“No Telling” or Goddamn it pre-school teachers!
Last year at S’s pre-school the teachers got tired of hearing constant tattles—“he said he didn’t want to be my friend”, “he took my book”, “he’s breathing wrong”, etc. So, they put up a sign next to their famous “No Whining” sign that said “No Telling.” This caused myriad problems. The tattlers continued tattling, and the non-tattlers (including S) took the sign literally, never telling the teachers anything, including when they had to use the bathroom, or when another student actually hurt them.
This rule stuck with Simon, and stuck with him good. (I wish I could say the same about the “No Whining” rule but, alas, American Whine Language is still our second language at home). We were looking at his class list and when I mentioned a girl’s name he said that she could not come to his birthday (in, like, 10 months). I asked why. Well, this girl had committed the mortal sin of “telling.” She told on Simon’s friend A, even though S explained to her that telling “was not the right thing to do.” S was livid about the telling. His face got really red when he said emphatically, “I told her telling is NEVER THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”
Ug. Goddamn it pre-school teachers!
