I Wish I Had a Pair of Scissors, So I Could Cut Out Your Tongue
By ALINA SIMONE
DEC. 17, 2016 The New YorkTimes
A. The mom was dumbfounded. Her son nodded; it was true.
B. In March, she gave up and pulled her son off the bus. Parents go to great lengths to get their children into the best schools. For many — myself included — a longer commute seems a fair trade for a better education. But we should spare some thought for making sure that journey is safe.
C. And if a fight breaks out? Drivers should pull over and call 911.
D. ONE evening after school, about three weeks ago, my husband and daughter were on the curb in the too-early dark with the usual group of kids and parents, when my 5-year-old informed another mom that an older boy had come up to her son on the bus and said, “I wish I had a pair of scissors, so I could cut out your tongue.” To underscore his intention, the boy asked around to see if anyone had any scissors.
E. At a time of intense parenting and wearable GPS trackers for kids, the school bus remains one of the black boxes of childhood. In what other situation would parents allow dozens of kids, ranging from 4 to 13, to look after themselves, with the only adult in earshot focused on navigating a six-wheeler through rush hour traffic?
F. I think of myself as about average on the parental neurosis scale but I was worried about the bus before my daughter even started elementary school. We managed to get a spot at our first choice school; then the problem was getting there.
G. She alerted the school, and was told that the bully’s parents had been contacted. Still, the bullying continued. She then asked if she could ride on the bus with her son. There were dozens of volunteer roles for parents at our school but the district forbids parents to actually set foot on it. She then offered to hire a bus monitor with her own money, only to be told: “That’s not how it usually works.”
H. When I mentioned this to an acquaintance whose children attend my daughter’s school, she turned pale. Last year, she said, her 5-year-old son started getting hassled on the bus. The bullying escalated from name-calling to hitting.
I. Most parents assume that bus drivers are responsible for maintaining discipline and preventing abuse. But in places like New York City, that’s just not true. Drivers aren’t school employees; they work for private companies. Drivers are supposed to “caution” children only if a problem arises, and then report any incidents of bullying.
J. The commute required two subway trains and a mile-long walk: a round trip that would take us, her parental escorts, about two and a half hours a day. Luckily, we qualified for the school bus.
