Poppy has a problem
Illustration © 2023 Susan Fleming
Katy is playing with her friend, Poppy. Poppy looks very sad.
“Why do you look so sad?” asks Katy.
Poppy is quiet for a moment and then asks Katy, “Do you know that girl at school called Florence? She keeps teasing me. She calls me names like ‘bird brain’ and even ‘stupid’. I do not know why she picks on me.” Poor Poppy, she is nearly crying.
Katy says, “If it upsets you so much it is not teasing. It is bullying. Next time I see her I will ask her why she does it.”
They do not say any more, but the next time Katy sees Florence she asks Florence why she says these nasty things to Poppy.
Florence says, “She IS stupid. She cannot do school work like we can.”
“Don't you know that you upset Poppy very much by what you say? One day you might find schoolwork difficult and it would not help you to be told that you are stupid. Poppy is not stupid, but she does find some schoolwork more difficult than we do. She is much better at other things than we are. If we help Poppy together with her school work you might learn something about her yourself.”
Florence is not all bad, and she does not wish to make Poppy really upset, so Florence and Katy help Poppy with her schoolwork. Florence is very surprised to find that Poppy is very clever at drawing, and that she can also tell very exciting stories.
After helping Poppy with her school work for a few days Florence says, “Poppy, I am very sorry that I teased you. I should never have done it, and now I see that you are not stupid but very clever. I cannot draw or tell stories like you can.”
Katy is very pleased to hear this, and Poppy smiles and says, “Thank you, Florence. I feel much better now.”