My thoughts.

I can't stand ignorant people. I just can't even tolerate them. That doesn't mean you have to be brilliant, or heck even smart, for me to like you. To clarify this is the definition for ignorant.

Ignorant: noun
The condition of being uninformed or uneducated. Lacking knowledge or information.

Except I don't really mind if people lack knowledge or are just uninformed. There are things I lack knowledge in, and I don't feel like everyone has to be a college graduate for me to want to be their friend. So to make it more clear I hate, yes a strong word, willful ignorance. Definition.

Willful ignorance: (unaccountable)
A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision.

I'm sure everyone deals with ignorance, even willful ignorance, but I got kicked in the gut with it the other day. A quick, vague explanation so years down the road I can remember WHY I started the battle that I'm taking on.

I believe a school psychologist would have to have some kind of degree, credential maybe compassion and be educated in her field? I guess not. I was told that people with a mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar) are, ready, MENTALLY DISTURBED! Of course that doesn't sit well with me. When I hear mentally disturbed I picture a serial killed cutting his victim into tiny pieces. I was also informed that bipolar is a brand new illness that hasn't really been studied yet. Really? I mean does this woman live under a rock? I don't expect the average person to be an expert on mental illness, or even know much at all about it. I do absolutely expect a psychologist that works every day with children to know at least a minimal amount. It is unacceptable to me that she is willfully ignorant! She knew of my bipolar and continued to tell me the myths she believed to be true. She had no desire to ask any questions or clarify what she didn't understand and even when our encounter was over I don't believe she had any interest in educating herself about it. Because in her words "mental illness doesn't really affect our valley, it's just too rare and we don't know how to handle those type of children so we would have to ship them somewhere else." At that point it took a ton of self restraint to not show her mentally disturbed! I haven't been an unashamed advocate for mental illness for very long, but I DO know that mental illness in one form or another effects over 25% of adolescents.

I ended my conversation with her by letting her know that I would be in close contact with her often, and that until she could educate her ignorant self on mental illness that I would also need to be in close contact with her supervisors and the district for the safety of our children in this valley.

I'm appalled that this is what Kern high school district would hire for our school psychologist that is supposed to have the best interest of the kids in mind. Looks like I have my work cut out for me because I will FORCE education on all mental illnesses onto her until I can trust the kids she oversees will be protected and given the education they deserve.