FAMILY VIOLENCE
I am a teacher/child care
worker. What can I do within my classroom?
Children from violent homes will benefit from personal
attention and connections to adults, such as counselors, teachers,
aides, adult mentors, etc.
As a teacher with a large classroom, it may be difficult
for you to provide this by yourself. Referring the child to the
school counselor, Communities in Schools, Visiting Teachers, or
any other program within your school setting may help them get the
attention they need.
Make your classroom environment run like a
healthy family. Maintain high academic and behavior expectations
for students without encouraging competition between students. Encourage
students to be responsible for classroom decisions as opposed to
being an authoritarian teacher. This will help build studentÍs self-esteem
and will increase their respect for their learning environment.
Provide students with opportunities to work in
small groups. Not only does this give withdrawn students a greater
chance of participating, but it also provides a healthy setting
for making friends with their peers.
Peer mentoring: You can establish a peer mentoring/tutoring
program within your classroom if one does not exist within your
school. A program such as this builds the self-esteem of both students
and can even reduce the workload of the teacher.
You can also enlist the support of older students
to serve as mentors.
Be aware that it may not be appropriate to contact
the parent of a child who has divulged information about violence
in their home.
Often,, the victimized parent may be embarrassed
and the family may follow a strict code of secrecy.
You do not want to endanger the child or the victimized
parent by addressing the issue directly.
If you are unsure or just have questions do not hesitate
to contact our office or that of the other resources listed here
for further support.
My family is experiencing violence
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I would like to... |
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Legal Services Links:
Travis
County Attorney's Office
Travis
County District Attorney's Office
Legal Aid of Central Texas
Women's
Advocacy Project
Social Services Links:
APD Victim
Services
TCSO Victim
Services
SafePlace: Domestic Violence
and Sexual Assault Survival Center
Austin Child Guidance
Center
Additional Resources:
Domestic
Violence Hotlines and Resources
National Domestic Violence
Hotline
Violence Against Women
Office
Violence
Agaianst Men and Women
Family Violence Awareness
Page
Husband Battering
Child Abuse:
National Clearinghouse
on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
Prevent
Child Abuse America
National
Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
Child Abuse
Yellow Pages
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