[nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school

Fri Feb 3 23:09:51 UTC 2012

This is not the kind of thing that you put in an IEP.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hope Paulos" <hope.paulos at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 4:48 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school

>    Hi Chris. I'm assuming you're in high school.. I'd go to both your 
> principal and your guidance counselor. I wouldn't talk to him directly-- I 
> think he'd get more dicipline if you had the principal talk to him. I'd 
> also bring it up during your IEP/PET.
> HTH
> Hope and Beignet
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 6:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>
>
>>I knew this kid, speaking of criminals who were playground and school 
>>bullies, who was always harassing me, got mein trouble at lunch one day in 
>>elementary school, and later went on to rape somebody and go to jail for 
>>it.
>> Beth
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 18:41:07 -0500
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] asking for advice on problem at school
>>
>> When I was in elementary school, I had kids stealing books from me,
>> throwing erasers in my hair, pulling chairs out from under me, you
>> name it, they did it. The worst part was that most times, my teachers
>> were right there, and refused to do anything about it, because they
>> too were uncomfortable with my blindness, so why should they
>> intervene? I say this because it wasn't so long ago that this happened
>> to me. I grew up in the 90's, before bullying was the huge deal it is
>> now, but still close enough to the events of Columbine that it wasn't
>> completely unheard of either. And it was as "unacceptable" then as it
>> is now. Yes, I put unacceptable in quotes, because guess what, it
>> happens every day and so little of it is actually dealt with.
>> Meanwhile, things that are no real problem at all are resulting in
>> criminal records, such as a case I heard about recently where a boy
>> gave his friend a hug in school and was charged with sexual
>> harassment. I forget their exact ages, but they were young, elementary
>> school age. And yet, kids are driven to suicide, depression, drugs,
>> and every other dysfunction in the book, because they're bullied
>> mercilessly every day and no one will do anything about it.
>> Why do I say all this? I say it because I hope your school isn't like
>> mine was. I hope that someone in authority actually cares. I hope that
>> it doesn't escalate, because most kids have a cruel streak. I think
>> it's true what they say about the impulsiveness of adolescents--it's
>> human nature to be cruel, and at that age, most of us haven't learned
>> how to control those impulses or aggressions, making them the most
>> prone not only to selfishness and thoughtlessness, but to almost
>> animal rage, not to mention an inability to see beyond their own
>> actions to how they might be affecting others. My point is, people
>> like this have to be stopped. Perhaps if something can get through to
>> them while they're still young and impressionable, they might not grow
>> up to be tomorrow's criminals. Or maybe they will, who knows. But I've
>> seen enough to know what usually happens in these situations, even if
>> it was 15 years ago; and, in saying that, I hope things have evolved
>> at least a little bit since then. It makes me sick to read messages
>> like this. I hope for your sake that these small actions do not go
>> untouched. Right now this kid is probably testing the waters, seeing
>> just how much he can get away with. If he can steal a pack of gum, so
>> to speak, he may try to steal a candy bar next, then a bag of chips,
>> and on and on it goes, you get the picture.
>>
>> On 2/1/12, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
>> Chris, I know what you're going through.
>> I had a girl, put a dead frog in my shirt, as we were playing outside,
>> (I was in elementary school, when that happened.)
>> Go to your principal, and he/she should do something.
>> This stuff has got to stop!
>> If they don't do anything, go in front of the schoolboard!
>> Blessings, Joshua
>>
>> On 2/1/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> I had a problem at school today that I'd like to get your
>> thoughts on as to what I should do next.  Today during lunch,
>> another kid at my table dumped his bag of pretzels into my water
>> bottle without my knowing; he must have thought it was some kind
>> of funny prank.  Fortunately, I was sitting next to a good friend
>> of mine, who told me about this.  Even after multiple people
>> commented negatively about what he did, he said nothing.
>>
>> Variations on this have happened before with this same kid as the
>> perpetrater; only once before today this school year and 3 times
>> last year.  The one time something like this happened this year,
>> he put his dirty napkin in my Yogurt cup (after I had finished
>> eating the Yogurt) without saying anything.  The first time (with
>> the napkin,) I realized that this had happened as I was getting
>> my trash together to throw it away.  Knowing who did it, since
>> he'd done this kind of thing before last year, I said, "(Insert
>> name,) why is your napkin in my Yogurt?" Knowing that he had been
>> caught, he replied, "Oh...  sorry." I then talked to the lunch
>> lady who is in charge of supervising all of us in the lunchroom.
>> She said she would talk to him.  I wasn't there when she did, but
>> apparently she had, as the problem (for about a month and a half)
>> had been resolved...  that is, until today.
>>
>> I feel that this is a person taking advantage of my blindness and
>> playing a "prank" on me knowing that I won't catch him.  So, what
>> do you think I should do next? Should I go to our principal?
>> Should I talk to him directly? Any suggestions would be greatly
>> appreciated!
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
>> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
>> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
>> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
>> nuisance."
>> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>>
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