Full circle
By sofs
@sofssu (23660)
November 3, 2015 7:11am CST
My son came back home with a story that his classmate falls asleep in class everyday.
This reminded me of my own classmate in school .. I guess, I was around twelve when a new kid came to our school, she was fat, I mean she was really huge, ( she looked like a grown woman among us the normal, giggly, gawky 12 year olds) and she would sleep through every class.
She would never play with us though she liked to. The boys and some girls called her names and she was the butt of all jokes.
The teachers ridiculed her because she could never be awake to answer any questions. She didn't do well in class.. and she failed in her subjects.
As kids we kind of had our own fun without involving her.. she grew all the more quiet and non communicative.
The following year we heard that the kid had a massive cardiac arrest at the age of 14 and passed on.
I really feel bad that no one discovered her actual problem, instead she was ridiculed and cast off..
She seemed to have carried her problem with her to her grave. It kind of left a scar on my psyche .. Today I told my son to be extra kind to the kid and help him out.
Life has come one full circle I felt.
17 people like this
16 responses
@Juliaacv (56227)
• Canada
3 Nov 15
My brother has 2 children that were always on the "large" size for their age group. I always thought them to be lazy, wanting to sleep or sit and not be out and running and playing. As it turns out both of them suffer from an under active thyroid. We should never judge, because we never know. Tell your son to be thankful that he's healthy enough to remain awake during classes.
4 people like this
@sofssu (23660)
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4 Nov 15
@Marilynda1225 It is. my nephew passed on this last August of kidney failure.. he used to be sluggish, complain of tiredness and his parents though he was lazy until they decided they need to see a doctor. He was 14 when he was diagnosed with chronic renal failure.
@Marilynda1225 (91044)
• United States
3 Nov 15
Excessive sluggishness is a sign of under active thyroid and glad that your nephews were diagnosed.
2 people like this
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@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
3 Nov 15
The parents and school should have been in better communication. As a retired teacher, I can tell you that kids sleep in class for many reasons, but they all relate to what is happening in the home.
2 people like this
@sofssu (23660)
•
3 Nov 15
@ElizabethWallace Her sleeping was abnormal.. but I guess in a developing country so many years ago the awareness was very low. Teachers who understand these things could have made the difference I am sure.
2 people like this
@sofssu (23660)
•
4 Nov 15
@ElizabethWallace That is so true. I am sure you were a great teacher in your working days. However, I find teachers now don't care too much about the children or their problems. They don't even refer them to the school counselor. All that they worry about is their grades. The emphasis of the school is only on grades, its so lopsided. The welfare of the child is totally forgotten.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
3 Nov 15
@sofssu There are so many things that teachers are responsible to watch out for. When I saw someone sleeping, I always looked into the reason why. Sometimes I discovered abuse in the home, and alerted the authorities. Sometimes it was a kid thinking that staying up studying was better than getting enough sleep. Once students improved their sleep numbers, the grades always improved.
2 people like this
@dpk262006 (58679)
• Delhi, India
4 Nov 15
Yes, you are right that if a student is falling asleep in every class and that too every other day, he is suffering from some medical problems and needed to treated with care. I think teachers should talk to his parent about it.
1 person likes this
@dpk262006 (58679)
• Delhi, India
5 Nov 15
@sofssu - Yes, teachers should take a lead in these kind of issues.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
4 Nov 15
@dpk262006 Ideally that is what should have happened.. I hope teachers today are more aware of these things.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49753)
• India
4 Nov 15
I too recall a kid in my class when I was in the IVth class, who used to fell asleep very often. Later, we found that he was a diabetic.
I felt so sorry, as I used to like him otherwise, and he changed his school.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
4 Nov 15
I am glad you told your son to be kind to that boy.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (54714)
• United States
3 Nov 15
Oh, what a sad story. There is certainly a lesson learned in it
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
4 Nov 15
@Tampa_girl7 It is indeed.. it has left an indelible mark upon my psyche.
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
3 Nov 15
Oh no...that's really sad. I had a classmate who slept (or fell asleep, I'm not sure) in class everyday. We all knew he was active in sports and all but I remember he got scolded many times by the teacher. Now that you wrote about this I can't help wondering if it was anything serious.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
3 Nov 15
@cahaya1983 He could have been tired from the training.. I used to fall asleep too in class because our training started early everyday and I would really be tired when I reached school.
But I have seen others with similar issues being diagnosed with serious heart problems.
1 person likes this
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
4 Nov 15
@sofssu It is sad especially at such a young age. 
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
3 Nov 15
she could have had a disease, been on meds to help her and they caused weight, she could have ate her feelings, who knows, kids can be so mean. We all need to be nice and not judge, not our place, and stand up for people being treated with respect.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
3 Nov 15
@Jessicalynnt In those days we weren't aware so much about heart diseases. Honestly, we need to learn to be nice to people no matter how they seem to us. This was exactly what I was talking about to my boy an hour ago..
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
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4 Nov 15
@Jessicalynnt That is the best we can do.. make the next generation more aware an more tolerant toward others who are less blessed than others. We need to be more kind as a generation.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
3 Nov 15
@sofssu oh I know, and I know I wasn't always nice as a kid to other kids who were odd. I feel bad now, and plan on making sure my kids, if I am ever so blessed, have exposure to handicaps and such, so they know how to handle and how to react and it's not odd, or something to make light of
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5815)
• Vancouver, Washington
4 Nov 15
Thats where bully kids come in and hurt others by the things they say.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
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4 Nov 15
@softbabe44 You are right. There are bullies everywhere looking for opportunities and such kids are so vulnerable to attack.
@sofssu (23660)
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5 Nov 15
@softbabe44 Curbing the problem is only handling the symptoms.. Parenting is what need to be looked at.
@softbabe44 (5815)
• Vancouver, Washington
5 Nov 15
@sofssu I just think there should be something done about it.
1 person likes this
@Rationalwriter (1813)
• Lucknow, India
4 Nov 15
I don't think you should blame yourself!! Kids tend to take fun to a different place while mocking someone and kids don't realize how bad the other person might feel!!
But it is a very good thing that you are teaching your kid the right things!!
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
4 Nov 15
@Rationalwriter I don't blame myself.. but I did really feel awful for not having helped that kid or treated her better.
I am glad to have learned a valuable lesson for life.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Nov 15
Schools are now much more vigilant against bullying, but some does still go on. It's reprehensible that the teachers were part of the problem. I suppose we all have regrets from when we were young, times we thoughtless caused another person to suffer, but we do have to learn to forgive ourselves. It's a good story to share with your son, he will learn much more from your experience than from any anti-bullying lecture at school.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (91044)
• United States
3 Nov 15
Wouldn't you think the teacher is aware of this child sleeping in class?
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
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4 Nov 15
@Marilynda1225 If she isn't I will be meeting her on Friday.. I will be sure to share my experience with her.
