My daughter is being bullied at school after taking an interest in politics
DEAR DEIDRE: MY daughter’s email to a politician has led to her getting bullied in school.
She’s in Year 11 and has always wanted to make a difference in the world, which is how she began taking an interest in politics.
I’ve always been so proud of her interest in current political affairs.
Unlike other teenagers, she has been unaffected by social media trends and it’s stood her in good stead with her studies.
She has written plenty of campaigning emails but her latest one to our MP about the crumbling concrete crisis in schools has led to a nasty bullying campaign against her.
She’d spent hours learning about it and composing her email.
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When she told her friends, they told her she needed to get a life and it was embarrassing.
They even told her no one cared.
Since then, whenever she’s gone to sit with them at lunch or in the school playground, they’ve just walked away, calling her names.
She’s always felt different from them because they spend all their time watching and making TikTok videos, which doesn’t interest her.
She doesn’t even have an account on the app.
At the moment, she’s concerned about the concrete crisis and the Ukraine war.
She’s passionate about helping any displaced Ukrainians and has donated to various charities and even organised a small bake sale at school to help raise money.
She hasn’t asked for help yet, but I know she needs it. I’m beginning to feel desperate. How can I help her?
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s fantastic that your daughter has a keen interest in politics as this passion could lead to a brilliant career.
Her friends may not be able to appreciate her but she can still genuinely make a positive impact on the world.
Encourage her to stick to her interests and perhaps even join clubs and groups that will encourage her dedicated campaigning spirit.
There should be a non-bullying policy at her school.
Your daughter is a teenager so it’s better to involve her in any plan.
With her permission, I would recommend you speak to her teacher or head teacher to give them the opportunity to set this right.
If they don’t, then go to the board of governors and, if you need to, your local education authority if things start to escalate further.
My support pack on bullying has more information if you need it.