The power of the tongue...

[primsong]

Gossip is destroying our school - I am watching it happen right before my eyes as a small number of people who never stop to find out the facts but just flap their tongues with anything negative they can find. They're pouring their poison into the grapevine...whispering in the halls, calling other parents on the phone... It's so terribly sad. I'm trying to set it right anywhere I can, but it looks like at this rate we may lose several families for no real reason at all except the poison of those who are so quick to believe the worst and then gossip about it...

There's (another) meeting tonight - I'm going and hoping, but it's just so sad. :-( We have an interim principal now, as sweet a lady as you could ask for but I feel sorry for her entering into such a mess.

I set up my weekly book display in the library with books about the evils of gossiping. Gah!

Comments

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry! It's hard to stop the fire once it starts, but I'll pray that some good can be salvaged, and that truth can prevail in time to save you school and the people who are being hurt. The problem with gossipy rumors is that they are so easily believed and then become the "truth" -- and no amount of real truth and reasoning seems to be able change that. The tongue joining forces with a closed mind and an angry heart is a fierce enemy. Praying you can help defeat it!

[primsong.livejournal.com]

I am trusting the truth will prevail sooner rather than after it is 'too late' for some of these families - and that their eyes will somehow be opened, if only enough to realize their error and stop their rumors. You are so very right...

The meeting last night went fairly well - the leader did a good job of quelling the rabblerousers and keeping the topic where it needed to be, which was that we were all gathered to pray for our school, staff, families and the church. One more big meeting on Thursday, that one with questions and answers and that one promises to be much harder. If we could just muzzle about four people - the same ones over and over... sigh...

Thank you for your prayers, Lin - it is encouraging.

[accioboytoy.livejournal.com]

Groups of parents have the potential to do so much good, but so often it can turn bad all of a sudden. I'm sorry you're experiencing this right now. (((((Prim))))

[primsong.livejournal.com]

They do have the potential to be doing good - and I have seen them do it before. If only the small number of negative ones would stop, I think they would be able to shoulder their harness and help us keep everything going... they have so much to offer! A group working together is an amazingly powerful thing.

[maidoforange.livejournal.com]

Geez. What a bad situation. I hope it will work out, ((((Prim)))). Gossip is a terrible thing.

[iorhael94.livejournal.com]

Prim, I'm so sorry to hear this is still going on ... {{{{hugs to you}}}}...Good for you for taking the high road with all of this...God bless you for that!

I look forward to seeing you soon!

[estellye.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Ever since the president and two vice presidents of my company all left or were asked to leave or whatever, going to work has been increasingly challenging. In the vacuum, all sorts of nonsense has been going on. They took too long hiring the new president, but since he has been on board, things have improved slowly as people adjust. It sounds like your interim principal may be able to fill that power void and hopefully the other stuff will die down. Meanwhile your good example is probably doing much more good than you even realize. You always manage to remind me of how I know I should behave when things get rough! (((Prim)))

[primsong.livejournal.com]

A power vaccuum - well said...and then when it is filled by someone new that they don't know yet, there's that distrustful phase that has to be gotten through next. Sigh...

Thank you for your encouragement - I do think it will be okay, in time. I just keep trying to reassure, to keep healthy communication going. Nothing kills a rumor faster than a gentle application of the truth.

[iorhael94.livejournal.com]

The tongue joining forces with a closed mind and an angry heart is a fierce enemy.

What a great quote...so true indeed...and also the fact of gossip being a fire that's hard to stop...reminds me of that Billy Joel song.."we didn't start the fire"...of course *no one* wants to admit that *they* are contributing to the problem...they are just trying to paint how bad everyone else is....

I'm so sorry your embroiled in this message and I sure hoe the wolves don't start turning on you :( I suppose there is no way to cut yourself loose from the situation since you are so involved with the school and church....life is just too short for this kind of stress...I will pray for you for sure and for all involved.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

I'm one of a tiny number who are caught in all three 'camps' - I am a parent, school staff *and* a church member - but I think this is a good thing, not a bad one - I have a perspective into all three 'sides' and it is easy for me to see the bigger picture in which none of these supposed divisions are even real - there is so much overlap between them that the polarization is being artificially imposed by the skewed rumors, and thus should have little long-term hold. I've had people come to me concerned that I am in the crossfire, but I'm not... if anything I am simply blessed to be able to stand at the crossroads and reassure everyone I meet in all three areas that it isn't as bad as it seems.

[seasson.livejournal.com]

There's been an item in the news here in NZ about text bullying. There've been quite a few teenage suicides linked to victims of text bullying. It's so wrong.

[solodancer.livejournal.com]

that is sad. I'm sorry to say that I've been on both sides of this kind of thing (being the one gossiped about and being the one spreading the gossip) You're right, it's so destructive. It's so easy to engage in though. Good for you for trying to stop it though. That can't be easy.

And I love the idea of putting the books on gossip up front, but I fear that the people who realy NEED to hear the message will look at those books and in their holier than thou way will think to themselves "well....I hope so and so will see this THEY really need it"

And the plank just gets further ingrained and further ignored.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

This is exactly what I was thinking when I put them there, but I did anyway... It's trickling down to the kids now, my kids are being verbally attacked on the playground for refusing to agree that the church was just 'being mean' and are 'bad' because the old principal is gone. They know there was more to it.

Another meeting tonight, this time to try to get through to the parents that if they get scared by it and run away, then our enrollement will be down and there *will* be problems with the school next year - if they stay, then we have school as usual. Self-fulfilling prophecy. :-(