Be Your Own Superhero – Tell a Teacher Program

Last year, the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way enlisted Transitions’ elementary education department in helping them promote a prevention measure in the Chief Shikellamy Elementary school.  The Be Your Own Superhero – Tell a Teacher program is based on the idea that kids who live in at-risk environments will identify their teachers as a trusted adult to help them with situations that are beyond their control at home.  Using colorful, cute, and engaging caricatures of kid-size superheroes, kindergarteners and first and second graders will be encouraged to tell a teacher if they are allowed to smoke or drink bad things, taken to scary places, told to keep secrets about bad things, left alone and scared, go to bed hungry, or are afraid of their parents or guardians.   

Participating teachers receive an identifier – a superhero figure that says:  “Tell Me!” – as a way for students to know that this teacher will do what it takes to ensure their safety.  

Realizing the link between childhood poverty, trauma, and later violence, criminality, and substance abuse, the GSVUW chose the Shikellamy School District to pilot the program because over half of the students live at or below poverty.  The program, based on the assumption that schoolteachers, who interact with the children on a daily basis and have therefore earned their trust and respect, are not only best qualified to identify students who are being abused, neglected, or exposed to dangerous, violent practices but are also willing to follow through with any measure necessary to keep kids safe.  Early assessments and interventions have proved to be highly effective in changing the course of a child’s life. 

According to the 2016 Child Protective Services report in Pennsylvania, school employees provided 20% (9,278) of the 46,196 reports to ChildLine.  Of these reports, 4.3% (398) the .  Many teachers report only because they are mandated to report suspected child abuse.  Fear of a lawsuit and professional liability compel them to report.  Others have a real desire to assist the child – to intervene on the child’s behalf and to provide help to the family as well.  They are quick to call Child Protective Services and the police if need be because keeping kids safe is their main concern and they have faith in the established systems to do just that. 

There are many plausible reasons why children do not report their own abuse.  The foremost reason that children do not report is their fear of the breakup of their family.  Children often report that they have no desire to see their loved ones arrested or kicked out of the house. They fear that reporting abuse may remove the main breadwinner from the family – and often, they feel as if they did something to deserve the abuse.   It is much less easy to understand why teachers are reluctant to report suspected child abuse. 

A teacher poll conducted by Allan Gutman (2015) revealed six major reasons that teachers did not report.

1.     Personal concerns

a.       Not knowing how to make a report.

b.     Unwillingness to breach a confidence with a child who “told.”

c.      Bad experiences with prior reporting.

d.     Fear of retribution.

e.      Fear of being fired or having a lawsuit brought against them.

2.     Concerns about Effects on the Child

a.      Increasing the danger to a child

b.     Family or relationship disruption

c.      Counseling disruption

d.     Fear of hurting someone they have a strong connection to – a friend, neighbor, respected colleague

3.     Evidence Issues

a.      I didn’t “see” it.

b.     Not that serious.

c.      Lack of evidence.

d.     Initial impression was misleading.

4.     System Concerns

a.      CPS overreacts

b.     I can help child better myself

c.      Authorities do nothing

d.     “…it happened to me, and I turned out okay.”

e.      Insensitive police response

f.      Bad things happen in the system.

5.     Victim Characteristics

a.      “The kid must have done something to deserve it.”

b.     Big enough to know how to get out of that situation (older teenage victim)

6.     Case Characteristics

a.      Probably already reported.

b.     Case has been resolved.

It is imperative that we, as prevention educators, educate and support teachers in fulfilling their roles as mandated reporters.  In exploring the reasons teachers fail to report, we educate ourselves on what issues need to be addressed as we develop programs and choose target populations.  Directing students to see their teachers as a much-needed safety measure will potentially have long-term positive effects in their lives.  Helping teachers overcome their fears of reporting builds a community of caring, courageous, trusted adults for now and for future generations.  

Written by Eckie F, Education Specialist