Childhood injustices you can't forget

[TheScurrilousFunge]

Please tell me about your childhood injustices.

I was just reminded of one by something on the TV - I found my classmate's bag strap behind a loo at school. It had clearly been hidden there, but not by me - and yet, I got the blame for it! It rankles TO THIS DAY.

Tell me I'm not alone in not letting this stuff go!

This isn’t from childhood but just remembering some of the teachers I worked with & wondering why the hell they had anything to do with young children. I was a supply nursery nurse for a while & the nursery teacher at one school was an absolute bitch. There was a girl who was a selective mute & instead of being kind & understanding, this cow of a woman humiliated the child & got angry with her for not speaking. The worst thing of all was when she & the child’s Mother tore her to pieces & compared her to her sister - “ Why can’t you be more like X?” Just horrendous. I wanted to give her the biggest hug. And another time, the teacher was talking about a little boy in front of him & said to his Mum “ And he’s left handed to add to all his other problems”! I really should have reported her but I was young & relatively inexperienced. I remember another nursery teacher who was just so cold & nasty. Very small children need nurturing & love. It still upsets me now to think about how some of the ones I met were treated.

Can I just say that my siblings would be on here in a shot complaining about me! As one of three we could all get away with things so much easier. I committed some ‘bad’ ones by not owning up to various breakages/spillages/things gone missing etc. I’m sure they did too.

My poor son, just a few years ago. His Reception teacher, the jumped up little cow she is!
DS is a sweet lad and by all accounts by everyone he is in contact with, a very polite and well behaved child.

But he has a bully and the bully's mum is friends with their teacher.

I only ever received negative school reports from that teacher yet his other teachers (they have more than one per class) absolutely sung his praises. It was baffling.
During parent's evening I asked what was the issue was and she did a head tilt (a fucking head tilt!!!) and told me how he tells fibs all the time. DH and I were astounded. We'd never heard him lie. So we moved on, still confused but ready to tell DS off later.

DS (kids have to come to parents evenings there) then told a relevant tale of something that happened the previous week at his swimming lesson (after bitch teacher had said they were doing swimming this term) and she said, (with another head tilt!) "There. That's what I was saying. The lies he's always telling"
DH was raging. He told her that actually, Bully HAD tried to drown DS and DS needed pulled out by a lifeguard and that in future she needed to check before she called our lad a liar.

Another time I was waiting at the doors and saw bully boy bodyslam a child beside him into a wall and play equipment that was just inside the school door. The kid itself was out of view but a few of us mums sucked in a breath when we saw bully kid throw his body against someone and heard the huge clatter that arose from it. The teacher was looking straight at them holding the door but she didn't seem to bother. Fair enough. Whoever the kid was must have taken a hell of a tumble though because we all saw and heard it.
DS then came out the door and upon seeing me, burst into tears. He had been that kid and even had a red mark on his head! Teacher looked at him, then me and fucking head tilting, said, "See, I thought he'd do this. He was fine a second ago"

I'm nearly 40 and have the same reaction when I see my mum after something bad happens!

I'm so glad he's out of her class now. Everything she did was an injustice to my kid and I bet he'll be remembering that stuff when he's my age.

I went to a girl's grammar school and we did Latin up until the third year.

I hated it and used to copy my best mate's homework every time, just change a couple of random things to make it look less obvious. I'd usually get around a C or D.

When she was off sick once I had no choice but to do it myself.

I got an A and was asked to stay back after the class, when the teacher told me she knew I had cheated. I swore up and down I hadn't, and so wanted to tell her that in fact this was the first time I'd actually done my own Latin homework, but of course, she wouldn't have believed me, whatever I said.

I got detention.

I don’t think Santa had any Mr Frostys, he never brought me one either despite requesting one several times

In my secondary school (early 90’s), there was outrageously blatant favouritism in the drama department. A girl who got the lead in all the massive annual productions (at least 3) despite never having to audition. In fact, the school didn’t even hold auditions for the female lead it was just automatically hers and the rest of us had to suck it up.
The reason? She had been a regular cast member (from tiny) of a well known soap until she was replaced (by a more competent actress) in her teens, and she had ‘famous’ siblings.
She was a rotten actress but was treated like royalty. No one else got a shot. Her ‘one hit wonder’ family members were used to sell tickets!!!

I have so, so many, but the first one i can recall was when i was about 5 and my sister was about 3. We were colouring in pictures and my mum was to judge which was best. anyway i did mine so carefully, taking care to keep inside the lines, while my sister, in typical 3 year old style, just scribbled on the page. My mum picked my sister's as the best as it was more 'colourful'. I was so hurt, silly really that i still remember it so many years later.

A girl called Lisa put sand from the sand tray down my neck at pre school. So I put dried peas down her neck. I was caught and had to stand in the corner for the rest of the session. My lip was too wobbly to defend my actions. Everyone knows sand is way uncomfier and harder to get out than dried peas.

@Brieminewine

When I was in about year 3 I asked to go and work in the library but the headteacher was there and somehow thought I’d been sent there for being naughty, he didn’t say anything at the time but told me off in the next school assembly!

I had something very similar, I was working in the library before school and the deputy head was convinced I was skiving assembly, but it was a 1st to 3rd year assembly and I was in 4th! He didn't believe me and marched me down there. I was MORTIFIED.

Many ,many years ago (in 1972 in fact) DSis and I were taken to the Salvation Army Sunday School every week.
DSis (older) was in another room.
The younger ones in groups by age . I liked my group , our leader gave us sweets .
I was moved up , until the leader of this group discovered I was 6 not 7 .
She sat there shrieking "Six? Six ! " at me . "Six? I thought you were Seven" over and over like I'd lied about my age to sneak up a group ( I hadn;t)
No bloody idea why a SA member chose to humiliate me publicly

I was about 9 and playing in a garden with the other local children. The child whose garden we were in parents never seemed to like me, ignored me, rolled eyes etc but I was friends with their daughter. We were playing Home and Away and I was to try and steal a baby. I remember the girl sitting holding the doll and we discussed what would happen, I was to grab the doll and run. So I did, while she screamed “my baby, my baby”. Next thing her parents had swung the living room window open and started shouting “get out of here, leave her alone, you horrible wee girl” (words to that affect, obvs memory has faded but I was called horrible). The girl started shouting/pleading with her parents that it was a game and it was ok but I was sent away. I ran home sobbing. The next day I seen her running about with all our friends and I ran out my house towards her and they done it again, opened window and screamed for me to keep away. I just remember feeling so sad, I had never been mean to her. I still see the Mum ever so occasionally and want to say something. I’m had a lightbulb moment years ago that they may have had a dislike towards me due to religion/football team differences with our families.

But I do have moments where I think I’m a good person and how wrong they were.

I hated P.E and tried to get out of it whenever I could or put in as little effort as I could. I was and have never been sporty. The dance teacher told me if I didn't start doing the lessons properly she would go the head and call my parents and tell them I had ran away from school the week before and ignored her when she was shouting at me to come back and basically accused me of sagging school. I never did run out of school during lessons I was always to scared. Even now thinking of me telling her it wasn't me and her saying it was because I walked past her to get to the field. Annoys the shit out of me! It literally never happened. I generally think she was threatening me and lying.

I remember playing 'pass the parcel' at a friend's birthday.
I was lucky enough to win a lovely gift! Something I really wanted!
I won again, something very small.

Friend's mum took the much better gift from me to give to another child, as I had two!

I thought that was most unfair! (But didn't say anything).

@Gingerkittykat

I love how my post was hidden instantly, hopefully they will see the context of the word I used and let the post be visible.

The irony that your post got instantly hidden on a thread about injustices...

In grade 3 our class was told to read a chapter of a book. I was a fast, advanced reader and I read the whole book. The teacher asked why I had stopped reading and I explained I had finished the book. She gave me the ruler in front of the whole class for not following instructions. The unfairness of it- I got corporal punishment for quietly reading. Still bitter, Mrs Long Dead Summers.

I had a fancy dress party aged seven. I told everyone about it for weeks and then the day before I gave out invitations another girl gave out invites for a fancy dress party one week before mine. My parents were furious! That’s not the injustice though - at the party we played Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The prize was one of those severed head things you can practice hairdressing on. My parents (feminists) would NEVER let me have something like that so I wanted it so badly! To my delight I was the only one to get my pin in the right place! Everyone else was miles off. Then the birthday girl did her pin at the very end. She felt the board for where there was one pin on its own and stuck hers over the top. She got the prize

Ah childhood injustices.... I have a couple.
The first was in primary school, I was around 8 and was told off for talking in class (nothing major, a group of us were chattering). The teacher made me stand in front of the whole class and asked each and every other pupil to comment and raise their hand if they thought I looked stupid. Can you imagine if that happened these days, there’d be uproar!! This was the 1980s

Second one was I was in a small group who had recorder lessons (bloody hate that instrument) and we each had a play - insert whatever crappy rhyme it was - that we had been told to practise. I did mine, got every note, probably wasn’t a budding concert musician, but I did it nevertheless... got an absolute bollocking because I “clearly hadn’t practised”. Then it comes to Rebecca (because that’s what she was called) and it was like someone had handed a toddler the sodding instrument and she just blew it at random... the teacher thanked her for “at least trying” FUMING to this day I am!!!

Every single week at pe, two team captains were chosen and then chose their team. Every single week I was last to be chosen 'oh I suppose we will have to have Fiona'

For the record I was taller than all of them, thin and sporty. They still never wanted me on their team.

When I was in year 3 the new headteacher decided that the 5 kids who got the most gold star stickers would get a trip to chessington. I was a really anxious child so always tried hard to never put a foot wrong, I did my work, helped the teacher sort art supplies, even cleaned the toilets! Imagine my disappointment when the kids who ran along the tables during class, hit me and threw wet paper towels at me ended up getting to go instead
I understand looking back that they most likely had SEN and some had awful home lives, but I still remember wondering why I wasn't good enough no matter what I did.

My class teacher in Y3 hated me from the instant I got put in her class. This was because she'd taught my older brother 2yrs before and he was generally a bit of a pain. Our surname is fairly uncommon so she knew we were related. She picked on and sniped at me for the entire year. I could literally do nothing right no matter how hard I tried. I was generally quite a shy, quiet kid so not exactly known for disruptive behaviour!

In Y4 I got awarded an effort and attainment certificate in the school awards. Afterwards I heard her bitching about me loudly in the corridor to another teacher about what a horrible child I was and how I couldn't possibly have deserved an award and probably cheated. She was vile.

Fuck you Beryl, I still hate you

My year four teacher took an active dislike to me from the very start. I had ongoing issues with glue ear and hearing difficulties and needed to be facing her to partially lip read. She was always rejigging the seating plan and facing me opposite a wall/at the very back etc. My mum had to keep coming into the class to ask her to move me again.

She also ignored me when I put my hand up to volunteer for speaking parts in assemblies and plays until one day she was looking for someone to be a rat in the harvest assembly when she picked me. I had large, protruding front teeth pre-orthodontics.

Bitch.

My sister ( I was 5 she was 11) and I were given huge balloons.
As we were playing she bounced hers against the ceiling, must have touched something sharp and burst.
She was very upset and decided it wasn;t fair that I still had my balloon.
So she cajoled our father to take mine and burst it - which he did with the end of his lit cigarette.
I was devastated.

A family friend gave me some barbie stuff including some clothes, well I was never too in to barbie but I put a ballet skirt from the haul round the belly on my my little pony - loved the pony tutu look, I was so happy! Proudly took it with me when I went with my parents to visit another family friend who had a daughter the same age as me. She loved the look too. When time to go said daughter claims this skirt was hers, her mum backs her up. My parents having no clue one way or the other felt they had to go with the majority decision in the house we were in and I was forced to hand said skirt over. I was distraught I still remember it (I was around age 6) this was totally unlike me. My mum still said it's the first and only 'tantrum' I ever had. Still furious at the injustice 😆

God there are some awful teachers mentioned in this thread! As I said in my pp,some people should never work with children!