As educators, we have had years of experience
addressing and working with children who experience rejection, abuse and
unhealthy control tactics. We have dealt with children in witness
protection programs, foster care, homelessness, parental custody
battles; alcoholism, drug and sex abuse by parents and guardians and,
yes, even children subjected to sexual abuse by clergy.
Rejection at school is a daily occurrence for
many students and an issue constantly addressed by administrators,
teachers, counselors, school psychologists and social workers. Many,
many times the rejection is a result of outside influences that teach
children, intentionally or not, who to include and who to exclude.
Developmentally, children may know what they are doing but do not
understand the consequences of excluding others, the long term hurt and
pain that it may cause.