A Lesson Learned


A Lesson Learned




Many years ago, I was working in a school in North Carolina. I was a third grade teacher at the time and I had a young lady in my class who would often show up to school wearing bulky sweaters and a bad attitude. As her teacher, I knew something was wrong and would often ask her if I could help or if she wanted to talk. She never did. I knew that her parents were divorced and that her mother had a new boyfriend that this girl did not seem to like. I spoke to my principal and guidance counselor regarding my concerns. They told me to keep an eye on her.

After a few weeks, this girl started to come to school with bruises, ripped clothes, and barely any food for lunch. She often looked as if she had been crying. Very concerned, I again went to the principal and counselor about this new behavior and the bruises that she had. They documented the concerns and told me again to keep an eye on her.

One morning, this girl came to school looking very troubled. She asked me to go to the bathroom with her. I got my principal and we both accompanied her to the bathroom. She pulled down her skirt and showed us the imprint of a bedpost across her abdomen. There was bruising and blood. Alarmed, the principal called the police and we filed an official report. Child protective services was called in and they interviewed the school staff and went to the child's home.

The next morning, I was confronted by the child's mother, who told me that her boyfriend knew it was me who called the police and that he would "be looking for me." I was scared and immediately called the police who told me that they would send a patrol car to check on my house several times a night. The next few weeks were scary to say the least. I was constantly on edge. Eventually, the child was sent to live with her aunt. The boyfriend ended up robbing a few stores and was caught and put in jail. I'm not sure what happened to the mother. It was one heck of a year, but I was always happy that the child was finally safe.


 

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