This has been the LONGEST short week I've ever had. I'm way too tired to even THINK about my to do list, but because of it I can't seem to get more than one week ahead of myself in regard to lesson plans. And by that I mean that some days I think to myself "what in the world are my students going to do for 50 minutes today? Is there a movie in the library they can watch?" Just kidding about the movie thing...I do have plans, but usually my days are planned the night before. This week, we are studying family relationships and what I thought was a basic crash course on "Getting along with your Parents 101" tugged at my heartstrings more than I thought possible.
About once a week I assign my students an "exit slip" which is a writing strategy that I learned about this summer. I asked students this week to write down any family issues that they would like to discuss while we were studying healthy families. I told them to just let me know if they would rather me respond to their question in private. Surprisingly, A LOT of students took me up on the offer. Their questions broke my heart...divorce, dead parents, problems with step-parents...everything. One by one I wrote letters back to the students and decorated the envelopes. I picked up the last letter and my heart literally dropped into my stomach when I read her question.
Long story short, her mother has been beating her.
I went ahead and wrote her back and told her that even though every parent has a different manner in which they discipline their children, it is NEVER ok for a parent to beat them. The next day, I took her in the hallway and asked her more about it. I cannot share any more details but the things she told me in the hallway put me in a HORRIBLE position. Today I will be forced to "tell" on this parent...because it is the law. Because it is the right thing to do. Because I cannot look at that little girl every day, knowing that he mother beats her, if I don't do everything in my power to stop it.
My heart breaks for her. But more than that, my heart breaks because she is not the only one. My heart breaks because when her mom finds out that she told her teacher what is going on, she will probably get beat up even worse. My heart breaks because I worry about her, and the others, long after the school day is over.
Yes, this short week has been so long...
2 comments:
Wow. That's so sad. I will say a prayer for your student. For all these reasons I am going back to school to get my masters in counseling. Girls like her need lots of therapy to get passed something like this.
Oh Charity. What a tough position for you to be in. It is so good that you thought to do this though. She may never have mentioned this to any one else until it was too late. Now she has an advocate that cares. I'll say a prayer for her and you. Very tough position, but what an opportunity for ministry!
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