So McKayla came to me this morning to let me know her shoulders felt heavy. Her shoulders felt heavy because she and her friends had been mean to another girl in her class the day before and she could not keep the secret any longer. She assured me the meanness was not her idea but said she went along with her friends and participated.
She is in the little group of girls that is in constant drama and conflict. They can not go a day without someone being mean to someone and then some factions of the group breaking off and deciding they are not going to be friends with others. It is more than I have energy for.
This incident was different. This involved the four girls who usually fight amongst themselves picking on another girl outside their group. I was not pleased. I told her to apologize and she would have one day to do that. If she chose not to apologize I would come to school with her tomorrow and I would facilitate the apology. She told me I was cruel and I told her I cared so much about her I was not going to stand by while she turned into a person who would be unkind to others. I also reminded her the reason she told me was because she was feeling bad and knew I would help her to make it right and then she could feel better. So, I was doing exactly what she wanted and needed me to do.
She apologized to the other little girl today and said the other girl apologized back to her as the meanness went both ways. McKayla also prompted two other girls in her group to apologize as well. Let us make the peer pressure go in a positive direction for goodness sakes.
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