Reply to Bullying over Weight in DCPS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Maybe that's what he is trying to say: Mom, I don't feel like I fit in. Maybe it's more than about the weight. I have a child in upper elementary who has to watch what he eats and one thing that I'm seeing is that DCPS has a very strong focus on nutrition and health, including sending reports home about BMI and fitness indicators. Now, that has upsides and downsides. They become conscious of their and everybody else's weight, which can lead to added stigma I'm thinking. But at the same time, they're also very hands-on about what a healthy lifestyle looks like and are very specific about what foods to eat and draft work-out achievement charts and the like.
Another thing that I'm thinking you may want to fit into your reflection on this issue is how you can help him turn what seems to be a weakness into a strength and how that may related to school choice: The strength to tackle his weight challenge (which a certain touchy PP obviously hasn't mustered). It's a very hard challenge, I can say from experience, but one that can make him stronger and may also be an opportunity to bond with his father, who obviously grapples with the same issue. Sheltering him from that tough tackle isn't helpful. How does that relate to school choice? Well, if Deal is your IB school and he is at a charter school, my vague guess is you're driving him there, maybe even picking him up. The advantage of a neighborhood school is its walkabilty or bikability, which directly correlates with weight loss. He may also have more opportunities to participate in not so competitive sports or in self-guided afterschool swimming at the nearby DPR Wilson pool. (Swimming definitely helped me in my weight struggle during middle school.)
In the larger scheme of things, a relative of mine who is a private middle school teacher, tells me that middle school is to get them safely from here to there, from 6th grade to 8th grade that is, academics not being the sole important factor. I'd listen to him and try to get the whole picture of what is bothering him and how you can be helpful, not accusatory, nor dismissive, but helpful. You should also consider enlisting his pediatrician in this endeavor if he/she is the type who has a cool and middle-school compatible approach about it.[/quote]

Of course he didn't fit in....

Eyyyyyyyyyyyyyhhh yoooooooooo[/quote]

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