Yesterday in a second grade classroom, I was witness to behavior that I didn’t quite know how to classify, but something, I believe you teachers deal with daily. It wasn’t ethnic or racial bias, but probably more of a case of bullying, I suppose.
After two weeks of studying a group of words, the fun part comes from a game recognizing those words in racing around the game board with moves by that recognition. I take small groups of children up and we have a good time, usually.
The trouble came when we had an odd number of students, so one group had to have three players instead of two. This group were quickly picking their partner, and I kept saying one group has to have three. That’s when the group started arguing about who would take one boy. Shouting and one child saying,” No one wants you!” Then more grumbling until the teacher said for them to go to their seats and do busy work. She whispers to me, “That’s a hard lesson for that child, isn’t it.
Last night at church, when we heard, again, the new commandment of Jesus to his disciples to “ Love everyone, as I have loved you.” I thought about that classroom. Where does the division begin? When do we turn on others who may not look, act, think, or believe as we do? I didn’t know it could rear its ugly head in a second grade classroom.
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