Imagine being 8 years old and having to
stand in a separate dinner queue from your peers to receive your free school
meal, acutely aware that everyone else in the canteen knew your parents
couldn't afford to feed you. I don't have to imagine as this was the system for
free school meals used in primary school back in the 1990s. Thankfully
we've come a long way since then...or have we...
I've read a number of
stories over the past few weeks about children being humiliated and
shamed in schools. Most recently, there was a school who sent a letter to
parents wanting them that their children would be fed 'bread and fruit' if the
parents didn't settle their lunch debt. And, to avoid 'embarrassing' their
child they should pay up promptly. It's the last but that really rubs. The school
acknowledges that enforcing this policy will cause potential shame
and yet is willing to carry on regardless. I've of also heard schools in
the States who have resorted to stamping children's arms if their parents
have failed to pay the lunch bill. Of course, some pupils will respond
to these dehumanising policies by simply not eating at all, Which, as we
know, isn't a good idea.
What I find equally concerning about
the whole lunch debate is how some people try to defend it by arguing that (a)
at least they're giving the kids something to eat, (b) it's wrong to shame a
school and/ or (c) if you're not entitled to free school meals then obviously
you can afford to feed your children. It's the latter point I take considerable
issue with. Given that 60% of working families are now living in
poverty it's really not that straight forward.
I understand that schools are under a
lot of financial pressure and I blame the government for that. However, shaming
children for their parent's inability or unwillingness to pay
for lunch is not the solution. Schools need to work with parents towards a
solution that doesn't involve punishing the child. In fact, the only thing that
shaming is likely to do is build a deep sense of resentment within the child
towards school and home. I know many schools who don't feel the need
to shame children even during these difficult economic times. It's
possible.
I've mainly focussed on one aspect of
child shaming here but I've noticed other examples recent weeks such as making
children wear signs around their necks for
uniform misdemeanours. Again, these at the extreme end of
shaming but I also think it's done quite subtly in many schools. For
example, how many schools use behaviour and/ or performance charts on classroom
walls? I worked in a school where every form tutor was supposed
to put up a RAG sheet of pupils' performance across all their subjects to
show if they were above, on or below target. As this was in a secondary
school it meant that not only would the rest of the form see it but so would
the other 350 pupils who used the classroom. For me, these practices
amount to little more than a modern-day equivalent of Dunce's Hat; a form of
humiliation and shame which potentially has long-term psychological
damage.
I'm not a psychology expert and nor do
I claim to be. However, a cursory search on EBSCOHost reveals a number of studies which
have highlighted the consequences of shaming children and the deep
physiological damage in can cause including feelings of self-degradation,
anxiety, depression, perfectionism and aggression. At a time when mental
ill-health is on the rise amongst young people, it's probably best to
avoid anything that will exacerbate these worrying trends.
Schools have a duty of care
towards children. This includes protecting them from physical and
emotional harm, treating them with respect and making them feel safe. It's a real
shame that some schools are choosing to ignore this.
