ED460 Personal and Social Well Being is a course taken by college students in education during their student teaching semester. Topics covered include: poverty, child abuse, bullying, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, counselors' role in school, adolescents and choices, and the use of technology.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
In the Face of Helplessness: Child Abuse and Bullying
So far in our class, we have been forced to become more aware of how many students are detrimentally affected by child abuse and bullying. Most of us, because of previous education classes, probably had some idea of how crazy prevalent it is, but every time we research the topic again, it seems shocking to me. In our education classes, we discuss stats, talk about some the warning signs, and learn what to do if we suspect it going on in the classroom. Even though these are all very necessary topics to cover in classes, topics that teach us how to react proactively when abuse occurs and prevent abuse from happening when we see "at-risk" signs, none of the topics address how we as teachers are supposed to stay in front of such a hopeless injustice. The fact that child abuse happens, that some children are forced to go through such injurious circumstances rips my heart out. The need that we as humans have for justice flames infra-red when something occurs that is so obviously and objectively wrong. No child should ever have to go through an event like child abuse. No child should have to live in conditions like those and learn how to cope. And although this fact seems useless to discuss, as if the only discussion we should be having after recognizing this fact is how to stop the abuse, the reason I wanted to talk about it is because sometimes I do not know how continue my day without this information crushing my very being. If I suspect one of my students is being abused by a parent, how can I send them home to be in that environment at the end of the day? Sure, I'll report it to child services, but what happens today? I know.... Christ conquered all hopeless situations. Evil was conquered the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. I know that. I believe that. And sure, that is somewhat comforting to me. God has a plan, it includes my abused student, and in the end, I know it is possible to for Christ to come through all situations, all circumstances, even ugly ones. However, it isn't faith's role to swallow up emotions. Is child abuse just one of those facts that society tells me I have to accept? It's going to happen, so get used to it? I can not believe that it will be better for me simply to accept that this is the way the world works and become numb to this injustice than to discuss it openly with people who are dealing with exactly the same injustice.
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I agree that it is maddening to think of the injustices that are done to children and that it may be difficult for teachers to feel the weight of those injustices all the time. I think that it will be good for us to trust, though, what Prof. Bennett said during the panel today--that somehow there is something that allows teachers to go home and be with and care for their families without having to feel the weight of the whole world on their shoulders. This is encouraging to me.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's important that we recognize that just because God has a plan, it does not mean that he wanted that child to be abused. Sin is in the world because humans make mistakes. God will be there to pick up the pieces. I also believe that we are instruments of God, so we CAN take action. We can be there to help heal the hurts that sin puts into the world. While we don't have to fix every problem that comes our way, I know that sometimes I get a tug in my heart by God when the time is right to act. Sometimes we are only called to help the one placed before us, even when every kid in our class is being hurt by SOMETHING.
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