I’m blogging my I struggle with a situation of abuse. I haven’t yet decided what I will do. One part of me says to hide my conflict, not to let anyone know I’m ashamed because the answer isn’t totally clear t me. Here is what happened:
Today, Thursday, I learned at 1:30 pm that one of the teachers, on Wednesday, had forced food into one of the children with disabilities. She instructed one of the older girls, whom we are training as a helper to special ed teachers, to hold open the child’s mouth with her fingers, and then the teacher pushed food into her mouth. Her lip began to bleed where it was already dry and rough. I’ll use the name of the little one, Sonali, because she is known to people who have visited. Sonali is our youngest, is visually impaired, microcephalic, and delightful. When she arrived she has terrible feeding problems, screamed when fed, and had esophageal spasms. Calming her down was a long slow process. Mostly she was only willing to eat if someone would tap her on her head or if she held something over her head. She also preferred that someone be singing to her at the same time. Well, all that has passed, but she is a fussy eater.
Six months ago we went to a public function with all the children. I suddenly noticed one of our childcare workers holding Sonali flat on her lap and pouring in a drink. I went over and stopped her. When we got back home I fired her. Yes, she had been trained. In this case she was just not bothering. It takes work to feed these children without endangering them due to choking.
So now back to what happened yesterday, what I learned today, and what I will do tomorrow.
1. The teacher has been with us over a year. I also learned today that one of the girls had seen her scratch Rani to get her to behave. She hadn’t told me because she thought I wouldn’t believe her, and the teacher had said I’d approved of this, which I haven’t. So what do I do about the teacher? Can I replace her? Will the next one be just as bad? If I were reading this, my blood would be boiling and saying “fire her immediately,” and maybe I will.
2. The supervising special educator was right there, but feeding another child. I called her this evening. She has no idea what I’m talking about. Do I believe her? No.
3. The staff member, officially my assistant, who observed it all told the teacher and the girl she should not be doing that and then didn’t tell me until today. Well actually, she came to me at 1:30 saying that she wanted to talk to me tomorrow. I said that sounded like something I needed to hear now. She looked toward yet another staff person who apparently already knew, and said she didn’t want all the teachers to be angry with her. I said to tell me, so she told me the story as I’ve written it.
4. The house supervisor she tried to tell yesterday, who said she didn’t want to hear any more and to go and tell me. At that point the house supervisor felt her responsibility was over.
The Victims:
Sonali, who was force-fed.
The older girl who is being trained to work with teachers. She is doing this because of severe cognitive disabilities. She is extremely vulnerable. She has been in tears because she was part of something that wasn’t right and can’t sort out her place.
Spacial layout matters. While all this was going on yesterday I was sitting in the next room, with the door open, about 25 feet from where all this was going on. Our entire ground floor is only 900 sq. ft. and from my desk I can see most of the space. I was sitting right here, and that’s what is also so creepy! I’ve said from the first weeks here, that no one will tell me what is going on. I pay them to tell me but they will not. In this case, no one wanted to be blamed for telling. Lost was the issue that a child’s life was put in danger and that the same teacher would be here today feeding her.
Is not telling me, a “factor” in whether I keep someone or is it a deal breaker? That’s really the dilemma.
I try to balance the emotional and practical aspects of what I do. Emotionally, I just don’t want these people around me. It upsets me to look at them and know there may be things they are hiding from me. This is not first time for either of them. They work for me but they are more worried about others being angry with me for telling. This IS the culture I’m in. I was asked recently if there was anyone her I trust totally, and I have to say no. People tell me what they want me to know. Some of that power comes because I don’t know Bengali, but today’s news was all in English and all the people involved are fluent in English.
The internet is my connection to the world from here. Joe Paterno was fired today for his inaction in the face of sex abuse. What he did was a deal breaker. So maybe that’s my answer. I don’t have other coaches standing in the wings. I’m just more on my own. Maybe that’s better. It is so horrible to have people working for me, knowing they won’t tell me. It eats at me. It makes me afraid to leave at all, as it is so bad even with me sitting here.
My children were in a special school a few years ago. We would drop them at 9:30 and pick them up at 1 pm. In the car they would start thrusting their tongues, what they do when they are thirsty, so we brought water and gave them water in the car. Then one of our workers told me that the full bottle of water we took there was always full, so they weren’t getting water. I saw the principal standing outside the day I learned this and I went to tell her, and she said, “I’ll look into it,” and walked away. After we got home I called up the founder of the school, went to her flat, and told her I was taking the children out. She said, “you are denying them education because of water?” I didn’t say what I was thinking, which was, “Why would I let my children be with such a person that would deny water to them?” What sort of person does this? I’ve learned that this is common practice in all these schools because it minimizes the child’s need to urinate.
This morning I was talking with the house supervisor because she is having problems about where to live and I’m concerned about her and was trying to find solutions. But all this time she was not telling me about the situation of the teacher and Sonali. In other words, I think I’m on some equal level of trust, concern, extending myself, and she is worried about teachers getting mad at her for telling me.
I’m probably going on too much. If I really post this instead of hitting delete, please notice the guts it takes to say these things out loud, and appreciate that I am certain I am not the only one with these conflicts. I reach out so I am not so alone. I also reach out so you, the reader who has faced such situations, can know you are not alone either. It’s hard stuff, hard stuff to get right. I think I know what I will do in the morning, but not there yet.
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