Without doubt, teachers are the best thing to happen to most of us. They are generally caring and nice. But then every now and then, there are always those particular spoilt eggs that simply just spoil the rest and make a mess. If you are currently a student or have been a student, you will very well understand what I am talking about. Across various Nigerian secondary schools [both public and private], teenagers are being emotionally abused by teachers. Such experiences can be so bad they lead to really bad consequences.
Of course virtually every abusive teacher hides under the guise of instilling knowledge and good character. They forget that there is huge difference between impacting knowledge/morals and simply being wicked. As a matter of fact, most abusive teachers are naturally wicked. And the really sad thing is that there are hardly any regulations in place to checkmate such teachers. Little wonder these [few] bad teachers continue to demean and undermine the confidence of teenagers on a daily basis. They harass and intimidate, using the following tactics:
- Swearing
- Yelling insults
- Making derogatory statements
- Berating
- Ignoring
- Shunning
- Raging or even physically assaulting teenagers.
As can be expected, all of these can have varying degrees of both physical and [mostly] psychological effects on teenagers. For example, constant abuse by a teacher may lead a student into suffering from anxiety, depression, panic attacks and the development of low esteem issues. And in the long run, all these may culminate into complicated health issues.
Sadly, most students who are bullied by their teachers usually tend not to report the incidents. This is due mainly to the overbearing level of influence such teachers have over the teenagers involved. But here is to every teenager who has ever been abused by their teacher- do not let your fear subject you to untold suffering! If per chance any one of you has abusive teachers, never hesitate to report him or her first to your parents, and then to any teacher you can trust. But I must warn everyone that due to the sensitive nature of such accusations, it is always needful to ensure that a supposedly abusive teacher is indeed “abusive” before making any accusations. This I say because it often can be easy to misunderstand discipline for abuse.
In any case, the difference between these things is clear. So ensure to act smart and be safe.
Best
