Susanne: ‘My own trauma came up again’.

Susanne: ‘My own trauma came up again’.

Susanne Is Mother Of Three Kids And Was Bullied A Lot As A Child. When She Had To Choose A Primary School For Her Own Children, That Childhood Trauma Came Back Immediately. 'I Am Surprised That After All These Years And All This Knowledge We Still Have To Deal With Bullying. It Must Stop One Day,' She Says.

Almost Her Entire Primary School Time Susanne Was Left Out, Humiliated, And Laughed At. Believe It Or Not: Her Teacher From Group 4 Started It. ‘From Day One I Clashed With Him. He Was Inconsistent And His Stories Were Not True. I Was Used To Challenging My Parents If They Said Something Wrong. So I Did The Same With Him.’

The Low Point Was Her Birthday, Susanne Says. ‘I Put A Lot Of Time And Effort Into My Treat And Wore A New Dress Made By My Grandma. The Teacher Immediately Said What A Stupid Dress I Was Wearing. Also, My Classmates Did Not Feel Like Singing, So They Did Not Have To, According To The Teacher.’ Her Birthday Was Not Celebrated Like The Others, Which Is Very Sad For A 7-Year-Old Child. ‘At That Moment, As A Teacher, You Really Give The Signal For Bullying To The Class.’

Multicultural Environment

Like Many Other Bullied Children, Susanne Was Bullied Because She Was ‘Different’ From The Rest. She Lived In A Small Farming Village Where Her Parents Did Not Come From. ‘It Seemed Like They Were Afraid Of Everything Outside Their Bubble. I Was Already Left Out Before They Knew Me.’

Susanne Was Sure Of One Thing: Her Children Would Not Grow Up In Such A Terrible Bubble. ‘That Is Why I Moved To The Bijlmer. This Way They Learn How The World Really Works. It Shows Them That There Is Not One Person Different, But That Everyone Is. And That Is Good.’

Looking For The Right School

Because The Bullying Started With A Teacher For Susanne, She Thought It Was Important To Watch The Atmosphere When Choosing A Primary School For Her Children. ‘During A Tour Of A School, It Was The Principal Who Gave Me An Uncomfortable Feeling. She Treated Me Differently From The Other Parents Just Because I Had A Different Postal Code.’

‘It Felt Like Bullying Again. And If I Got Such A Feeling Already At Just A Tour, I Did Not Want To Know What Kind Of Feeling My Children Could Have During Their Whole Primary School Time. No Way Would They Go To That School.’

In The End, Susanne Found A Suitable Primary School For Her Children. ‘The Primary School They Now Attend Is Even Better Than I Could Have Imagined. The Principal Of This School Is Very Passionate And Has A Clear, Fair And Clear Vision. Exactly What We Were Looking For.’