Tuitavuki 1

Betsy Tuitavuki

Professor Fillmore

ENG 2010

19 November 2018

Bringing Awareness to Child Emotional Abuse in Schools

Dozens of studies have proved that most forms, if not all, of child abuse mainly appear in

the home, by someone a child knows and trusts. Several studies have begun to move away from

the home and have looked to school as well. The place where children spend half of their waking

day, five times a week, at. A study back in 2009 examined child abuse and the reporting

practices done by school counselors. While child abuse was the most reported, emotional abuse

was the most suspected but not reported (Buser et al. 3). Emotional abuse, being that it is not a

physical thing one can see and touch, will always receive doubts on the severity it has claimed it

can be. However, it should not be overlooked at all, especially in the school system. While child

abuse is a topic barely spoken of in school, emotional abuse is spoken even less. Yet, over 80

percent of children who have experienced physical child abuse, have also experienced emotional

abuse (Barlow et al. 11). There should be programs and lessons focused entirely on child

emotional abuse in school, starting in elementary. By speaking more about all the issues and

topics surrounding child emotional abuse, awareness would increase and hopefully more

prevention of recurrence and future occurrences.

Children can go through their whole school life experiencing emotional abuse but not

knowing nor realizing that it had a name. Emotional abuse can be committed by any adult. It is a
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phenomenon that is happening not just in the home but in a school setting (Nearchou. 97).

Krugman and Krugman back in 1984 had researched about classroom emotional abuse. One of

the teachers had emotionally abused 17 students in his class (McEachern et al. 4). The students

suffered from low self-esteem to constant worry about class performance and withdrawal

behavior. If administrators and staff, especially teachers aren't made aware that certain things

they say and do to students can have a lasting effect, this issue will not improve. Majority of

schools have counselors and school social workers. Their roles are many and it includes

school-based emotional abuse, and being “consultants, advocates, mediators, identifiers,

counselors, and change agents” (McEachern 6).

Mceachern suggests that counselors should work with groups of teachers, “providing

professional development sessions to educate them about emotional abuse” (McEachern 6).

Teachers may also notice other teachers being the offenders so “ignoring the problem of teacher

bullying compounds it by giving license to any educator who believes that he or she can act with

impunity toward students” (McEvoy). Having quarterly meetings for all staff about emotional

abuse and what they can do in the classroom to prevent and look out for can definitely help raise

the awareness.

Holding bi-yearly assemblies for both staff and students with the focal point being child

emotional abuse will help make the topic a more comfortable one to discuss. Administrators and

the school counselors could bring experts on emotional abuse to speak to the school. Assemblies

should be interactive with the children and could even have seperate stations that focus on the

different types of emotional abuse as well as who commits it, and resources on how to stop it.
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A survey had been sent out to students in Bismarck schools regarding their mental health.

About 30% of students had said they felt hopeless and depressed which motivated the

administrators and staff to fund for a mental health professional to assess students and began

pilot projects revolving around helping students with their mental health (McCleary). By taking

small steps towards helping these students, and making sure that they are not alone in this battle,

had been a small but effective difference. School’s don’t have to automatically bring in a

professional and start assessing students, it can be as simple as getting the information out there

and among the students. By having these assemblies, the children will get to understand the

concepts of emotional abuse which can then allow the topic to be discussed further.

In Bismarck, the Dorothy Moses Elementary have begun social-emotional curriculum

which teaches students to understand and manage their emotions as well as learning

problem-solving and empathy skills. It’s happening in all grades, once a week (Mccleary). The

school has also provided a therapist who comes once a week, forming group sessions with the

students. It was emphasized that the earlier one can begin these intervention programs, the better

and more stable a child’s mental health can become.

Creating classroom size lesson plans to further discuss about emotional abuse could help

the children know the importance of understanding the term and the related topics and issues.

Lesson can be an hour, twice every 2-3 months, where children can ask questions and get

answers right away. Learning together with their teacher can build a positive, trusting bond,

allowing a wider gateway for students to confide in their teacher if they have or are experiencing

emotional abuse. Brett Welch, a school counselor in Harvie Elementary in Virginia, says that

when one child is having a bad day, the rest of the classroom can be affected (Emanuel).
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Students learning about emotional abuse with their peers can allow empathy to go around the

classroom. Peers could understand what some of their classmates may be going through, forming

close friendships.

The school should include parents as much as possible in learning about emotional abuse.

Many parents don’t realize that they are being emotionally abusive. Often they have “unrealistic

expectations regarding the developmental capabilities of children, the age-appropriateness of

child behaviours, and their own behaviour when interacting with children” (Barlow et al. 61).

Parents could attend the assemblies about emotional abuse, interacting with not only the

professionals but also with their children to become more aware together.

In Ohio, the Olmsted Falls City schools along with the PTA council wanted to raise

awareness about anxiety in students (Benson). They aired the film “Angst” and afterward a panel

discussion including a “community mental health provider and a parent, as well as a teacher,

principal and counselor from each Olmsted Falls City Schools building” (Benson) began. This is

a great example of how parents and the school can come together to raise awareness for

important issues for themselves and their children.

Parent-Teacher conferences including information about emotional abuse could be

incorporated. Emotional abuse is repetitive and can happen in school as well. A child may make

excuses to stay home or lose interest in school. In a more direct way, a child could complain that

the teacher hates them, or they are being rude and picking on them all the time. These are some

habits that a parent can look out for in their child that can be a sign that they are being

emotionally abused in school (Karosen). Introducing that this issue will be given more attention

during parent teacher conference will allow parents to discuss possible concerns and vise versa.
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One on one time with the teacher, child, and parents would be an effective way to form a more

trustful, understanding, and vocal relationship.

The school could also send emails and include in school newsletters about emotional

abuse, providing resources for more information and help. Many parents who are emotionally

abusive may have been emotionally abused themselves (Barlow). As action is taken to increase

awareness about emotional abuse in schools, parents could learn more too and even find

resources to help themselves if they were abused as a child.

Spreading the word and providing factual information about emotional abuse in schools

will increase awareness. Starting with administrators, staff and teachers, then to the students as a

whole and in classrooms, to parents, all working together. In the efforts of preventing and

stopping ongoing emotional abuse, schools can play a huge role. As being leaders of the

community, and huge influencers on children’s development, school’s must use that authority to

shape lives, not just academically healthy but mentally healthy in all the ways they can.
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Works Cited

Barlow, Jane, and Anita Schrader McMillan. Safeguarding Children From Emotional

Maltreatment : What Works. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2010. EBSCOhost,

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nleb

k&AN=339481&site=eds-live.

Benson, John. “Olmsted Falls City Schools and PTA Council Team up to Tackle Teen Anxiety.”

Cleveland.com, Cleveland.com, 19 Nov. 2018,

www.cleveland.com/olmsted/index.ssf/2018/11/olmsted_falls_city_schools_and.html.

Buser, Trevor J., and Juleen K. Buser. “Helping Students with Emotional Abuse: A Critical Area

of Competence for School Counselors.” Journal of School Counseling, vol. 11, no. 9, Jan.

2013. EBSCOhost,

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric

&AN=EJ1012312&site=eds-live.

Emanuel, Gabrielle. “How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class.”

NPR, NPR, 3 Sept. 2016,

www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/03/491204888/how-domestic-violence-in-one-home-af

fects-every-child-in-a-class.

Karosen, Caitlin. “What You Can Do If Your Child Is Being Bullied by a Teacher.” Noodle, 3

Apr. 2015,

www.noodle.com/articles/is-a-teacher-bullying-your-child-heres-how-you-can-stop-it.

McCleary, Mike. “A 'Critical' Need: Bismarck Schools Offer Additional Mental Health

Services.” Bismarck Tribune, The Bismarck Tribune, 29 Oct. 2018,

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bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck/a-critical-need-bismarck-schools-offer-additio

nal-mental-health-services/article_5f5b7126-9110-5b6b-88d8-7b7c1446a2a3.html.

McEachern, Adriana G., et al. “Emotional Abuse in the Classroom: Implications and

Interventions for Counselors.” Journal of Counseling & Development, vol. 86, no. 1,

Winter 2008, pp. 3–10. EBSCOhost,

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh

&AN=28512765&site=eds-live.

McEvoy, Alan. “Abuse of Power.” Teaching Tolerance, 2014,

www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2014/abuse-of-power.

Nearchou, Finiki. “Resilience Following Emotional Abuse by Teachers: Insights from a

Cross-Sectional Study with Greek Students.” Science Direct, Academic Press, 28 Oct.

2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417304064?via=ihub.