Amalie
New member
Hello, I'm new to this forum. I came here out of frustration and wanted to hear other ppl's views on this topic. I am the mother of an 11 year old girl who is very shy. What brings me hear is that I feel I have reached my last straw. My daughter is a very happy, content girl. She is polite and quiet and very sweet. Ever since her first days in Kindergarten, I have been told by teachers that she is far too quiet. They treat her shyness as a negative, which is reflected in her marks and her overall well being. They (teachers) push, and prod and treat her like she has some kind of disability. They have put her in special classes to help her gain self confidence and have alienated her for as long as I can remember. Her school experience (poor girl) has been very negative. The reactions to her shyness by her teachers have poured over into the reactions from her peers. The constant removal from regular classroom and the constant negative attention that she has received has been outrageous. When she gets poor marks, I am told it's because she doesn't speak. When she is put (without my knowledge) in special classes and I in turn remove her due to the stress of being alienated yet again, I am told that she is manipulating me. I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF BEING TOLD THAT HER SHYNESS IS A PROBLEM!!! I pride myself on having quiet kids. Kids who respect, don't speak out of turn, and aren't obnoxious. I myself am shy. I myself am a teacher!! I AM FINE!! My poor daughter on the otherhand has been exposed to sooo much negativity when it comes to her lack of outgoingness that I fear she is being damaged. Where in this world is it written that shyness is an illness? When did loud kids become the norm? What can I do to end this ridiculous bias that is occuring? I feel somewhat satisfied that I am now a teacher myself and can promote a healthy awareness about shyness yet I feel that I have let my daughter down by teaching her to be one way...and having the school crucify her for it. My youngest is a quiet girl too. Her JK/SK teacher happened to be a shy nervous lady as well. Her shyness has been perceived as a welcome addition to the classroom and she seems to be well socially adjusted. I'm thankful that thus far that this hasn't been an issue for her, but I know that once she hits a grade that is led by an outgoing, power tripping, teacher...she will be doomed too. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me deal with this situation. My oldest is going to be in grade seven this year and I feel like I've let her down by allowing ppl to judge her. HELP!! MY ANGER LEVELS ARE FAR TOO HIGH!! and being shy myself makes it difficult for me to express this anger as I am not one to 'rock the boat'. People need to learn that louder is NOT BETTER!