One Child

One Child is the title of a book written by Torey Hayden that I am reading. It is the story of how a teacher managed (I hope, I don’t know because I am still reading it) to win the trust of a child who was sent to a class of special children after committing an atrocious act of violence against another child. In this class of nine special children (each with a unique case of disability), this one child stood out because she has an IQ of 185 (a genius) but had a history of violent acts. Her first question after each violent act was always “Are you going to whip me?” Maybe the ministry is right in banning corporal punishment in schools. Am I being oversimplistic in my thinking when I think that a child is naughty each time a child is disruptive? Maybe there are hidden implications. Last Thursday, I remembered seeing Ridzuan (not his real name) sitting with Samal (Not his real name too) after school. They were sitting quietly at one corner, waiting. I asked for some food from the muslim stall which was about to close. The lady offered a sunny side up and some biscuits to them. Samal looked very happy; he ate the egg contentedly while Ridzuan ate the biscuits. Maybe he has more problems than just not being able to spell from one to ten. At least one of the problem could be solved.