The other day I heard one of my students cry out as we were packing up to leave, and I turned around, and she said this group of boys had been bothering her. And ultimately it turned out that they’d only been pulling on her hair but my first thought was something so much worse and I’ve always been protective so the first words out of my mouth before I could think were “touch her again and I will hurt you,” and that might not have been the wisest thing to say to a group of twelve year old boys. Epecially as a teacher. But somebody has to teach young men to leave girls the hell alone. And sometimes it has to be that straightforward of a message. Just to get the point across.
I could never hurt a child and I’m not proud of what I said. I just needed them to know.