Many societal issues affect the quality of children’s education in modern classrooms. Domestic violence is not just another problem supported by statistical data and vivid examples. It is a challenge that changes human lives and determines education in a variety of ways. In her article, Lloyd (2018) underlines that children’s well-being and healthy interpersonal relationships create positive learning environments. Domestic violence is a complex social concept that involves physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, and even financial damage (as cited in Lloyd, 2018).
Thus, its impact on children in a classroom is hard to predict, and teachers have to improve their awareness of this topic, identify a threat, and protect students. Although this article discusses domestic violence and education in the UK context, its findings can be properly implemented in any classroom across the globe to ensure teacher and school staff support and abuse prevention.
In most countries and families, children learn how to differentiate their responsibilities at home and school at an early age. However, there are many situations when it is hard for a student to neglect domestic problems in the classroom or disregard learning experiences at home. If parents are involved in their children’s breeding and education, they may easily recognize a change or help solve a problem. When a child is exposed to domestic violence, physical or emotional abuse, or family dysfunction, not many teachers are able to detect such challenges. Still, the impact of this societal issue on children is serious and varies, depending on the student’s age.
According to Lloyd (2018), its effects on young children aged 1-4 years include poor socialization, communication difficulties, and regressive behaviors in the classroom. In children aged 5-10, the outcomes of domestic violence are non-attendance, poor attention, guilt, and low self-esteem (Lloyd, 2018). When children get older, they demonstrate risk-taking behaviors in the classroom, disaffection with education, and depression (Lloyd, 2018). Students do not know how to cope with such changes and continue making wrong and harmful decisions.
Today, schools from different parts of the world, either the USA or the UK, aim at creating policies and programs to support children, offer equal environments, and discuss current and potential problems and social issues. In the chosen article, Lloyd (2018) focuses on the needs of those living in domestic violence and school engagement to facilitate classroom work. This information should help future educators and students understand that negative outcomes of violence can be solved if appropriate interventions are timely implemented. Sometimes, a child expects additional support or an individual to talk, clarify a situation, and find an answer.
In some cases, children do not comprehend that police or social services should deal with their problems. The impact of a wrong domestic environment on the child’s behavior is hard to predict or even recognize, and I want to know about its presence in the classroom and how to help.
In conclusion, Lloyd’s article contains a number of interesting facts about how domestic violence affects education and children’s behaviors in the classroom. Not many teachers are properly trained to make professional observations and analyze the impact of societal issues on students. As a result, domestic violence in the context of education remains under-investigated. Children are not ready to report their problems, and educators do not pay enough attention to emotional changes. I do not want to ignore this challenge anymore because once a child experiences difficulties in the classroom because of domestic violence, new adverse effects become a matter of time.
Reference
Lloyd, M. (2018). Domestic violence and education: Examining the impact of domestic violence on young children, children, and young people and the potential role of schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. Web.