8-Year-Old Bullied For Her Love of Bugs Just Got Her First Scientific Publication

[procon]

It all started last year when Sophia's mum Nicole reached out to the Entomological Society of Canada (ESC), looking for advice on how to encourage her daughter's interest in the field of insect study despite teasing by other kids.
...
The good folks at ESC took to the task wholeheartedly, sharing Nicole's email on their Twitter account with a new hashtag #BugsR4Girls, and inviting entomologists to connect with Sophia.
...
The outpouring of support, especially from many female entomologists all around the world, really has made a difference in Sophia's life. She now has more confidence to pursue her passion.

Best of all, she's even managed to change the minds of her peers at school.

https://www.sciencealert.com/an-8-year-old-bullied-for-her-love-of-bugs-just-got-her-first-scientific-publication?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1

With just this one little girl's awesome story, it seems like schools are missing a wonderful opportunity to encourage kids, especially girls, to think about pursuing careers in science. It can't be that difficult to set up partnerships with universities, businesses, gov agencies, and NGOs to help schools and mentor kids with special interests in STEM subjects.

[gordianot]

1. Sometimes it takes more than a village when the world steps up.

[LisaM]

2. It's a great story, but this headline is extremely misleading.

If you read into the story, it appears that she was teased, not bullied. The headline is very misleading and completely distracted me from the actual story.

And before you start in on me that "I don't understand", I was frequently teased and occasionally bullied as a child, as were, I suspect, most of us. I just prefer accurate headlines. And, good for Nicole, too.

[procon]

3. Its a subtle, nuanced distinction.

There might be a line line between teasing/bullying, but the terms are quite likely synonymous to many people. Certainly the entomologists saw a girl that was getting bullied. Whichever vocabulary word is chosen, I would be more upset if my kid, or any little kid, was the victim either.

[LisaM]

4. I stand by what I said.

Here's the excerpt about the "bullying"...

"She is often teased at school by her peers because she will proudly display her current bug friend on her shoulder," wrote Nicole.

That's it! The headline made it sounds as if she had been shunned, or beaten up, or extorted for lunch money.

All they should have done differently was to change the word "bullied" in the headline to "teased" and it would have been far more accurate. I think we are very quick to toss the word "bullied" into the conversation these days, when it's actually a serious issue. If the terms are synonymous to some people, I think that's a big problem.

Either way it's a great story about a possible budding young scientist. Why muddy the waters?

[procon]

7. Isn't it interesting how words mean different things to different people?

Now that you offer your own individual definition, at least I have a better understanding of your point of view.

I wonder how these differences in word meanings start? Is it personal experience, social situations, regional influences, I dunno either.

[LisaM]

9. I gripe about headlines a lot. I commented on one here a day or two ago.

The headline was that Nancy Pelosi "trusted" Trump on healthcare. That was not at all what she said. In the story, it transpired that what she'd actually said was the she trusted Trump to understand that the majority of Americans wanted healthcare. That was it. She never said she actually trusted him! She "trusted" that he would understand what other people might want (not that, in his case, it meant that he would act on that).

Anyhoo, I do tend to pick apart headlines and this one jumped out at me.

[LakeArenal]

10. I think it's sad to nit pick your post.

Someone speaks from the heart. Sends a message for acceptance and love and we nitpick a word that distracts from the meaning and spirit of the post.

Does an 8 year old distinguish between bullying and teasing?

[LisaM]

12. Actually, yes, I think so.

She seems smart, funny, determined, and totally down with her hobby.

A child who was actually bullied might be nervous, withdrawn, and fearful.

I think bullying is a legit problem and I really don't like to see the term misused in a headline. It's nothing but clickbait.

[LakeArenal]

13. I wasn't responding to you.

Think what you want. I think it's sad to nitpick the thread.

[LisaM]

15. Yes, I'm sorry it came to that.

It is a fun story.

[procon]

16. Who knew it would get sidetracked over verbal purity principles. 🐞 LOL 🐛 nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. +1

[Stonepounder]

6. I would suggest that you send your critique to 'Science Alert' since

that's is where the headline came from.

[LisaM]

8. You know, maybe I will.

I would posit that the word "bullied" probably gets more clicks than "teased", though.

[Mariana]

18. Her mother said she was "teased".

We can't tell from the article whether what she experienced rose to the level of bullying.

[LonePirate]

5. Thank you for posting such a warm-hearted story to kick off the weekend.

[iluvtennis]

14. Love it.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. She is just adorable and kudos to her!

As a kid, I liked bugs, too. I remember in first grade I made off with a caterpillar that another kid brought to school. He wasn't paying attention and it got loose, so I rescued it and kept it in my desk - until I was found out.

[Solly Mack]

19. :)

[DFW]

20. Even here in Germany

My girls were more or less stomped upon by their school administration for their "out-of-the-box" thinking, which we, the parents, encouraged.

We got our revenge especially with the younger one. In Germany, when you transfer from one school to another, the school often takes it as an insult. My younger daughter took her "year abroad" in the States, and went straight on to a University in Washington. During summer vacation after her graduation (Germany has 13 years of high school), we went to her high school in Düsseldorf, and said she was transferring to another school. The administrator huffily said, "well then, You have to fill out this form." The form asked all sorts of questions, including what school she was transferring to, and in what city it was located. We filled it out, citing her new "high school" as George Washington University, city Washington D.C., USA. As NO students in our part of Germany are allowed to enter a university at her level, the woman's eyes bugged out, and whispered, "uhhh, ummm, much success." German girls are not supposed to be capable of such an achievement. Our unsaid comment was, of course, "maybe because you never give them that chance."