This section is to showcase (and show off!) student work. If a student has worked particularly hard at an assignment, then it will be displayed here for others to see.
This semester, my English Fundamentals students each wrote essays on what they felt is the biggest problem in America. Topics such as drunk driving, teenage pregnancy, animal abuse, kidnapping and drugs were researched. Profiled here is freshman Victoria Hamilton's essay on child abuse.
Child Abuse in America
By V.H.
Jan. 8, 2010
Out of all the problems in America, child abuse is one of the worst. Child abuse is bad for three main reasons. It results in physical abuse, mental damage and causes relationship problems.
First, physical child abuse is when parents hit and kick their child. This is bad because it can kill the child. Some abused children may be hospitalized with brain damage, or may suffer other injuries like broken bones, bruises and burns. Children should not endure such suffering.
Second, child abuse causes mental suffering. Abused children feel unloved and rejected. Years of abuse can lead to mental illness. Children should not be made to feel worthless. They should feel happy and loved. All children deserve loving parents who care for them and protect them.
Third, many children who are abused have relationship problems as adults. They find it hard to trust anyone. In addition, they may have unresolved anger. Left untreated, the cycle of abuse may repeat itself when abused children grow up and begin to have children of their own.
Child abuse should not be tolerated. Parents who abuse children need to be counseled, and their children should be placed in foster homes. Older abused children should get to choose where they live for the rest of their lives. Abusers should be educated about the dangers of child abuse. According to the Child Abuse Council of Santa Clara County, “Child abuse prevention costs only a fraction of the millions of dollars currently needed to respond after a child has been abused,” (2010). Prevention makes sense.
Clearly, child abuse is a problem in America because it affects the lives of many children in a negative way. Children deserve loving homes where they feel safe. They should be treated with respect and love. Children are too young to protect themselves, so the rest of us should make sure that child abuse is not allowed to continue.
Work Cited
“Child Abuse Statistics”. Child Abuse Council of Santa Clara County. 28 January 2010
www.cacscc.org/statistics.htm.
About Me
- Mrs. Mitchell
- Who doesn't like a challenge? Since studying to become a teacher, I've met up with all sorts of them--big and small--which has forced me to look at myself, face my fears, rejoice in each success and learn from my mistakes. The idea of being the teacher of record was initially daunting and overwhelming, but I know I've made strides over the past year-and-a-half and I want to keep on learning and improving. Although I come across as reserved and quiet, there has always been a part of me that wants to be seen and heard. Teaching is one avenue that fulfills these desires. There are many facets of the job and the students are of course the best part. The thing I love about Special Education is that it's individualized to meet the needs of each student. In this way, it's self-paced, depending on the skill level of every child. Simply put, I love my job. I enjoy building rapport with students and I strive to make learning fun. I believe it's my job to help them become responsible people who can think critically. To do for them what they can do for themselves limits them. And if I limit them, I'm not doing my job.