Tough-as-nails bullied Japanese schoolgirl stays home from school, but not because she was sad or scared

[Gerick]

 

After standing up for classmate and becoming bully’s target herself, elementary schooler decided to send a message that took years to be heard.

 

Back when she was in elementary school, the daughter of Japanese Twitter user Maccchan (@J9qu6kEmNuGCV3r) refused to go to school for a week. This is generally a cause for concern in studious, rule-abiding Japan, but the reason, as is often the case, was bullying.

 

However, the situation wasn’t as straightforward as Macchan’s daughter being picked on because of a perceived difference or weakness. As a matter of fact, in the beginning she wasn’t the one who was being teased at all. Instead, it was one of her classmates who was being bullied, and Macchan’s daughter decided to stand up against the tormentor.

 

Unfortunately, this now put her in the bully’s sights, and Macchan’s daughter herself became the new target for emotional aggression. It was at this point that she decided she didn’t want to go to school. Macchan had no intention of forcing her to go, but asked her daughter to talk more about her reason for staying home, to which her daughter replied:

 

“I’m not staying home from school because I was bullied. I’m staying home from school because I think doing this will make the teachers take bullying in the school a little more seriously and do something about it.â€

 

 

 

イジメをã•ã‚Œã¦ã‚‹å­ã‚’守ã£ã¦ã€é€†ã«ã‚¿ãƒ¼ã‚²ãƒƒãƒˆã«ã•ã‚ŒãŸå¨˜ãŒå…ˆç”Ÿã«åŠ©ã‘を求ã‚ãŸã‘ã©åŠ©ã‘ã¦ã‚‚らãªã‹ã£ãŸã€‚娘ã¯å­¦æ ¡ã‚’1週間休んã ã€‚心é…ã™ã‚‹ç§ã«å¨˜ã¯ã“ã†è¨€ã„放ã£ãŸ 「ç§ã¯ã‚¤ã‚¸ãƒ¡ã‚’å—ã‘ã¦ã‚‹ã‹ã‚‰ä¼‘むんã˜ã‚ƒãªã„。休ã‚ã°ã‚‚ã†å°‘ã—真剣ã«å–ã‚Šåˆã£ã¦ãれるã¨æ€ã£ãŸã‹ã‚‰ã€ã¨ ã¤ãˆãƒ¼ãªï¼ãŠã„ï¼

 

— 

ã¾ã£ã¡ã‚ƒã‚“ (@J9qu6kEmNuGCV3r) June 26, 2018

 

 

 

 

Instead of staying home out of sadness, Macchan’s daughter was doing so out of protest. The elementary schooler had become fed up with her teachers’ inaction, even after she’d brought the bullying to their attention, and thought that through her missing class the school would come to recognize the severity of the problem.

 

Unfortunately, according to Macchan, the bully in question was the child of a prominent family in their rural community, and her daughter’s one-week absence did nothing to change the school’s policies or atmosphere. However, once reaching junior high school, Macchan’s daughter had to write an essay for an assignment, and she chose to write about the experience, focusing on how bullying can cause long-lasting psychological damage to victims, calling out those who willfully ignore the problem, especially apathetic teachers.

 

 

 

The daughter’s essay was read out loud at school, where the bully from grade school, who’d gone on to the same middle school as Macchan’s daughter, was among those who had to listen to it. The essay went on to be given an award and read at an event organized by the city government, which was attended by members of the local board of education, and Macchan hopes that this will finally lead to improved anti-bullying policies.

 

The proud mother goes on to express her deep respect for her daughter’s ability to judge right and wrong, and also to take a stand for what she believes in. As for the daughter herself, in her essay she says “I want people, or even just one more person, to be brave enough to fight against bullying when they see it happening,†because in a world where bullying victims can often go unnoticed or ignored, some victims really need to know that someone is on their side.

 

https://soranews24.com/2018/06/29/tough-as-nails-bullied-japanese-schoolgirl-stays-home-from-school-but-not-because-she-was-sad/

 

 

 

 

The world needs more people like her.

[Oodles]

As for the daughter herself, in her essay she says “I want people, or even just one more person, to be brave enough to fight against bullying when they see it happening,†because in a world where bullying victims can often go unnoticed or ignored, some victims really need to know that someone is on their side.

Beautiful. 

[Loonathehoe]

That is SO beautiful. What a beautiful human.

[Sour as a LIME!]

She's a brave girl, we definitely need more people like her.

[Midnight~Circus]

Bless her.

 

I find it pitiful that the school did nothing just because the bully comes from a prominent family. What kind of message are you sending to children by doing that? I'm glad this was somewhat rectified years later. 

[UMJI MOODS]

Fantastic.

[mochi101]

bless her. had the same thing happen to me in school, and I wished there was someone like her to help me.

[valeriekmy96]

Damn gurl, I wish I can be as brave as her

[Shalnark]

My elementary school never did anything about bullying either, the only reason I wasn't bullied as bad as some of my classmates was my that my mum was friends with every parent in my year.

[Blink Once]

It pisses me off how many of you are saying that your schools didn't do shit to stop bullying. I've always thought my school was unique in this, but it seems not! 

 

Anywho, I'm glad she was brave enough and wise enough to make this kind of decision at that age. I sure as hell didn't make that kind of decision.

[Pix]

What a brave and strong girl! 

[jello-kitty88]

Same in my school (*junior school and senior school)ㅜㅜ I was bullied but the teachers did f-all because the students who were bullying me were more popular and their parents were richer and had more powerㅜㅜ Those teachers were friendlier with those students and let them off with so muchㅜㅜ In the last year of school, some girl got a special award created for her just because her parents threw a hissy fit over another girl getting the award that she was supposed to get. The same people got the same awards every damn yearㅜㅜ Well, 'til that last year...

 

*I think 'junior school' and 'senior school' are the equivalent of 'middle school' and 'high school'.^^;

[PeachyKeys!]

Oh look, Japan's future president.