Absurdity

I think a good part of the remote/virtual learning was it was province wide. It may not be what is best for all children, but it worked for some. We need to stop trying to get them all in a "1 size fits all" approach and give options that work for different children. Virtual learning worked well for these students for various reasons, there could be other specialized schools that work well for others, but trying to make everyone just take the same general classes and studies will have those who fall through the cracks, and this was a program that was great at catching those who would have fallen through otherwise. A lot of these children won't end up going back to school, they will be home schooled or just end up missing classes.

As someone who was bullied a lot in middle school, it was distracting to any learning efforts, I wasn't there to learn whatever I was being taught. I wasn't able to pay attention to the teachers, I was worried about things being thrown at me, the verbal abuse, my notes being destroyed, the horror of a group project. And it was especially worse in some classes compared to others, I assume as how the teachers would overlook things. Social studies was terrible, and I barely passed, while art class was nice as the teacher was very attentive and I had an EA with me for that class.

I feel I would have done much better for online classes in those years, able to avoid the bullies, the pain, and actually been able to focus on and learn the subjects being taught. Only started to make friends when I got away from all of them and most of them went to River East or KE and I went to Miles. A few did go to Miles as well from middle school, but the nicer ones at least. If any of my bullies had also gone to high school with me I feel I would have done just as poorly then. I feel too those who love education the most often got bullied the most. I remember the welts I would get as they would use elastics to fling paperclips at me later in the year because flinging paper got too boring. No idea what character I built from it.

I ignore them hoping they move on, they just keep escalating and making it worse. I tell the teachers and authority, not much happens, maybe if they were especially horrible they get a suspension, then they come back and it continues and often worse. I fight back and I get suspended and it continues when I get back. What was I supposed to do there? What lessons were there? To this day I still don't know what to do if there is a bully that keeps targeting you, I don't know what to pass on to my children, only thing that helped was lasting the 3 years and getting out of that school.

Becoming a bully also would help a bit I guess to fit in, if I bothered someone else they, the bullies, would laugh and join in and leave me alone. So I guess the big "character building" lesson was to become a bully as well? That's what they want us to learn in middle school? And then that carries on to high school and life. Only reason there is so much bullying in school is because they get away with it and keep going until you become them as well, where you bully each other still, but only lightly because you are "friends" now, and then bully others. It is a toxic environment that breeds more and more unto itself making new or different people fit in quickly or receive worse and worse treatment from the group. It isn't about character building but fitting into their mould, thinking back on their "friends" back then and their "light hearted bonding" because kids will be kids apparently and incapable of simply being just kind to each other. If you let one person start to bully others because kids are kids, they get more and more to join them until that is nearly all there is.