Taking Care Of Our Children Essay Research free essay sample

Taking Care Of Our Children Essay, Research Paper We who have been entrusted with the instruction and attention of kids are obligated to travel? above and beyond? when it comes to looking out for their public assistance. Educators and decision makers have no resort but to look beyond the surface, look into if necessary, and protect the kids to whom we have made ourselves responsible. Dave Pelzer, who is presently an advocator for abused kids, has written a compelling three book series detailing his ain life as an abused kid and the aftereffects of his maltreatment. His instance was the 3rd worst instance of kid maltreatment on record in the province of California. ( Pelzer, 1995, 168 ) Pelzer? s female parent was an alky who was both physically and emotionally opprobrious to him. What made this a awful state of affairs more alone was that the female parent did non mistreat her other four kids. Merely Dave was the mark of her hatred. Pelzer? s male parent, besides an alcoholic, who ignored his married woman? s opprobrious inclinations, even though he in secret indicated to his boy that he did non excuse it, compounded the opprobrious behaviour. The male parent? s silence served to formalize the female parent? s actions. Pelzer? s instructors and decision makers besides maintained silence, therefore intensifying his feeling of isolation. These events occurred during the 1960? s and early 1970? s, so the behaviour of both Pelzer? s male parent and his pedagogues was non unusual. Physical subject was more recognized during that clip than it is now. Pelzer was rescued from his female parent? s inhuman treatment in 1973 by a school nurse and counsellor, after covering with her utmost maltreatment for about ten old ages. His instructors and decision makers had for old ages seen him attend school in shreds, common, frequently with contusions and scratchs, but as stated earlier, these were different times. When the school nurse determined she could no longer stand by and accept this opprobrious behaviour, she saw to it that county services was contacted. Pelzer goes on to associate how his emotional harm contributed to his traveling frequently between surrogate places. He neer felt equal, and these feelings of insufficiency compounded Pelzer? s jobs and anxiousnesss that kids in surrogate places usually feel. Pelzer speaks of his first matrimony stoping in failure, due largely to his deficiency of ability to swear and efficaciously pass on with his married woman. His grownup life has been built around raising his boy in as healthy a nd environment as possible. He speaks repeatedly of desiring to guarantee the rhythm of maltreatment does non go on through him. His 2nd matrimony has been a closely knit partnership, with trust and unfastened lines of communicating. The intent in telling so much information in Pelzer? s books is to remind us that we, as pedagogues, must take our duties as caretakers of kids with the highest grade of importance. Even though child maltreatment is detestable, it can be stopped and, as in the instance of Dave Pelzer, through subject and difficult work, the rhythm of maltreatment can be broken. Although these opprobrious types of parents are gratefully in the minority, they do be. It is hence imperative that we maintain awareness of any unusual fortunes we may detect refering our kids. Recluse behaviour, unexplained contusions or other Markss, unattended physical hygiene, or violent effusions should be cause for concern. ( Gestwicki, 435 ) This is non to state that we should go paranoid and study every kid with a contusion as a victim of maltreatment. We should, nevertheless, be cognizant of unusual idiosyncrasies or fortunes and act when we feel we have a right to be concerned. Documenting any intuitions and finding s is indispensable. This can bring out any tendencies or forms that may be. Keep in head that kids will frequently cover up for and try to protect opprobrious parents. This is besides a immense burden for a kid to bear ; the duty of? taking attention of? a parent who is opprobrious is an inordinate load. ( Somers, 62 ) Valerie Biven s, a societal worker in California, stresses that most of us are incognizant of the extent of kid maltreatment. Often instances of maltreatment go unreported, and the kid may turn their choler against themselves or others, go oning the rhythm of maltreatment. ( Pelzer, 1995, 171 ) Over three million instances of kid maltreatment were reported in 1996, and about one tierce of that figure were substantiated instances. ( Gestwicki, 435 ) Claudia Black stated that kids who are abused would usually hold feelings of low dignity. Those who should be loved and trusted abuse them ; therefore these kids do non experience safe or protected. ( Somers, 33 ) Intensifying our concerns even more are surveies that show that instructors, contract workers, and other school employees are besides among those who mistreat our kids. ( Karp, 78 ) Many provinces Dons? t administer background cheques for instructors or other school employees. This allows those with condemnable records to travel from one school system to another, frequently from province to province, in order to go on to learn or work in some capacity within the instruction system. Missouri presently does non hold a demand for background cheques for contract workers. This means that a janitor or individual who works in a lunchroom has the capableness to be convicted of a sex offense and be hired on at another establishment without fright of being recognized by his/her felon record. This is more than a small alarming. Kansas? Torahs are even more indulgent, non necessitating a background cheque for instructors. ( Karp, 81 ) This puts the burden on us as instructors, decision makers, c ounsellors, and parents to carefully measure all grownups with whom we see our kids make contact. There is no such thing as being excessively careful. Again, we needn? t become paranoiac and get down witch-hunts, but we must stay cognizant of what is traveling on with those under our attention. Abuse is an unpleasant subject, at best. However, if we are to make justness to the kids we care for, we must be cognizant of its being. Of the 1000000s of reported instances of kid abuse each twelvemonth, how many could hold been changed or halted by a concerned instructor or decision maker? If we maintain awareness we can do a difference in a kid? s life. Isn? T that what drew us to working with kids in the first topographic point? Bibliography Gestiwicki, Carol. Home, School, and Community Relations. New York: Delmar Thomson Learning, 2000 Karp, Hal. ? Who? s Traveling to School With Your Kids? ? Reader? s Digest 156 ( 2000 ) : 76-82. Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called? It? : One Child? s Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc. , 1995. Pelzer, Dave. The Lost Boy: A Foster Child? s Search for the Love of a Family. Deerfield Beach, Floridas: Health Communications, Inc. , 1997. Pelzer, Dave. A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. Somers, Suzanne. Wednesday? s Children: Adult Survivors of Abuse Speak Out. New York: Putnam/HealingVision, 1992. Bibliography Gestiwicki, Carol. Home, School, and Community Relations. New York: Delmar Thomson Learning, 2000 Karp, Hal. ? Who? s Traveling to School With Your Kids? ? Reader? s Digest 156 ( 2000 ) : 76-82. Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called? It? : One Child? s Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc. , 1995. Pelzer, Dave. The Lost Boy: A Foster Child? s Search for the Love of a Family. Deerfield Beach, Floridas: Health Communications, Inc. , 1997. Pelzer, Dave. A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. Somers, Suzanne. Wednesday? s Children: Adult Survivors of Abuse Speak Out. New York: Putnam/HealingVision, 1992.