Today I was in a shop to buy a decorated cake. Another customer was also there to buy a decorated cake. Mine had the inscription, "Thank You." Hers said, "I Love You."
As we waited for our cakes to be prepared for our purchases, we began to chat. Our brief conversation is what prompts this letter.
This customer was a beautiful, well-dressed young woman who spoke excellent English but with a thick accent. She was from another country and had been in Utah for about six months.
She told me her cake was for her 10-year-old son who is in the hospital. He had been there for five days. He was there because he tried to kill himself! Ten years old, mind you!
The reason he tried to kill himself is because he has been so severely abused at school. All the other children tease and taunt him; they call him a "gay" — the child hardly knows what a "gay" is. His speech isn't the best; he came from another country, so he is being crucified by his school mates.
The clincher of this short discussion is that when the mother went to the counselor at school for help, she was told, "Nobody can take responsibility for the happiness of someone else. He must do it himself." The school principal told her basically the same thing. She is new in this city, this country and needs help.
This boy is 10 years old. His mother is a fine, responsible woman. Something is wrong here.
What is the matter with this school? I fully realize the schools cannot do everything. They're under terrible challenges today. But they must do better. This story speaks for itself.
Amanda Jensen
Provo