The girls we serve

On our "honeymoon" Peter and I stepped into a little piece of heaven -- a Christmas store! I love Christmastime, and although it is entirely too early to begin singing carols, the spirit of Christmas can last all year long! We carefully walked through the aisles, our eyes landing on a small, brown, smiling triceratops ornament. Now, it sits here by the computer reminding me of Peter when he's away.

A girl I work with at school has been permanently removed from Girl Scouts. In Kenya, a student was suspended from Icaciri for writing "I have nothing to say to you" over and over in a letter of apology addressed to me. I have done it again, as this girl has been kicked out of our troop not only for being continually disruptive but also for calling me a very nasty name in front of her teacher.

It is almost too much for me to handle. This girl is showing classic signs of bullying behavior. She is a child with low self-esteem who verbally attacks her peers to get attention and to gain control. She knows things a third grader should not know, and is bold enough to try and bully me on a regular basis. Approaching her about her rude behavior, she would ignore me, or remind me that she was not stupid and that I was "not speaking in alien."

But SHE IS EXACTLY the kind of girl who NEEDS our program. Our curriculum focuses on issues of bullying, friendship, self-esteem and virtually every other social skill. After her teacher informed me that this girl would no longer be attending our troop, my heart sank. We have abandoned this child.

I cannot stand this, and unfortunately I am in no position to debate this case. I am a simple volunteer with no professional teaching background. I have no experience as a child psychologist, so how do I know what is best for this disruptive child?

I will no longer have any interaction with this girl, but I pray that she will find a role model who she can trust. It sounds so trivial, but I know that without a positive adult in this girl's life, she will just continue to live up to the expectations everyone has set for her. Her teacher has labeled her as a "brat". Her peers call her a bully to her face. This child is eight years old and everyone hates her. Won't someone believe in her?