So I have a student who is 15 and pregnant. Today I caught her browsing for baby items instead of doing the work she was assigned. So I went over to her and quietly said, that I understood that she was preoccupied, but she needed to get to work on what the assignment was. She then started going on and on about how expensive babies are. So I sat there and listened and was of course empathetic, but really I just wanted to scream at her 2 things: 1. Condoms are way cheaper than babies and 2. Clearly you are not in any position to parent this child.
I realize that how I react to these situations is very different now after everything, but I just need advice on how to deal with it, because I may lose my shiit on her soon.
Re: I need advice on how to handle this
Ugh. I think I would do my best to just keep the relationship purely academic and keep redirecting her back to work...maybe try to connect her with a counselor in the school, but try not to involve myself too much.
I am usually the first person to jump on the building relationship part of teaching...I don't think you can be nearly as effective if you don't establish a respectful and welcoming relationship with students....but in this case, I would be more concerned with protecting myself and my own wellbeing...and if I am not careful, I could be sucked into this relationship which would make me struggle with feeling upset and leave me less available for other students.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but I just know that if I let myself get involved there is only a small chance that I will make a difference for the girl, but there is a nearly 100% chance that I will get myself hurt.
BFP 5/2/11, missed m/c, D&C 6/13/11
BFP 12/8/11--Little Girl E Born 8/22/12
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