Conference/Workshop Calendar

Addressing Child Abuse As a university Health Education Professor I address my School Health Education majors every quarter and inform them of all the joys and frustrations of a career working daily with children.  Most have gotten into the field of education because they know of the rewards of this work.  What they do not know is the heartbreak that they will face all too often during their first years of teaching.  We at the universities simply cannot prepare them to see one of their "little darlings" showing up daily on the playground without a coat on cold winter mornings.  We cannot prepare our new teachers for the heartbreak they'll feel when they discover that the kid who is so anxious to run out to the playground at noon is simply covering up the fact that he or she has no lunch and doesn't want the others to know.   What we can all do is teach them to be mindful of the signs of abuse and neglect.  According to the Executive Summary of the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect “School staff predominated as a source of recognition for maltreated children. School sentinels recognized 59 percent of the children who suffered maltreatment Master teachers, school counselors, and administrators can help new teachers recognize that the child who acts up in class may be reflecting the abuse he or she receives at home.  The neglected child may have come to accept that negative attention from Teacher is better than no attention at all. The inattentive or disruptive child may not need demerits, Ritalin, or time-outs as much as they need help with their home life. Help begins with recognizing the signs of abuse and neglect and making a report to one’s administrator who will then follow-up with the appropriate referrals and interventions.  A complete web publication on Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect in the Classroom is available through the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information This month take a moment to visit the featured agencies and organizations dedicated to child abuse education, prevention, and referral. The Prevent Child Abuse America website offers these reminders: Children who are physically abused may: *    Be nervous around adults. *    Be watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen. *    Have difficulty playing. *    Act aggressive to adults and other children. *    Be unable to concentrate at school. *    Suddenly underachieve (or overachieve) at school. *    Find it difficult to trust other people and make friends. *    Arrive at school too early, or leave after the other children. Children who are sexually abused may: *    Behave differently when the abuse starts. *    Care less about their appearance, or their health. *    Talk or act sexually at too early an age. *    Be secretive and stop talking about home-life. *    Start soiling themselves. *    Be unable to sleep. *    Suddenly find physical contact frightening. *    Run away from home. Children who are neglected or emotionally abused may: *    Have difficulty learning to talk. *    Find it hard to develop close relationships. *    Be over-friendly with strangers. *    Be unable to play imaginatively. *    Think badly of themselves. *    Underachieve at school. Andy Jenkins Health and Fitness Section Editor