The family of Maria is a biracial family where the father is an African American, and the mother is Hispanic. It is overwhelming for Maria since she has to attempt to fit in with other communities. Although Maria was raised in racial groups, she also struggles to fit in due to her racial profile. Maria’s family moves to a new place with many white people in that community who are middle class. The town they move into is smaller than where they used to live, and since they moved, Maria’s parents have been fighting more.
Maria needs to be helped with cultural responsiveness. As a teacher, I would help Maria using an informative trauma way that will involve Maria talking freely about the issues involving what is going on in her life. Maria needs to trust me to speak freely about minor issues as a teacher. Students study better when they are sure that their wellbeing is the teacher’s priority (Foody et al., 2018). As a teacher, I care about the problems that affect Maria, and therefore, I want to create an environment where Maria will talk to me anytime without thinking I judge her.
When Maria open’s up on the problems she is facing, as a teacher, I will use the information she gave me to help provide solutions to the issues she is facing. Bullying is an issue in many schools, and therefore, it requires being addressed for the students’ good. Although there are anti-bullying laws in schools, teachers need the training to apply the rules on bullying cases in schools (Goodwin et al., 2019). Therefore, as a teacher, I will ensure that Maria knows she does not have to tolerate bullying, and as a teacher, I am obliged to help her when she needs me.
I would therefore approach the principal on reprimanding students who bully others. The students created a social media group and named it ‘I Hate Maria.’ It is an act of cyber bullying, which is the use of media to bully people by threatening the nature of a person who is a class b misdemeanour. I would ensure Maria knows that cyber-bullying is not fair and invite her parents to discuss the problem. I would ensure that the parents know it is our responsibility to make Maria feel safe and free from bullying. I would also advise Maria’s parents to talk to the principal to ensure that the students involved would be disciplined to prevent anything from happening in the future. The school system would ensure that other students are protected from bullying cases (Orange, 2018). My son was bullied in school as a parent, and I would always approach the principal to resolve the situation.
My son rarely talked to him, and it was stressful. I feared my son would suffer from depression since he developed suicidal thoughts. As a parent, I became available for my son and made his voice in school. My son did not end up a bully, just like other students. If I were not involved in my son as a parent, it would be too late, and my son would probably be dead. Personal experiences with bullying taught me the importance of addressing the bullying issues, and I had to respond to Maria’s problems.
I would be ready to advocate for a child who, just like me, does not have much in and was a new kid who did not feel like belonging in school. I would protect Maria from the other children who would have led to Maria hurting herself. I would try to create a connection between Maria and her parents to prevent more fights at home. It will give Maria the feeling that her parents will listen to her anytime she has problems she is willing to share with them.
References
Foody, M., Murphy, H., Downes, P., & O’Higgins Norman, J. (2018). Anti-bullying procedures for schools in Ireland: Principals’ responses and perceptions. Pastoral Care in Education, 36(2), 126-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2018.1453859
Goodwin, J., Bradley, S. K., Donohoe, P., Queen, K., O’Shea, M., & Horgan, A. (2019). Bullying in schools: An evaluation of the use of drama in bullying prevention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 14(3), 329-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1623147
Orange, A. (2018). Workplace bullying in schools: Teachers’ perceptions of why they were mistreated. The Educational Forum, 82(4), 390-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2018.1461523
