This article was originally published on DailyBee
Fitting in at a new school can often be challenging, particularly for younger kids. While many manage it with few hiccups, in other cases we see that, in spite of many of our best efforts, bullying is still a major problem. When one father realized his daughter had just become a victim, he decided to act. But what he uncovered not only surprised him but shocked the community at large.
1. Coming Home Crying
Tomas Valero noticed that his daughter came home almost every day crying. He knew that something wasn't right. As a caring and loving father, he knew that he had to find out why his daughter was not happy.
When he finally discovered what was making his daughter cry most of the time, he was both horrified and enraged. He couldn't believe that this had been happening to his daughter for such a long time, and he was angry that he and his wife weren’t able to notice it before.
2. Early Problems At School
We can all remember how stressful it is to start school, especially a new school since it involves going into a new environment, having to learn to adjust, and having the struggle of making new friends. Almost every child goes through it and that’s why some parents often ignore their child’s crying and begging attempts to not go to school.
But that’s also the reason why parents should be super supportive to ensure that their children quickly adjust to the situation. Even if the parents are supportive and teachers are helpful, starting school can be scary for any child.
3. Something Was Different
It is normal to worry about your children whenever you see them upset. After all, you would never want anything to hurt them. Tomas felt the same whenever he saw his daughter coming back from school. But soon he developed a suspicion that something wasn't normal.
He started to worry more and more upon noticing that his daughter was struggling a lot. As more warning bells went off in his head, he knew that he had to do something about it.
4. Getting More Emotional
Tomas noticed that his daughter was finding it difficult to manage her emotions ever since she started school. At first, he thought that she was getting more emotional due to the pressures of school, which almost every child experiences.
However, he started to notice that it got progressively worse with time. He began to feel that maybe something wasn't right. He was no longer considering the possibility that his daughter was finding it difficult just from meeting new people and adjusting to an unfamiliar place.
5. It Started To Get Worse
Right in front of Tomas' eyes, his daughter developed a habit of crying and begging before going to school. He watched his daughter become a zombie with no happiness or excitement on her face. In fact, she started to become actively scared of going to school.
The parents had to make her go to school every morning. It was clear to them that their daughter was scared of something in the school. Previously, they were not giving it much attention, hoping it would pass, but it was becoming a serious issue for their daughter.
6. Trying To Understand What Was Going On
Tomas and his wife began asking their daughter what exactly was going on at school, hoping they could help her. But whenever they tried asking her, she would just clam up and refuse to speak.
He didn't know what to do, but he was determined not to give up on his daughter. After all, there was something negatively impacting his little angel. He tried to come up with different solutions but to no avail.
7. Was It Her School?
Tomas' daughter had never behaved this way while attending kindergarten at Pine Grove Elementary School. So, Tomas had the feeling that his daughter’s problems started when she started attending her new school. His once-cheerful daughter was sinking into sadness right in front of his eyes.
In the past, his daughter had been a friendly, happy, and super creative child. But lately, she turned into a completely different person.
8. Begging For Answers
No parent can see their child upset and distressed all the time. Tomas begged and begged his daughter to tell him what the problem was. Surely it was something that he could talk to the school about and resolve.
But still, she refused to open up, and the more he tried to get her to talk the further she pushed him away.
9. Was She Getting Bullied?
Tomas understood that he had to come up with a solution on his own. At first, he thought that maybe his daughter was getting bullied by one of her classmates. Or that she had been the victim of a cruel joke.
He was sure that his daughter wasn't unhappy due to her home because they had a happy and stable family life. The real problem for Tomas was how to find out the truth.
10. Damaging Formative Years
Tomas was even more concerned since he understood that his daughter was in her formative years, which meant that she was going through an important phase that could affect the rest of her life.
He had to find the reason behind her changing personality before it caused some sort of damage that she would carry with her forever.
11. Could It Be Bigger Than A Bully?
Tomas and his wife started to suspect that maybe the classmates were not actually bullying their daughter. They began to think that perhaps a teacher was behind their daughter's mental suffering.
They even considered the possibility of uncovering a bigger, ongoing problem. Whatever the issue happened to be, they were going to get to the bottom of it.
12. Figuring Out a Solution
Tomas is a resourceful person, so he decided to take matters into his own hands for the sake of his daughter.
He knew that his daughter won't be able to tell him everything he needed, so he had to come up with another, more creative, solution.
13. Collecting Evidence
There was only one problem that Tomas had to overcome for the sake of his daughter. How was he supposed to know what was going on in the school without actually being there?
He knew that sitting in the class won't matter as the teacher, or whoever it was, would act differently in front of a parent. He wanted to catch this person in the act. The answer was right in front of him.
14. A Unique Solution
Tomas couldn't be at the school to see and hear what the teacher had to say to his daughter, so he decided to 'listen in.' He built a tiny hearing device and placed it in his daughter's hair.
With the device, he would easily hear what was going on at her school. It was a perfect solution to know what was going on without actually being there.
15. The Quest To Find Proof
Although placing a device inside his daughter's hair was a drastic measure, he knew that he had to do something to find out the truth.
Moreover, he also wanted to have proof as well. He didn't want to distract his daughter, so he didn't tell her about the device at all.
16. The Waiting Game Begins
Tomas couldn't wait to hear what would happen in the school. Once his daughter was on her way, he began the frustrating job of having to just sit and wait patiently.
He was both nervous that it wouldn't work, but also excited because he hoped to see his old daughter back. He wanted to see a smile on her face again.
17. He Couldn't Believe His Ears
When Tomas' daughter came back home, he started listening to the recording. He was shocked by what he heard. Once the shock finally wore off, he became absolutely livid.
He simply couldn't believe what was happening without him knowing anything about it. He controlled his anger and made himself calm by thinking that he had gotten the proof he needed.
18. The Recording Cleared Everything
When Tomas started to listen to the recording, he quickly realized that his daughter had been dealing with an incredibly mean teacher. He was now certain that this must be the reason behind most of his daughter's problems.
He had to act fast without wasting time. He knew that it was his chance to save his daughter as he already had substantial proof.
19. A Very Mean Teacher
From the recording, it was clear that the teacher was taking advantage of her power. It infuriated Tomas to hear that not only were they were paying good money for their daughter's education, but that this teacher was cruelly mistreating the children.
He still couldn't figure out why the teacher was so mean to students. He had to find an answer to the question.
20. A Condescending Tone and Offensive Words
As Tomas heard the recording, he found out that the teacher was saying offensive words and even her tone was mean and condescending.
He couldn't believe how the teacher was yelling and screaming at children without any fear of consequences whatsoever.
21. Raising The Issue
Now that Tomas had listened to how the teacher was behaving, he decided to put an end to the story by raising the issue with the public school district.
Tomas didn't want to use any other medium and decided it would be best to take the matter to someone who had the power to take decisive action.
22. No Need to Question The Teacher
Tomas knew that approaching the teacher would do more harm than good. It is because he feared that the teacher might take action against his daughter or create a fake story.
Therefore, he turned to the state school board. Once he set up an appointment with the board, he went there with his daughter to tell their side of the story.
23. Unprofessionalism At Its Peak
When Tomas went to the school district with a valid complaint and proof, he had high expectations. But the school district did nothing to help him.
Naturally, he felt betrayed and disappointed by their response. He had every right to get mad because the teacher had been tearing down students daily.
24. Upsetting Attitude
When Tomas went to the city school district, he was hoping that they would put a stop to this unacceptable behavior. But they hardly lifted a finger to help him. They told him that they disciplined the teacher, but he knew that they were just trying to get rid of him.
He was also worried about what the teacher or others might do when his daughter goes back to school.
25. Fighting for What is Right
Tomas wasn't satisfied with the response he received from the school district. He was also concerned about his daughter because the teacher in question was still teaching the class.
So, he made the decision to do something about the bullying kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Duncan.
26. Not The Right Solution
When the school heard Tomas' complaint, they offered a solution to move his daughter to another class. They thought that it would be enough to settle the issue. But Tomas is a father and for him, it wasn't just an issue for his daughter, but for all the children in the class as well.
He was worried about the wellbeing of other kids. He not only stood up for his child but also for other kids as well.
27. Refusing To Give Up
Tomas was upset seeing the unprofessional non-serious attitude of the school. He was expecting them to offer support to him or a change in their system, but they didn't care about any of it. He knew that as long as Mrs. Duncan was teaching, the children there would be affected by her cruel behavior.
Even though other parents had joined Tomas to protest, the school didn't seem too interested in listening to what they had to say. But the parents weren't about to give up any time soon.
28. The Word Got Out
Stories like these never stay quiet for too long. Soon, everyone would know about how terribly Mrs. Duncan treated the little kids in her class.
Tomas not only got a lot of support from others in his community, but also the world at large after he decided to make a petition on Change.org. Amazingly, it all started as a little protest and soon grew to the national stage as more outraged parents joined in and voiced their support for Tomas.
29. Unexpected Support
Soon after the petition, the public arrived around his house to rally. With over 2,000 signatures for the dismissal of Mrs. Duncan, Tomas wasn't about to be ignored.
To make his case stronger, the media stepped in as well. He was in the center of the spotlight. Local news channels supported Tomas for his determination and courage to get justice for his daughter and other children in the class.
30. Spreading Like Wildfire
The news of Tomas' resistance quickly spread like wildfire all across the country. With the news spreading so rapidly, Tomas got more support from people who wanted justice for his daughter and other kids.
With so much support from people all over the country, Tomas was hopeful that things could still change for good.
31. Not Something To Ignore So Easily
What the teacher did to Tomas' daughter and other kids is not something that is little or has no significant impact on their personalities. Her mean and offensive words, which lasted for months, could have had a significant lasting effect on the children in the class.
After all, kids can pick up negative things quite easily and they can stay with them for a long time.
32. A Brave Father
Many people praised Thomas for not accepting what the school had proposed. He not only stood for his daughter but other kids as well.
He was also quick to notice the strange behavior of his daughter and didn't ignore it. He did his best to put an end to it. He is, without any doubt, a super dad.
33. A Good Mentor and A Caring Dad
For any parent, it is important to be a mentor as well. Tomas always tried to be this along with being a good and caring parent. But being a good mentor requires you to lead by example. That's exactly what Tomas did. He didn't give up and fought for what he believed in.
His determination is what makes him a good role model, not only for his family but for all of us. He understood what he needed to take away from this journey.
34. Learning from The Experience
Tomas helped his children learn a lot from the horrible experience, but he also learned quite a lot from it as well. He understood that when things might go out of control, that’s when it is important to be the best parent possible.
After all, you can be a good parent when everything is going the way you expect, but your real test starts when things start to get out of hand.
35. The Role of A Teacher
A teacher plays a very important role in a child's life as they impart lessons that go way beyond the set curriculum. That's why teachers have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. They are the ones who help create future engineers, doctors, scientists, and others who help our world to grow and flourish.
So, when they are not doing their job right, their actions can have a negative impact on the lives of not only the kids, but ultimately all of us after they leave school and grow up to join society. That's why Tomas was dead set on making sure the teacher gets some sort of punishment for her actions.
36. So, Did It Work?
For a teacher, displaying abusive and mean behavior and asserting dominance over young minds is not something to be taken lightly. But the teacher did that without any fear of the consequences. She did it all to make children fear her and learn their lessons.
Tomas tried to play his part in raising awareness, but did his efforts fix the problem? Keep on reading to find that out.
37. Comfort In Knowing He Did The Right Thing
Although Mrs. Duncan continues teaching at the school, we can hope that she realized her mistake and vowed never to repeat it in the future.
Tomas, on the other hand, is hoping that necessary changes will happen. He takes comfort from the fact that he fought for what he believes in and that's what matters the most.
38. Standing Up For All Kids in The Class
Thomas kept on raising his voice against the school because he felt that the school was deliberately putting the lives of children at stake. After all, they knew about the teacher's short temper and still did nothing.
He also learned from the entire experience that there could be no change without taking a stand. You can say something is bad, but it won't change as long as you don't take a stand against it. He desperately hoped that the school system might make changes for the betterment of the kids.
39. Making The Family Stronger
Tomas admitted that the entire ordeal was difficult for his daughter and him, but it also helped in making his family stronger than before. He learned that going the extra mile is important.
After all, he would have never found out something like that about his daughter if he had just given up on her. Now she's better than ever.
40. Paying Attention to Little Things
By now, Tomas' daughter is attending a class taught by another teacher and things are getting back to normal.
The experience has taught Tomas that it is extremely important to pay attention to his daughter and look closely into how she's behaving. This is a lesson for other parents as well because paying attention to small issues can help unearth bigger problems that the children might be hiding.
41. Always Available for His Children
Tomas knows one thing that he will always be available for his children no matter what happens. He and his caring wife are always going to stand up for their children.
He also recommends that it is important for parents to understand what their kids have to say and make sure to go the extra mile to find the problem. If he had not remained persistent, he would have never found out about his daughter getting bullied by her teacher.
42. A Perfect Role Model
Tomas and his wife have always tried to be the best of parents for their children. They have always treated them fairly and with respect. Tomas still teaches them to fight for what is right and he, unknowingly, showed them how to remain determined despite facing the challenges life can throw at them.
Tomas is hoping that his kids learn how to grow up and become valuable members of society. We wish them a great life ahead and we hope that the kids grow up to be just like their parents.