Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You decide to report your concerns to a social service agency.
Soon the parents are in contact with the school, asking officials what
they know. They seem extremely anxious.
After further investigation, a social worker discovers that her boyfriend
has been abusing her. Even though you had no reason to suspect the parents,
that didn't mean someone else wasn't hurting her.
The girl is grateful for your intervention, since now she has help to get
her out of a bad situation.
This is the real-life decision made by teachers every day. They affect
students' lives in important ways.
"Your role goes well beyond the classroom," says high school chemistry
teacher Richard Goodman. "Students often confide in you as an individual,
especially if you're a warm and fuzzy kind of a teacher. They will often confide
in you about personal issues.
"If at all any teacher feels uncomfortable about responding to students,
schools usually provide enormous amounts of support staff," Goodman adds.
"My suggestion to any teacher coming into the business is seek out the support
staff, seek out those people for guidance in how to do that."
In some jurisdictions, it's the law that adults must report
all cases of suspected abuse. Typically, the identity of the person who makes
the report is kept confidential.