I use Facebook Memories to delete past posts because I'm tired of Facebook censoring me and I have quit Facebook, and I want to delete most of my posts there. Today I got this old note I published in 2011 https://sylvieshene.blogspot.com/2022/08/i-will-no-longer-be-on-social-media.html
I have been feeling a little frustrated and tired lately and wanting to give up my efforts of trying to raise awareness, but I got the e-mail below from my nephew and my niece-in-law in Portugal, this year their beautiful son graduated from Elementary School. Thanks to my niece-in-law’s courage to see her own truth and reaching out to me to help her protect her son, their journey has been difficult and painful, but they are raising their beautiful boy in truth and honesty and I congratulate them for their courage to open their eyes and see. This e-mail showed me my efforts were not in vain and that I have to keep trying to reach people and not to give up, because even if only I can reach a few it is worth it. [Today, my great-nephew has graduated from college and is an engineer in the tech world.]
Data: 20 de junho de 2011 09:41:39
GMT+01:00
Subject: Page for Finalists Book
Portuguese to English translation
The 1st time I went with my mother to Jasmine's school, it was Marisa who showed us the school and told us about the teaching methods and all the activities in school. I was so hopeful about this school that I wanted to change here soon. I started first grade in the school Pedras and my teacher there at the end of the 1st month divided us into the Good, Bad, and More or Less. So I tried this new school where we were all equal.
I studied in this school for four years and in Jasmine was time to grow and learn. It was with Professor Ana who I learned to read and write. After Professor Rita, which came into my life and my heart and taught me so many things ... In the 4th year, Professor John closed the cycle and I learned a lot of matters and Professor John is fun to take classes, especially history.
Thanks to my teachers! I also like very much all the friends I made here and one of my best friends is Chico. C F
When my eight-year-old son on Mother's Day dedicated me the poem below it was the happiest day of my life.
Mother
The light from your eyes
as the sea are beautiful
Forget the material
because the best
are the sentimental
Oh, Mother, you are beautiful ...
As the petal of a flower
which is called love!
You are cool
As the gentle sea breeze
that lights the day ...
I wept with joy and thrilled me.
The 5th of October 2001 was the happiest day of my life.
I would like to share the website l of my Aunt, who lives in the United States,
in Scottsdale, Arizona, called Sylvie Shene, and came to Portugal between October 2003 and May 2005, sharing her story.
https://sylvieshene.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-dance-to-freedom-book-reviews.html
What we learned from her made it possible to realize our dream as Parents,
which I think is the dream of all mothers and fathers of the world: The Happiness of Our Children. Alice Miller in her book "The Truth will set Free” explained how I begin my journey in 2003. F S
I am the father of C F, and I feel great joy and pride. I have grown more with my son and I have learned so much from him, than in my whole life. I know true love, for the 1st time, through the eyes of my son. Thanks, C F. C A
Sylvie Imelda Shene: W, my grandnephew started first grade four years ago in a public school named Pedras and the school was so abusive that when my niece called me to share with me what was happing to her son, I told her that she had to take him out of that school and not to think twice that was her job as a mother to protect her son from anyone abusing him, so thank goodness she listened to me and looked for another school and she found this private school named Jasmim, they had to make big financial sacrifices in order to pay for it, but it was worth it because now they have a happy child.
Below is a letter my niece wrote to the abusive School that I translated with Google Translate.
I have published the original letter in Portuguese on my blog on the Portuguese side. I know you know Spanish and if you like to try to read Portuguese here is the link to it:
This letter aims to explain the reasons which lead me to request the transfer of my son from the School of Pedras to the School of Jasmin.
My son was so excited about the start of school and after one month of staying in this school went sad and did not want to go to school.
The education system does not motivate or encourage children to like school and discourages children to learn what is very serious for a country that intends not to be behind in Europe in relation to school failure and illiteracy.
On the 2nd day of class, the teacher told my son that his design was very ugly. my son had great sorrow because the teacher Corina in pre-school encouraged the students to draw a lot and even exposed the work of all children. My son has had many works displayed at the school at the end of the year.
My son cried a lot, and could not even eat the bread they brought for lunch. The teacher did not have the slightest compassion for the suffering of my son and also said that he should go back to preschool.
Not respected in both situations. Since that day my son loved to draw, at home he stopped picking up the paper or the pen. I spoke with my son about this problem several times telling the truth to my son, he is good at drawing and has a flair for design but the fact is that he has not drawn as used to.
This event marked him very negatively and was so great his sorrow and not know how long it will take to overcome it. I have the cover of last year with all the work of my son, aged 5 years, and shows its capabilities, for teachers who want to see it.
I talked to the teacher on the subject Candida and asked him to go to see the cover drawing that has the sea. It is simply a rough sea with big waves and stormy and uncertain with the true sea tides. My child is a child extremely observant and knows the characteristics of the sea and the waves and it is perfectly natural and understandable that on the 2nd day of school, his mind was agitated because he was on the 2nd day of school with a new teacher and also some new colleagues and all that went into the drawing.
In the second week of school, the teacher hit a student with a ruler and my son for him to sit.
He was sitting right in front of the side frame and stood up to put out what their colleagues were drawing teacher and hit the 3 boys.
Had not yet passed the first month of classes and the teacher changed all children from starting positions where they were sitting and told them the good, more-or-less, and bad
Have the children divided by these criteria? I consider this very serious division for all children and ask for equality for all including the children's room that Rodrigo is the boy who spends more time on the side of evil, regardless of the behavior (which is a symptom that something is happening with the child), the ease/difficulty of learning, learning time (which varies from child to child) or time it takes to draw the vowels or diphthongs or doing any other exercise. I would love for you to read the article 'titled" School Notes: Helpful or Harmful? "
The teacher allowed a mother to enter the classroom and that permission to beat his son if he needed to "catch up". The most serious is that this mother is the director of the School Pedras to hold the position of Director should give the epitome of respect for children and especially his son who belongs to this class.
As for attendance has missed two and a half days which forced him to change it and then the children had to adapt to more than two new teachers to adapt to the teacher that Candida was still to be made.
There is also a security problem during recess in the morning and afternoon. In the playground, the children are not being properly monitored because there is a lack of employees. Children are not safe, some boys from the 4th year are bullying the 1st year students and of course, they are 5 and 6 years old and cannot defend themselves from the 9 or 10 years old. The strength and height of not allowing that to happen and sometimes having 2 or 3 against one of the smallest. It's happening daily. Two fourth-grade boys came to my son and took him and held him and the other hit him. What I am suggesting is that teachers and assistants also help take care of the children in the playground. The responsibility of all teachers should not end with the bell for recess but remain throughout the period they are in school. I learned that last year the playground, in the back of the school, a boy was playing in the hills of the wall fell down and fainted. It is necessary and urgent that this does not happen again protect that area with nets, so as not to allow children to have access to that site to play. Children by nature are very curious and courageous and that space should be preserved.
On the question of my son eating lunch in the cafeteria a few times, the days when lunch was only the day when I could not go get him. I received the following notice from employees who are at the gate at the entrance from 9 am: "They asked me to warn you that your child can not eat lunch on school days only in meat and are worried about the food wheel Francisco. " When you make the purchase of passwords in the Parish Council, the clerk always asks me how many passwords I want to buy. My question is this: my son to be able to enjoy lunch in the canteen was always or only could have lunch on the days you needed?The question which arises is: what is the legal framework to keep the gate locked and not allow parents to school entry (which looks more like a prison). Consider the school an interactive space between students, teachers, and parents that cannot be derived from this rule imposed by the group.
Against this background black the question I ask is this: is it allowed for parents in Portugal to teach their children at home and in the 4th year or at the end of each academic year to do an exam and give them an equivalent as if they had attended school (I know in the U.S. this system is implemented).
I ask the very group responsible for this to read with full attention to these problems are only some of the problems of the School Pedras and take the necessary measures to solve problems and be able to make this school a better school, more just and fraternal because classroom with 24 children they still need to be treated with respect and in order to learn. This phase of primary school is decisive in the life of any child is in your hands and changes and believe that all staff of the school can grow and improve. The school my son moved to is a dream come true by a person who studied in Brazil and has such fond memories of her elementary school that decided to build one in Portugal and is a completely different method of teaching. It is the School Jasmim. I also like to share the website of Sylvie Shene
https://sylvieshene.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-dance-to-freedom-book-reviews.html
C A: Jasmim school is the name of the school
W M: So they took him to a more liberal school after Elementary school? What's a Jasmine
school?
