Case Study #1

Case Study #1

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 blew them off as "boys will be boys," and "she needs to get used to it." Considering teacher ethics and responsibilities, describe how you might respond to and handle this situation.

 

Unfortunately, this case study is very realistic and a prevalent situation in today’s society. Many adolescent girls will develop rapidly, and in turn they will have features that resemble that of a mature adult. In regards to the boys’ comments, this is considered a form of bullying and I would handle it as such. I would need to immediately write down exactly what the boys said. I would not want to misconstrue their words and report that they have said something that they in fact did not say. I would take this matter to both the guidance counselor and the vice principal or principal. The guidance counselor would be able to offer support and give me ways to handle this situation. I would need to see things from a different perspective because I have zero tolerance for bullying so I would want to make sure that I did not react too strongly and that I have had time to cool off before speaking with the boys. I would ask the guidance counselor if she felt that I needed to speak to the boys, if she needed to speak to the boys, or if the teacher of the boys needed to speak with them. If I do not have a relationship with the boys I am afraid that they would not take me as seriously because they we are unfamiliar with each other. Regardless of who speaks with the boys, I would speak with my fourth grade female student. I would support her and let her know that her physical appearance is okay and absolutely normal! She may have feelings of low self-esteem from this event, and I would want to make sure that she was reassured and did not have any negative views on herself. There have been so many cases of children being bullied and harming themselves as a result of this, and I feel that if just one person could step in, it would make a positive difference.