My son often comes home with complaints that someone took his stationery and bullied him. We have complained to the school but they are not able to do much. How can I help him?
If the problem is big enough to result in serious injury or make your child fearful, investigate and meet the child’s teacher in person. Discuss why you think the problem is more than common school tiffs and how it can be solved. If it is not too serious, don’t make an issue of it. Lend your child a listening ear, sympathy and attention. But after that, discuss how such problems can be solved, give him ideas to manage the situation and encourage him to handle it himself. However protective you may feel, ultimately your child has to face most school problems himself, and learn how to cope. But always encourage your child to open up and talk. You can judge whether you need to step in.

My seven-year-old daughter was bullied once by a senior boy who snatched away her snack. Since then, she avoids situations where she encounters seniors, such as Annual Day programmes and group sports. What do I do?
Advise your daughter understand that she needs to conquer her fear. There will always be bullies, but there are ways to tackle them. Teachers can deal with them, and she herself can learn to do and say the right thing when someone is rude. Share situations when you had to deal with bullies and how you overcame them. Discuss different situations that can arise; get her to suggest them. Discuss ways to deal with them and find a solution which will work. You can even do some mock role plays, where you take turns playing the bully, while the other ‘outwits’ the bully. She will soon realise that no problem is insurmountable.

My eight-year-old daughter always complains how every teacher has favourites. When she tells me how a teacher has been partial, I am always sympathetic. But I sometimes wonder whether I should encourage this.
Whether the ‘partiality’ or ‘favouritism’ is real or imagined, it is a reality in schools. Encourage your daughter to take it in her stride and without fretting.
Some teachers do practise favouritism. But explain that she too can become a favourite by being a great student, participating enthusiastically in class and willingly helping students and teachers.
You should discourage her from thinking too much about this and dismiss such complaints by advising her how she can be a popular friend and student, and enjoy school.

Family Learning

Learning together can become a family activity. Plan a visit to the planetarium, aquarium, zoo or library at least twice a month. Before that, choose a related theme such as ‘animal behaviour’ or ‘planets.’

Ask every family member to contribute a page full of interesting information on the theme. This knowledge will make the excursion more meaningful, and the whole family gets to learn interesting new stuff.

Also read: Teacher troubles