RAGGING IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

It is June and many colleges and schools are opening up for the new
academic year. Could you please spare a moment and read about :

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO DARED TO WISH

Please send a message against ragging; you may save quite a few
lives as also deep mental injury for innocent children. Please


As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her
classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running
in the opposite direction.

"Watch it, squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around the little
third grader. Then, with a smirk on his face, the boy took hold of
his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.

Amy closed her eyes for a moment.

Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom.

But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall
boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the only one. It seemed
that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her
every single day. Kids teased her about her speech or her limping.
Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other
students, the teasing made her feel all alone.

Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was quiet. Her mother
knew that things were not going well at school. That's why Patti
Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her
daughter.

"There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station," Amy's mom
announced. "Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize. I
think someone at this table with blond curly hair should enter."

Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking
about what she wanted most for Christmas.

A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came
pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter. "Dear Santa
Claus," she began.

While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family
tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy's sister, Jamie,
and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish
list. Amy's dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to
reveal her secret Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to
Santa, just as she wrote it that night:

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can
you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and
run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no
one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

Love, Amy

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for
the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had fun reading about all
the different presents that boys and girls from across the city
wanted for Christmas.

When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin
read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that
might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn't understand her
disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne
to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr.
Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the
front page of The News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All
across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations
reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who
asked for such a simple, yet remarkable, Christmas gift - just one
day without teasing.

Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes
of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults
all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and
words of encouragement.

During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people
from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support.
Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had
disabilities; some had been teased as children.

Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and
letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who
truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of
teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others
encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Lynn, a
sixth grader from Texas, sent this message:

"I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if you want to
visit me, we could have fun. No one would make fun of us, cause, if
they do, we will not even hear them."

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne
Elementary School . Additionally, everyone at school got an added
bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing
can make others feel.

That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st
as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that
by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.

"Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with
respect, dignity and warmth."