Keywords:
homeschool, mental health, gender expression, sexuality, bullying, isolated, concern, safety, fear, worry, listen, pay attention, support, teachers, administration, care
homeschool, mental health, gender expression, sexuality, bullying, isolated, concern, safety, fear, worry, listen, pay attention, support, teachers, administration, care
Transcript
Tara: I understand that you've decided to do some home schooling. Can you tell us a little bit about that decision.
Tobie: Well, I don’t know really.
Andréa: Well, you were…
Tobie: I was having trouble at school.
Tara: Okay.
Tobie: Like, with bullies and not understanding everything there. And like, yeah,um...
Andréa: It was impacting Tobie’s mental health.
Tobie: Yeah.
Andréa: Tobie has some, some diagnoses. It was really the teasing and the bullying that he was receiving, his gender expression. And then...
Tobie: And then none of the teachers...
Andréa: And his sexuality was really making it difficult. There wasn’t really, the school wasn’t addressing it at all and it got to the point where he was feeling really... I was really concerned for his safety.
Tara: Right.
Andréa: Because of the things he was saying, it was really impacting his mental health, in a severe way. So my parents, my dad's a retired teacher--
Tara: Okay.
Andréa: So, my parents offered to homeschool him until...he started homeschooling in January until the end of the school year so…
Tara: Great and how’s it going?
Tobie: It’s much better than “normal” school I guess.
Tara: What are some of the things that the school could have done to make your life better?
Tobie: Um, well, listen to me.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: That’s the main thing. Like, just listen. If they would've listened to what I was saying and what I needed.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: Then, I probably would have stayed there.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But like, they just wouldn't listen at all. Like, they would, the kids that would bully me they would tell the teachers and they were like "Yeah well, you're really sensitive” and stuff. And I'm like, “But this is not just...they've bullied other kids too”--
Tara: Right.
Tobie: And it’s not just me going through this.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But well, we all deal with it differently. We're all going through, like, our own individual versions, I guess, of it.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But it's still like they bullied other people and the teachers don't and the principal don't seem to care. So, yeah.
Tara: I understand that you've decided to do some home schooling. Can you tell us a little bit about that decision.
Tobie: Well, I don’t know really.
Andréa: Well, you were…
Tobie: I was having trouble at school.
Tara: Okay.
Tobie: Like, with bullies and not understanding everything there. And like, yeah,um...
Andréa: It was impacting Tobie’s mental health.
Tobie: Yeah.
Andréa: Tobie has some, some diagnoses. It was really the teasing and the bullying that he was receiving, his gender expression. And then...
Tobie: And then none of the teachers...
Andréa: And his sexuality was really making it difficult. There wasn’t really, the school wasn’t addressing it at all and it got to the point where he was feeling really... I was really concerned for his safety.
Tara: Right.
Andréa: Because of the things he was saying, it was really impacting his mental health, in a severe way. So my parents, my dad's a retired teacher--
Tara: Okay.
Andréa: So, my parents offered to homeschool him until...he started homeschooling in January until the end of the school year so…
Tara: Great and how’s it going?
Tobie: It’s much better than “normal” school I guess.
Tara: What are some of the things that the school could have done to make your life better?
Tobie: Um, well, listen to me.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: That’s the main thing. Like, just listen. If they would've listened to what I was saying and what I needed.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: Then, I probably would have stayed there.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But like, they just wouldn't listen at all. Like, they would, the kids that would bully me they would tell the teachers and they were like "Yeah well, you're really sensitive” and stuff. And I'm like, “But this is not just...they've bullied other kids too”--
Tara: Right.
Tobie: And it’s not just me going through this.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But well, we all deal with it differently. We're all going through, like, our own individual versions, I guess, of it.
Tara: Right.
Tobie: But it's still like they bullied other people and the teachers don't and the principal don't seem to care. So, yeah.