The bullying, both individual and group, against my son Jack has picked up again at school. This is going on both during school and at afterschool. I will report on it here as things develop. First, here is a letter Jack wrote to his afterschool teacher:

Dear Teacher:

I would like it if you would interfere and punish XX or anyone else who bullies me the first time. Because the second and third times are hurting me. It doesn’t hurt you but it hurts me. When you give them a second and third time it just gives them more chances to hurt me. They know they have three chances to hurt me and they take those chances. This hurts and harms me. They know what they can do, which is to harm me.
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So, am I sorry that I took my kid out of private school and put him in public?  More

My first reservation about my son’s private school was how joyless the environment was and how subdued and brow-beaten the children looked. Equally disturbing, however, were things that were more social and political in nature. From what I saw at that school I learned how deeply discriminatory private schools have become.  More

I’d say that altogether we did not have a great elementary school experience. In fact, if I were not by nature on the understated and stoic side I could really complain. My son is now in fifth grade and when all is said and done kids do grow up and mature. I think he’s getting much better at staying out of trouble. I think he’s starting to get the idea that if you are the kind of person who thrives on challenge you can choose from a whole range of challenges. Some challenges are idiotic and create problems for yourself and your family, and some challenges can make you very cool and accomplished. I think – I hope – Jack is starting to see this.  More