Here's a recent article from msnbc.com suggesting that sexual abuse in US schools much more prevalent than people usually think. In fact, the article suggests that schools have been covering up extensive abuse in much the same way that the Catholic Church has done.
I was never aware of anything like this happening in schools I went to, but Barb describes some pretty scary stuff from her high school, including teachers dating, impregnating and marrying students.
This disturbs me for two reasons, first because of the prevalence of the abuse itself, but also because they make people very wary of having men work with young people in any way. And, it makes men think twice about dedicating themselves to such careers because of fears of being labeled an abuser.
In my current internship I've been working with kids who have been traumatized by witnessing terribly violent acts (sometimes even having witnessed one parent murder another). I really like these kids and I'm enjoying learning the therapeutic techniques associated with helping them, but I'm also very cautious about being alone with a child while their parent sits in the waiting room.
Because of that, among other things, its more likely that I'll direct my future career more towards working with adults.
As far as abuse in school goes, fear of that isn't the reason we're homeschooling, but at least its something we don't have to worry about.
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2 comments:
I read that article as well.
First, I think the best defense against predation of any kind is a good sense of self and robust self-worth. What better place to achieve that than at home?
It is also easier to give children what they need to protect themselves against predators piecemeal, as opportunities arise, when homeschooling.
The latter part of your article addresses something that has been bothering me for a long time now. In my profession, I face similar dilemmas to yours.
What bothers me is this:
One could argue that women and children were disadvantaged in our past for mostly economic reasons - it was not worth it to "waste" various resources on them, as they held little value. As our society has matured, thankfully, that thinking has changed.
Yet now we find that it is more expensive to care for women and children, especially if the caregiver / caretaker is a male, than otherwise. This results in the same effect as earlier. Now we find the cost to take care of women and children exorbitant. Rather than face the risk of a malicious suit, which is guaranteed to put a major dent in your career, if not end it prematurely, many choose to simply not take care of women / children.
But it reaches much further. For example, drug companies are unwilling to do research in areas where they are not guaranteed a return on their investment. So we see less research on drugs that are safe for women to use in pregnancy.
It all makes perfect economic sense. But it misses the bigger point. And, like you, I struggle to maintain my equilibrium in such a commerce/lawyer-driven world.
We had a teacher at my high school that was notorious for dating students. He would also give candy to the girls who wore skirts to class. Now come on! He would show up at school functions, like senoir movie, and prom, with girls that had just graduated.
I think this also occurs quite a bit at the collegate level as well, maybe even more so.
My buddy, a math professor at a public university, was often telling me tales of having to fend off the advances of his female students. Not wanting to endanger his job. But yeah this a real issue and it happens all the time I'm quite sure.
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