Small and blurry
- Tags: active witness, classroom norms, restorative justice, stature, visually impaired teasing
Setting
It was the sixth grade classroom. The lights were cold and it smelled of fresh chalk. The front row desk was always for me, and as I entered my glasses fogged up from the change in temperature. In the courtyard row, people like me were never chosen to start the games.
Situation
I was bullied because of my eyesight and my size. They called me names and made fun of me because sometimes I couldn’t see the blackboard well. They hid my glasses and moved me around saying it was “a game”. In line and in the playground they pushed me and called me names; in physical education I was always the last one to form a team. I learned to shut up and try to be inconspicuous, but it hurt a lot inside. The teacher noticed something, but most of the teasing happened when she wasn’t looking.
Key dialogue
– “No glasses again, little boy?”
– “Leave him alone, he never sees anything.”
– “I don’t need teasing; I need respect.”
Rewrite the story
As a peer, delegate or teacher, what would you do today to cut through the teasing without further exposing the student? Propose:
1. immediate (7 days): clear signal against teasing, reading turns with props (board photo, copies), “prop partners” chosen by teacher.
2. Restorative: guided conversation with those who tease, acknowledgement of harm and verifiable agreements.
3. Structural: random team selection, “asking for help is not cheating” signs, seating checks so that seeing well does not mean being “in the spotlight”.
Table roles: student narrator, teasing leader, follower, friend ally, teacher, delegate.