Bullied At School

by Lost in the fog 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Lost in the fog

  Just curious about the rest of you.

  I was bullied quite badly throughout my school years because of being a Witness and not participating in religious holidays, sporting celebrations, assembly (worship), and the like.

  It was mostly from other pupils but there were a couple of teachers who definitely treated me badly. That was back when UK teachers still caned pupils or were allowed to hurl the heavy wooden blackboard duster across the room at them...

  I still have ptsd flashbacks on some of those events even after 50 years!

  How many other born-ins suffered ill-treatment because of being different at school?
• 

  stan livedeath

  not born in--mum got religion when i was 9...but your post is ME!

  Went to all boys grammar school in Birmingham ( UK) aged 11. Kept out of assemblies--along with catholics, jews and a couple of hindu.

  I went completely off the spectrum--smoking in the bogs, truant, fighting, no homework. Tell me about the caning, the flying blackboard dusters--punched by teachers.

  O level in skyving...managed to get out of it all when i was 15 and got a job.

  Happy days
• 

  enoughisenough

  I heard a story where a witness boy did stand for the flag ( can't remember it well enough to know if he said the pledge or not. ) another witness kid ratted him out and his Elder dad gave the kid a severe beating. ( so it wasn't only what was endured at school, but maybe even in the home.) So the kid who got the beating never liked the kid who ratted on him. I was told this story years ago by the kid who did the ratting out.
• 

  Ron.W.

  I was bullied, but fought back.

  Little did I know the head bully I won after a major fight in my first vicious scrap was the school's toughest guy.

  I had no more trouble with any more bullies for the rest of my school years after that.

  Tried to live like those young brothers and sisters from Japan who placed 30 wt bible story books every month in school, but it was no good - I was a scrapper and I was not bothered by anyone even though I was a JOE- BO!!!
• 

  FedUpJW

  I was bullied, but fought back.

  Exactly!
  

  In first grade I was bullied somewhat. I remember telling my father when he asked why I came home from school with two black eyes that Jesus said, "turn the other cheek."

  My father told me that did not mean we must let ourselves be knocked around, and then ask to be knocked around some more or stand up for ourself. He did tell me though that I should not go looking for trouble, and that it took a bigger man to walk away from a fight than it did to engage in a fight. Then he told me IF someone insisted on making a fight physical and they took the first swing that I should make sure that I took the LAST swing. He told me that is wasn't anything to be ashamed of if one was forced into a fight to make sure you won by whatever means you had. Don't bother to fight clean son, fight to WIN!

  That advice served me very well. And the thing I found was it did not take many fights until word got around to leave me alone.
  
• 

  Ron.W.

  Totally understand!

  My little brother really was a little guy.

  He had it so easy. Anytime anyone picked on him he told them who his big brother was and they instantly left him alone.

  He said when I left school two years before him, it got very tough for him as he had lost his bodyguard!!!

  Happy days!!!
• 

  Biahi

  Bullied by other kids, YES! Teachers, no, most were kind and understanding, they knew it wasn’t my fault I was being raised in this crazy way. So embarrassed once, in 1st grade, I knew I shouldn’t say the pledge, but I didn’t want to explain to the teacher, so I’d halfheartedly put my hand near my heart and mumble. Teacher kept me after class to “help” me with the words. (She thought I didn’t know the words to the Pledge of Allegiance). I was very embarrassed and tried to explain it. Finally I told her my mom would write a note, which she did. My mom told me she didn’t write a note the first day because I should be able to “explain my faith” myself. What I couldn’t verbalize, though, was the fact that this was HER faith and my dad’s, not mine. My childhood sucked, but I’m well aware from this forum that it could have been worse. For my psyche, though, not good. That’s why I vowed to myself that I would NEVER bring a child into the world, and raise it as a Witness.
• 

  Vanderhoven7

  A JW told me that as a child entering school, he would look for the biggest kid in the class and make friends with him. It served him well all through elementary school.
• 

  Ron.W.

  Very wise!!!
• 

  St George of England

  Just like Stan above, I also went to an all boys grammar school but this was back in the 1950's. It was a pretty tough school but I loved to fight, we still did boxing in those days and I had also boxed in junior school. In fact it was the only sporting activity I was any good at!

  All the other kids knew I was a JW but never gave me any trouble. I knew a JW similar age to me who went to the local secondary modern school and the kids there made his life miserable. He used to dread waking each morning. I just don't know how I would have coped with that.

  George