Kial Watts

EDU 200

Child Abuse
Child abuse is a form of maltreatment and it can be emotional or physical. There are
many forms of child abuse such as neglect, physical, sexual, medical, emotional, abandonment
or threatening. Surprisingly, children from ages birth to three years are the most victimized.
Another shocking statistic is that 1,500 children die every year from child abuse alone. 49
percent of the children are white while only 21 percent are African American. Teachers play an
important role when it comes to child abuse.
Teachers are with their students daily and are able to learn the personality of all of their
students. In most cases, a young student will show signs of abuse or even make statements that
may seem off or concerning. Teachers should be trained to pick up these warning signs in order
to keep their students safe. It is a teachers responsibility to report these incidents. Once the
proper people are informed steps can be taken to protect a child from their environment. Students
who are abused and do not receive the proper help may struggle in their studies or even disrupt
the rest of the classroom from completing tasks. Educators are held in a position of trust and
comfort for a lot of their students, but sometimes abuse comes from the classroom.

Although students may face abuse at home, there are times when abuse comes from the
classroom. Teacher abuse can come in many different ways as well. From not allowing bathroom
breaks to physical punishments or even educational neglect there are many ways that teachers
abuse their power. In an article about teacher abuse it explains how easy it can impact a student:
When students are targeted by teachers, they often feel shamed and powerless. In many cases,
they become unable to establish positive relationships within school. Teacher bullying can also
have a contagion effect, indicating to students that the bullying of a particular individual is
acceptable and making the individual vulnerable to more abuse. (Abuse of Power) Teachers
have a very strong influence on their students. They are shaping young minds and teacher
bullying or abuse can obstruct the developments of a child. A teacher should not be able to
punish a student with a physical activity. For example, a student should not be forced to hold a
stack of books in a corner for a long period of time just for speaking back to the teacher.
Educational neglect is another issue as well. Teachers may not spend as much time with certain
students as they do others just because one student may not understand. Teachers not willing to
make sure each student has an understanding of the material are guilty of neglect.
Child abuse comes in many forms and situations. Not only is it important for teachers to
report abuse and neglect, but it is crucial that they keep it out of their classrooms. Teachers
should not have a negative impact on their students. Student success comes from a controlled
environment at both home and at school.

Bibliography
"Abuse of Power." Abuse of Power. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.