In 5th grade our classes switched rooms and teachers. I can't remember why but all of us kids were mixed up with other classes.

I was sitting across from my biggest bully in this class. She wasn't paying attention to the teacher and took out her pair of scissors and started cutting up the nametag attached to my desk. She made an evil grin towards me but I didn't realize what her train of thought was. I just figured she was going to get in trouble for not listening, so I paid attention.

She wasn't caught as we were in the back. The next day the teacher from that class pulled me out of my class. He confronted me about the cut up nametag. I told him that I saw Jade do it and he blatantly said he didn't believe me because it wasn't her desk. She had also told him she saw me do it before.

I started to get upset and was insistent I didn't do it. He kept on saying he didn't believe me. To which I started crying. I will never forget what he said. He said “you wouldn't be crying if you didn't do it" and from that point on used my tears as evidence for my wrong doing.

I don't remember what my punishment was because that's not what scarred me from the incident. It was the fact that the teacher was so callous towards me.

A few weeks go by and I am in line in the cafeteria. I see the teacher walk up to me and he says “I just wanted to let you know I know you didn't do it".. I could feel tears starting to well up in my eyes because how upsetting it was to bring it up again. He said, “I came to you to apologize” I didn't want to cry in front of people or go any further with him so I just said okay and turned towards the line to show him I was done with the conversation. That was enough to get him to leave. I got the feeling he didn't like me as a student, because he didn't further explain anything. It felt as if the principal forced him to apologize or something.

Anyways, Idk how he found out I wasn't lying. Maybe another kid saw it happen and didn't say anything until later? I wondered if Jade admitted to it but she would never ever do that. The funny thing about it is she never got a punishment for it. She always got away with treating me awful.

For instance the last day of 5th grade was field day. She pulled my pants down in front of everyone. It made me cry so much. You know what the teachers solution was to this? We both had to sit in the classroom the rest of the day. BOTH OF US. Because the teacher didn't actually see it happen. Jade was happy I missed out on the funnest school day of the year. I did nothing wrong.

If my kid ever tells me that a teacher treats him unfairly I will believe it. And I am sorry but crying doesn't make someone guilty. In fact, I think it's the opposite. Whenever I lied as a kid and got called out on it I would get quiet. I never cried. Maybe I was a bad liar but I think if you're innocent you're gonna be very upset when accused.