What was your relationship to the child everyone made fun of in school?

Maybe you were that child. Maybe you teased that child. Maybe you made friends with that child. Do you know why that child was made fun of? How did you relate to him or her?

In second grade, wherever the class went, we had to line up in two rows—one male and one female—and then we had to hold hands with our partner as we walked to lunch, or wherever. There was one girl that none of the boys wanted to hold hands with. I really don’t know what was different about her. But each boy who was matched with her, would peel off and go to the back of the line just so they wouldn’t have to hold hands.

I remember thinking, ‘what’s the big deal with holding hands? It’s just a hand.’ So I stopped the situation by lining up with her. I have no idea where the teacher was in all this.

On the bus to high school, there was this kid that everyone called a dork. I’m not sure if it was to his face or not. He was one of those kids with the bouncy walk on toes that I guess is associated with Asperger’s. I remember not liking him. I didn’t want to sit with him. But I also remember feeling sorry for him.

What was your experience with those kinds of kids?