little girls at the stop had asked Jessi to bring her an Avon book because she liked the way one of the pages smelled or something. So Jessi goes to walk up to her, and the ex-safety patrol jumps in front of her, does the "talk to the hand" thing by sticking her hand in Jessi's face again. Jessi tries to go around her, and she blocks Jessi, with her hand still in Jessi's face.
She tells this girl that she had something for the other girl, so the ex-safety patrol YANKS the book out of Jessi's hand and throws it at the other girl. I WAS FURIOUS! I walked up and asked her if she had a problem again, and she said no, she was just helping Jessi out. BULLSH!T! I watched the whole event. I asked Jessi if she was like this to her yesterday (TJ was sick, so I stood in our driveway and watched the girls at the bus stop, which is 2 houses down). She said she was ALWAYS that mean to her.
Well, I'm tired of it. I know it's the end of the year, but this little b!tch has no right treating Jessi or any of the other kids like that! I can't decide whether to go talk to her parents this evening or just call the school and tell them my child is being bullied on her bus. Am I over reacting? I don't want to be one that calls and whines every time my child has a problem, but I can remember being scared to go to the bus stop when I was young because some of the other kids would give me hell and call me names.
Should I stick up for her, or just let it be? Jessi's not aggressive enough to take up for herself, so I'm afraid it won't get any better if I don't step in. Advice? And so much for being brief, eh?
definetly bullying
to your daughter for having to deal with that!
