From gender to the Pro Pal fight, everything enters our children’s classrooms. Except that, to make space, the only thing needed is sacrificed: listening to the kids
There are gender courses. There are courses for peace. Rainbow activities. Environmental education. Crochet, strictly reserved for males to fight against toxic machismo and patriarchy. Macramé. Shiatsu. The African-American sound to promote integration. The lesson of biodiversity. Emotional education. Well…being (with the ellipsis which is more ironic). Recycling (i.e. building toys with waste materials). There are imams in the classroom. Then the Koran and the notions about Ramadan. And of course there is also the forced participation of elementary school children in Pro Pal demonstrations. In short, there is everything in Italian schools. But a little attention for a 14 year old boy who takes his own life, no. That isn’t there.
Reading the report of the ministerial inspectors, in fact, the responsibilities are clear: at school there was not the right attention for Paolo Mendico, the student of the Pacinotti IT technical institute in Fondi (Latina), who was a victim of bullies and who therefore took his own life. Perhaps the teachers were too busy following school projects such as the “Digital stil novo”, the “Genomic database in Cloud” and above all the “Women for Europe” conference, complete with the publication of the proceedings, to create “European citizens of the new generations”. It’s a shame that, in the meantime, Paolo was massacred by bullies at school until he took his own life. Without even a bit of digital stil novo. And above all, according to the ministry inspectors, without any of the teachers to help him a little.
From the beginning, Paolo’s parents, mother Simonetta and father Giuseppe, accused the school of having underestimated their repeated complaints. The principal has always denied it, the Prosecutor’s Office has begun to investigate (and we will see what its decisions will be). But in the meantime the first confirmation has arrived that the words of Paolo’s parents had some foundation: the ministry has in fact initiated disciplinary proceedings against the teachers guilty, in its opinion, of having “belittled the seriousness of the situation”. Paul was suffering, and they did not see. Paolo’s mother and father reported them, and they remained silent. The violence continued, and they turned their heads the other way. Until it was too late. And Paolo took his own life by renouncing to become a European citizen. Despite the school conference, with the related publication of the proceedings.
The fact is that one has the impression that in school today too many things matter more than the students. Some time ago in Milan a sex education course was organized for thirteen-year-olds: «For oral sex, fruit-flavored condoms are used, for anal sex a more resistant condom is needed», the kids were taught. In recent days, children from an elementary school in Emilia-Romagna were taken to a Pro Pal procession without even asking their parents for consent.
Once upon a time in school they taught the great waste of Celestine V (III canto of the Inferno), now at most they teach solid urban waste. The temptation to bring affectivity, environmentalism and multiculturalism into the classroom is increasingly strong. The photo of the children of Treviso kneeling to pray towards Mecca, together with the imam, caused discussion. Fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White are abolished because they are sexist. White and blue aprons are abolished and yellow is introduced because it is neutral. Isn’t that a wonder? The school has become so careful to respect the rules of political correctness that in the end it forgets to respect people. Even if these people are 14 years old and are suffering to the point of taking their own lives. Too bad for them: no one considers them. There is a conference on women in Europe to be held.
