*Boy has sunk into depressive state. Mother says her pleading with teacher made no difference. Now, school wants him taken away*
*Neethu Reghukumar* *10 March 2011* *The callous attitude of a teacher in a city school has caused a seven-year-old child to sink into a state of depression which could have long-term consequences for his mental health. As if the boy’s and his parents’ agony were not enough, the school has now asked them — in the middle of the school year — to remove him.* Seven-year-old Uday, a first standard student of Swargarani School in BEML Layout, was allegedly made to sit on the floor by his class teacher for the last six months. That, even as Uday’s mother had pleaded with the lady teacher a couple of months ago to be gentle with her child. Kaveri (26), a home maker and resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said her first inkling of the trauma her son was going through came when he began telling her that his teacher ‘hit him’ everyday. “I would reply that he may have done something wrong. But he kept complaining, and when he felt I did not believe him, he stopped saying anything. I could see that he was turning inward day by day,” she said. Two and a half months ago, she began to notice that Uday would clench his teeth in his sleep and murmur, “No ma’am, I did not do it.” She took Uday to Spandana Nursing Home in Rajaji Nagar, where the doctor said Uday was hyperactive and was venting his feelings thus at being isolated and reprimanded. “He said I should urge the teacher to be gentle with Uday. The doctor said my son had the persistent feeling that whatever he did, the teacher would find fault with, and that was difficult for a child’s mind to cope with. The doctor said Uday was not showing it outwardly, but he had slipped into a depressive state,” Kaveri said. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Kaveri told her son not to hold back anything from her. “I was shocked when he said that everyday, for at least the past six months, he had been made to sit on the floor. When I went to the school and asked his classmates to show me his seat, one of them said it was ‘on the ground’,” Kaveri said. “The class teacher said he was naughty and did not sit in one place. But when it is happening for so long, shouldn’t they tell us our child is behaving like this? That is the least we expect from the school,” Kaveri said. There were other unpleasant things that Uday came out with. “One day, the PT teacher said in front of the whole class that Uday was behaving ‘like this’ because his parents were ‘not good’. Uday was totally non-plussed at the remark. Another time, the teacher took his new scale and gave it to a classmate who had lost hers. The teachers call him ‘karate’ because he covers his face when they try to hit him,” Kaveri said. According to Kaveri, nothing has changed even after she requested the teacher to treat her son with kindness. “The doctor at Spandana Nursing Home has asked us to take him to Nimhans, saying Uday is showing all the symptoms of depression,” she said. On February 18, the mother got another jolt when she was called to the school by Uday’s teacher, who said the principal had asked for the names of all the ‘naughty’ children in the class, and that Uday’s name was among them. “The principal asked me to take Uday’s TC. I told her the doctor had said my son was hyperactive, and pleaded with her to give him one more chance. But she would not listen. I did not take the TC, and have not been sending Uday to school since then. We have filed a complaint against the school with the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police. They have spoiled my child’s life. The trauma he has had to undergo is terrible. It is an ICSE school and we paid almost Rs 27,000 as school fees for one year,” Kaveri said. The police acknowledged that a complaint had been made. “Two women constables went with the family and they spoke to the principal. The matter is resolved,” an officer said. However, Kaveri claimed that when the group went to the school, the principal spoke harshly. “She said only I should speak, not my relatives. She said Uday used to spit in other children’s tiffin boxes and that is why he was made to sit on the floor. I asked her for the TC, but she was not ready even for that, telling me to come with my husband,” she said. Several calls to the school by Bangalore Mirror were met with the response that the principal, Sr Thomson, was out of station. *Uday needs special care *Attention deficit hyperactivity is a disorder that affects three to five per cent of children, according to Dr Bhupendra Chaudhry, consultant psychiatrist with Manipal Hospital. “This is a problem that goes unnoticed. Such children get distracted easily, cannot sit in one place and may even run around in class. Teachers brand them ‘naughty’. What teachers and parents should understand is that it is a disorder,” he said. “Schools have no emotional interest in the child, so they take measures like sending him/her away so that school discipline is not affected. Both parents and teachers need to be trained in taking care of such children. In fact, identifying such disorders should be added to the teacher’s training curriculum,” Dr Chaudhry said. “The child should be placed in the front row and one seat on his left and right can be kept vacant so he does not get distracted. The teacher can engage his attention by asking simple questions. This will help improve the self-esteem of such children. If they have a low self-esteem, it increases their hyper-activeness. If such children are punished, they can become more aggressive. They may even go into a depression,” he said. http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/1/2011031020110310072936812b70af9d8/7yearold-made-to-sit-on-class-floor-for-6-months.html -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
