ocare

Can teachers step in between students and their parents?

take a breakto doanotherevent, comeback andcontinue change shoes jump change shoes run blood onherhandsand arms.It haddried msmears.

She said,"Mylegs hurt."

Shesaid,"Ihavesrun splints."

TheteacherwaJJ,ed over to her.

"Mynosebleeds when I amundertoo muchpressure,"shesaid.

As al,vays happensin thesecases, the motlierthen turned to her daughter and said, "\X/hat doyouwant?You knowI alwaysjust wantyou to do what )'OU want to do."

Thegir.lreplied,in halting words,"I. I. want wa.ntco jump."

Theteacher looked onandsaid,"You don'thave to do this."

Thegirl looked at her mother who was staring at herdaughter.Themothersaid, "Shesaid she wants to jump. Good girl."

Theteacher looked aroundtothe otl1er teachersi.n thearea.Theylooked uncomfortable, and a couple of them turnedand looked away. The teacher looked at the girl. Looked attlie blood. Watched her limp to thehigh jump, sit on the ground tochangehershoes.

The teacher thought abouthow scared children will act to protect theirparents. Theteacher tl1ought about themother. \Xlondered whather own lifewas like.

Recalled a conversation a dayearlier with someod1er parents who kepttalJ;:ingin frontof theirsonabout how important "nextyear'sexam"is,despiteitbeing 16 montlisaway.

BYMOHAN DHALL

She ran in the openingrace. Shecame first.She jumped, initiallyqualifying without apparentlytrying. Shethrew, the javelin travelling almost perfectlystraight. Sheranagain.And again. Andagain.The 1500metres, 100m,200m 400111 threw again hoppingbet\veea events.Mum, shesaid, had made her run sinceshewast\VOyears old.

Theteacher watched as sheranthefirst race,noting herstrength and poise.The teachersaw her comeand go from thehigh jump,competingtherebetweenapacked schedule of events.Theystrucrured the highjumpcompetition inorder for herto change her shoes, markher run up,jump,

"i\lfybackhurts and tl1e doctors tellme thatI will needmyvertebrae fused if I keep doingthis."

Stillshecompeted.

Hermotlierhovered close,watching eacheventclosely.Whisperingwords with hand gesrures. Thegir.lnodded. Competed again. Steppeduptothrow thejavelin. Held it correctly, adjusting herhand just as she knew sheshould. She stepped forward and gave it her best. The javelin wobbled,lost theintended form and skimmed along tl1e surface.

Backco tl1estartline.Astaggered stare. Theteachersaw tliesecond lapof the800 metreraceas she swept pasttl1ehighjump venue.This ti.me though, shewas touching hernoserepeatedly.

\Xlipingherfingers onher shirt.Theteacherknewshe wasin trouble. At theend of this racetherewas

"Please, don't sayanytl1ingtomymumas 1 ,villcopitat homelater."

Shortlyafterwards hermother wasasking howrugh herdaughterwouldneedto jump inordercocomef:irst.Thegidhadmissed mostof thehigh jump roundson account of allof theotherevents shehad competed in. Nevertheless, the teacherhad heldher placeopento finish thecompetition.

However, seeingthedried blood, the teachersaid,"She probablyneeds arest." Themother'sbody stiffened forafight and she said,'1tisonlyonejump.Tell me- how high?Can youjust tellme what sheneeds to jump to win?"

The teacher replied, "Hernose hasbeen bleedingand she issore-I thinkshehas had enough."

Themotlierreplied, ''It's her decision. l neverpressure her."

The teacher recalled a 14-year-oldboyhe had metyearsearlier.The boyhad come back to schoolafter ninedays away.The student had said abouthisbruised eye, "Myfather tlirew atennisball tome-but I can.notcatch."His fatherbadin fact punched tliisboy'seye,fractncing his eye socket, ina drunken rage.Theteacher recal.led another teacherat the time saying, "What didyou do tomake himangry?"

The teacher thought about thestudent getting20% in3-unit matliematics because tl1e parents said, ''Maths matters"and pressure leads to success. The sn1dent's an_detyand self-harmdid notlookW,e pressmeleading to success.

Theteacherconsidered the issueof negligence and tliedutyof care. Whatrole wastl1e teachertoplay?Anactiveoneor a passiveone?

How farshould the teacher'sobservations beused to initiate action andcaJJthe parents co account?What was theroleof onlookers? Of teachers whoturned away? Of doctors who might fusedisks- when rest and recuperationcouldhelp?

Howshould it manifest- mis dutyto care?