In the words of the great Theodore Roosevelt “No man is above the law, and no man is below it.” In a world of where everyone, rich or poor, big or small is born and treated equal.

Welcome to my world, the world where status is everything, where authority means everything, where any trace of individuality is frowned upon. Where any outspoken person is belittled and punished until they learn to keep their mouth shut.

What is this medieval world I am living in?

Ladies and gentlemen I welcome you to my school. A school which claims to help nourish students and allow them to grow? Whose motto is even:

Oh the irony.

If only people would follow there own school motto.

I mean, what do you do when you’re the little person and can’t win?

What are you supposed to do when equality, principle, even human rights are completely forgotten about just because there’s a bigger person than you? Give up? Let them win just because their status automatically makes them right? And what do you do when its nothing short of bullying, when it’s a teacher, and everyone knows teachers always win, teachers are always right.

Right?

 

Some people don’t even notice what’s going on around them, some people do and say or do nothing, and some people are just too scared to even look around them.

I’ve seen it, students walking into school, head dropped, hunched over, afraid. It’s like how a picture can paint a thousand words. This picture cries out “If I keep my head down, she can’t pick on me, if I don’t say anything, she can’t do anything. Why me? Just leave me alone.”

But some people are too afraid to even hear it.

I’ve seen students break down in the corridors, outside closed doors, in bathrooms, all because of how one person can make you feel, insignificant, small, like something they’ve dragged in on their shoe. The feeling of hatred. Who does this? Teachers, principals. I always thought it was their job to teach, help students learn. Not lie, or abuse their authority.

Of course I believe in discipline, but discipline for the right reason. Should a person be disciplined for speaking their mind? The obvious answer is no, that’s absured; freedom of speech is a human right. But a teacher who doesn’t like a student’s opinion or disagrees and I quote

“No, you’re wrong, how many times do you have to be punished before you learn?”

Or should a student be punished for being honest?

Of course no, honesty is the best policy. A teacher’s response “Are you calling me a liar?”

It’s funny how a teacher is never to blame, what happens when a teacher lies? What happens when a teacher implies there’s something wrong with you? And what happens if a teacher is “ignorant” or “cheeky” to students? What happens if a teacher if a teacher goes out of their way to embarrass you? What happens if a teacher calls you stupid? And what happens if this one student has enough, if they stand up for themselves and all the people who are too afraid to stand up for themselves, because the truth is no one will ever believe the little guy, no one will ever believe a student over a teacher.

I’ll tell you what happens, she’ll get pulled out of class, screamed at in the corridor, wait outside a closed door, get screamed at some more, walk out and you’ll find her crying in the bathroom. But did they break her? I asked the same question. No they did not, she smiled. And maybe, just maybe after reading this, this will give students the same courage to speak their mind and stand up for what they believe in and their selves as this one girl had after all, words and ideas can change the world and I leave you with the words of Socrates the great Greek Philosopher,