Columnists Callie Purvis and Dashawn Bryant write on the child abuse cases at Miramonte Elementary School
Child abuse destroys victim's ability to trust othersEven with Valentine's Day right around the corner, some expressions of love are inappropriate any day of the week. In Los Angeles, elementary school children are learning this lesson the hard way as they pack up and prepare to move schools.
According to recent allegations, several molestation cases — many severe — were perpetrated by two teachers at Miramonte Elementary School. Faced with the enormous weight of legal action and parent protests, school officials decided to replace the entire staff, leaving around 120 faculty members jobless. Even though school officials acted on these allegations with rash and aggressive tactics, they undoubtedly solved the problem.
Even so, why are parents upset? Their children are now having to face the idea of integrating themselves into a new school environment with new kids, new teachers and new faces. This has proved to be more stressful than anticipated. These children are now confused as to whom they can trust in this maddening world. If the teachers they did trust are being shipped out like they did something wrong, this insinuates that there is no one who can be deemed trustworthy, which is a frightening and life-altering idea for a child.
While teachers and school board staff are trying to pick up the pieces from this scarring event, we are left to wonder how sexual predators are allowed to be left alone with our children. At the end of the day, no method is foolproof. Being a teacher is more than a job; it is a pledge to act as a moral individual in order to provide the safest environment possible for children and young adults.
Abuse can happen at any stage in life, whether to an 11-year-old or a senior in college. For young children, abuse involves so much more than the physical act. It means a lifelong loss of trust, one that a teacher is tasked with protecting.
As college students, we are the ones who have the most influence to change this matter for the better. As future educators of America, college students are the ones who need to make themselves more aware of the dangers of abuse. Teachers have the most power in the classroom and should never use this power in such a way that endangers a student — physically or mentally. If a person of any profession suspects abuse, they should report it promptly so no one else is hurt. Before any educator walks into a classroom, the first rule he or she should lay down is to treat students according to the trust and commitment the profession demands.
Growing number of cases could reflect badly on male teachers
Bessy Garcia, mother of two victims at Miramonte, expressed her sense of betrayal.
"He wasn't only a teacher. He was our personal friend," she said. "He tricked us. We thought he was the best person in the world."
This troubling chain of sexual abuse of minors is bringing a new question to the forefront: Are our children safe in the public school system?
The most obvious and still disturbing fact is that most of these scandals involve a male instructor. Many observe that the number of male instructors in the public school system is shrinking; with this onslaught of scandals, would it be a wise career choice for a young man to become a teacher? He will be critiqued and judged prior to his hiring and will always have to look over their shoulders, even if he doesn't do anything wrong.
Parents' willingness to trust a male instructor will indeed take a hit, endangering schools who have openings but can't find candidates to fill them. These scandals teach us to be careful with teachers and their relationships with our children. But suspicion may lead to a dangerous distrust that pushes men out of the teaching profession.
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