Did you get made fun of when you were in school?

by doodle-v 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  Lady Lee

  alllll the time

  Before my mother started studying we were made fun of because we were poor and weird. The cops were often at our door due to the fighting in the house. Bill collectors were always hanging around too. We definitley wereb't one of the families that people looked up to - more the family from the other side of the tracks

  Then the family started studying

  For the first year we were made fun of for that and for the weirdness of the family. I was in Grade 6 and so was my aunt and I had an uncle in grade 7. We all lived in the same small apartment. Just the weird family relationships made us stand out.

  Then I went to foster care. I was not in contact with my family or the JWs but I sat out in the hall during pray and anthem and holidays. So yeah the kids teased me. But the JWs in the school never talked to me. They thought I was weird too. Here was some kid who said she was a JW and followed some of the rules better than they did and they never saw me at a meeting. Can you guess how ODD I was?

  Add to that the abuse and the effects of that and being in foster care. I was a goldmine for people to make fun of. At least my foster mother dressed me like a JW - Victorian English woman who strictly held to long skirts and old fashioned clothes - I was such a geek even to the JWs

  No wonder I never fit anywhere. I was uncomfortable in my own skin - incredibly shy and tried my best to be invisible
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  be wise

  To be honest school was a living hell. I basically lived in fear until I was alone in my bedroom, everyone’s room was there home the rest of the house was out of bounds cos my dad was around and he was very violent. All I could think about was how I was gonna avoid this situation or that at school and at home. I would constantly worry about what to say if teachers asked me about my beliefs or other pupils. Bullying wasn’t a massive problem, I learned to avoid it most days although it happened it was more teasing and taunting and being left out of most things because I was never in with anything else inside school time – but this was just another test from the Devil, I was taught. They were part of the wicked system and I wasn’t – so I was told.

  Every day issues would come up where I was singled out and highly embarrassed sometimes in front of an entire assembly hall of pupils. I was told that everyone was under Satan’s control and he was testing my faith every minute. I couldn’t go on any school outings because of the blood stance my parents had through the Watchtower. They said if I had an accident they couldn’t be responsible for any consequences.

  Days of dread would amount to religious assembly days (once a week), couldn’t attend – I got infrequent barraging (mostly at hoidays)from one of the teachers – she saw what this religion was doing to me and didn’t want to just ignore it, I thought it was just another ‘test’ I had to overcome. Oh yes, couldn’t have girlfriends either (they were worldly). Holidays of school were a killer - I couldn't stay at home cos of my dad, I wasn't allowed to associatte with any worldly friends even though I did when things just got so tuff I had to .

  Religious education (this one everyone hated though, so it wasn’t so bad). All holidays including, New Years Day, Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Harvest day. I was banned from contributing in any way to these activities – even drawing a picture or watching videos. So while all the kids were having fun and talking about it afterwards, I would regularly have to ask to leave the class and do something else on my own while everyone wondered and watched and treated me as strange. As a result I Felt lonely and ashamed and “different”. I was told I shouldn’t associate with any ‘worldly’ people outside of school time, so I didn’t. I was told if I did any of these things Satan was leading me and if I started doing these things I would die at Armageddon for displeasing God, so I figured I’d do them.

  The fact is, Watchtower policy works people. It sure as hell did its work on me. This is how I lived. When I have kids they will no doubt have problems but they will never know of anything even close to this. I earned them that.
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  embalmed

  Yeah, I got picked, but not nearly as bad as some of you. I mostly got made fun of for my clothes, but I remember once in second grade, the year my mum started attending meetings, that this one JW kid yelled at me cuz I saluted the flag that morning. I didn't even know I wasn't supposed to! My mum was still "studying" and this kid yells at me. Gah.
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  SheilaM

  It was weird, I always had nice clothes alhough my Mother dressed in rags. I wasn't a witness. But I was so damn lonely that I talked a lot cause for me this was my only contact with anyone. As far as kids picking on me there were always girls that for some reason hated my long hairNever understood that. I had a third grade teacher that beat the snot out of me, I assumed I musta done something to deserve it. Hmmm
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  Anne

  Grade school was very weird for me. I was in Catholic school until second grade, then my parents put me in public school, and basically went over-righteous on the JW thing. We weren't allowed to have "worldly" friends, and since there were no other JW children in that area that ment NO friends. Even after we moved to a bigger town there was never any JW children my age, just a few several years younger. By Jr high I was considered just plain weird by most of the other kids at school, never picked on, just ignored.

  What I regrete most is that I was still in the JW's for most of the time I was going to college. I miss the fact that I didn't develop those friendships more. That was a very painful time for me. I was being invited to parties and the like by all the so called worldly people, and I would never go. I can remember almost being begged to go out with a few girlfriends. At the time I thought it was some kind of badge of honor that I resisted.

  The real kicker was at the time I was regular pioneering and being ditched all the time for service, and not being invited to socialize with the Witnesses. So I wasn't supposed to have "worldly" friends, and the Witnesses didn't want me. Hmmm?

  Looking back I now understand why. Alot of the young people in the congregation were involved in much worse things than went on at any of the worldly parties I was invited to. They didn't want me around because they were afraid I'd tattle, when it was all young people in the service group, they didn't want me because then they'd actually have to go out.

  I was such an uptight little snot. My friends from college tell me they wanted to take me out and tarnish the halo.