One of your 4th grade female students is very well developed physically and looks as if she is 15 instead of 9 years of age. Today you heard a group of 5th grade boys commenting on her body in a lewd and humiliating manner. Two other teachers also heard these comments, but just blew them off as "boys will be boys," and "she needs to get used to it."
This behavior is very inappropriate and should not be regarded lightly. As teachers we are in a position of power, while our students are not--and as teachers we should honor each and every student. This form of abuse would be considered emotional maltreatment because the 4th grade student is being belittled, ridiculed, and humiliated by her peers. As a teacher I would be considered a mandatory reporter, legally and ethically and it is important to remember that the child comes first. If I witnessed this happening the first thing I would do is record the situation in writing as soon as it happened. Then I would report it to my school principal or supervisor (for this particular circumstance I do not think it is necessary to be reported to child protective services). After talking to my supervisors and having a de-brief session I would inform the child's family because they deserve to know, and I would be sure to keep the information confidential. (As a side note in trying to address subtle nuances that must be interpreted and addressed I may notice that this particular student has a low self-esteem or poor self image, excessive weight gain, or somewhat of a disheveled appearance, but I would not consider this child as abused at home, because there is not enough information provided in this case study to know that. Also, I would know how she acted in class since she is my student and could better interpret this student, but I do not think this is an issue of this particular case study.) After the matter had been settled I might suggest to my principal the need for a review of the Tennessee Teacher Code of Ethics due to the other teachers belittling of the actions of the fifth grade boys to ensure the comfort of each and every student within the school.
Ciera,
ReplyDeleteAfter writing about the same case study and reading your response, I noticed we had a lot of the same ideas. I would have started the same place you did, which was to record the situation immediately. I feel teachers often times blame it on the kid's age and think they will grow out of their behavior with time. While this is often true, some kids continue to emotionally abuse their peers. Like you said, these situations are extremely important and should be dealt with right away before too much damage occurs. Also, I like where you said, "Teachers should honor each and every student." For the next step I would have contacted my supervisor as well, and I agree with you in that there is no need to contact Child Services. This seems like something that can be handled at school and by contacting their parents. When a boy in my grade sent me a nasty email about my body, my dad saved it and printed it out. He contacted the boys parents and sent a copy to my homeroom teacher. Luckily, the behavior stopped; however, if their behavior went unseen, they could have harassed me for several days, weeks, moths, etc. As one of your peers, I feel you will handle these situations wonderfully! I couldn't have described the case better myself!