Friday, March 30, 2007
Scenario #8
You're teaching a freshman health class and you're a quarter way through your first semester. You have just recently mastered all your students names, but you are still getting to know who they are and their personalities. Your unit has shifted from healthy relationships to abusive relationships. You've got one student who in particular usually is pretty well- behaved but during this unit starts to act out and play the class clown. One day, while you were covering sexual abuse he makes a comment that makes you believe he could have been abused. What do you do? How would you respond to the students comment? Would you take them aside after class and talk to him even if your relationship with the student is still not matured? What are your responsibilities / actions as a teacher in this situation?
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6 comments:
I think in a situation where you suspect there is sexual abuse it does not matter the nature of your relationship with the student, you should act. Take the student aside after class/school during a time where you know you will have privacy and no time limit. You are responsible to address this situation. When doing this be weary of what you say as this could offend the person you are accusing of abuse if it is in fact not happening. Your primary concern is the student.
I would most certainly act on this incident. I would not make a big scene of it in class but when I was free later that day I would contact the school nurse, any school counselors, the principal or a combination of them all and explain what I observed in the classroom. The student might be upset with me for "telling on them" but the fact that they mentioned what they did in the class is a strong cry for help.
I think at this point you have to act on it. I also think at this point that the student is crying for you to act on it. I think you should get on page with the guidance counselor and figure out how to approach such a delicate subject.
I would first of all take the student out of the class and talk with them. If they said something that was out of the ordinary then I would go talk to the guidance people and let them know that I thought something was up.
In this situation if you believe a student could have been or is being abused it is important to make sure they don't get harmed any more. Talk to the student ALONE AND SEE IF THEY WILL OPEN UP TO YOU. yOU NEED to at least try. Have them talk to a councellor, meet the parents, talk to someone who would know, like a nurse or something.
This is definately a legal matter. Depending on your school's legal protocal I would avoid pulling all the strings and getting in more people to intimidate the student. That could keep them silent if something is truly wrong.
I would try to approach the student after class, first. I would try to stay as light as possible. Tell the student that you have noticed that they have been acting out a bit in class and that you wanted to know if everything was alright. Then, I would bring up the comment and just express simple concern. Don't coax and try not to say outright your suspicions so as to avoid sounding accusitory.
The student may or may not speak up, just do what you can to get a sense of what's going on. Victims of abuse tend to be guarded, especially males, but this student's comment gave you that feeling, so trust your intution. After this conversation with the student, I would give the guidence counselor a heads-up, reguardless of the outcome.
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