Lisa’s Story

My name is Lisa. It’s hard to admit, but when I started at Rainbows, I was a bully. I used to do things like walk on somebody’s puzzle if they were working on the floor, and I’d stand there and dare them to tell me to get off, knowing they’d be scared of me. Or I might walk by a table where somebody was doing a craft or playing a game, and I’d take my arm and sweep all the pieces onto the floor.

 I also didn’t feel I needed to play by the same rules as everyone else.

When all the other kids tidied up, I’d cross my arms and lean against a wall. When everyone else was sitting down, and I didn’t feel like it, I would get up from my chair, make as much noise as possible, and pretend I had to go to the bathroom. I would mouth off to the teachers and volunteers. If someone bugged me, I would give them an elbow. Nobody wanted to hang out with me because I was just mean.

I guess I got that way because there was much violence in my house when I was little.

The teachers and volunteers at Rainbows knew that my acting out was just me crying out for help. When I did something mean, they would talk to me calmly and gently redirect me. If I was rude to them, they wouldn’t react or they would remind me that the number one rule at Rainbows was respect. When I did something nice, they would smile at me and thank me. One of the teachers or volunteers would then give me a special privilege, like being the first to skip during the outdoor time or getting to play the piano for an extra five minutes. I soon started to think being mean wasn’t so much fun anymore.

 I was a pretty funny kid. I had a weird sense of humour, and once I stopped making the other girls miserable, they started to include me. I would have them laughing so hard that I was soon really popular.

 I was really sad when I graduated from Rainbows. I felt such a sense of belonging there. But I know it’s only fair that I have to graduate to make  sure there’sroom for other kids like me to have a chance to come to Rainbows.