| Tuesday, June 06, 2006 |
9:22 am
Yesterday one of my students was absent from school because he had a lot of bruises and scratches on his face that he didn't want people to see. Over the weekend the woman he calls his 'grandmother' attacked him, scratching and stamping on his face.
Before I knew any of this I already felt very protective of this particular student. I knew him when he was at elementary school. I go to four elementary schools and he came from one of the smallest, a fantastic wee school with a real family atmosphere. Now he's in junior high school, he has the challenge of making new friends and I feel like he's struggling. I'm guessing the reason for this is not just that he's shy but also that he is half Philippino. Now, I'm not saying that my students are racist but there is definately a divide. An unspoken difference that will always be there regardless of the fact that he was born in Japan, has a Japanese name and only speaks Japanese. The fact remains that his mother is Philippino and in rural Japan, this makes him stand out like a sore thumb. Herein lies a whole other subject for discussion that maybe I'll come back to another time but it is a huge part of the problems that this boy is facing.
His mother used to have what is referred to as 'night work'. As with most Philippino women in Japan, she worked as a hostess in a late night bar. The boy's father is Japanese but has another family now and so is out of the picture. Since then his mum has had another child by a different man. He is also with someone else now but the family now live with his mother, who adores her real grandchild but abuses the one who's not. How can this happen? I feel so emotional about this I hardly know what to say. I just can't understand how someone can be this evil to a child. To anyone for that matter, but a CHILD! This kid is twelve years old and the sweetest boy ever.
The school is doing everything they can but the mother doesn't want to get the police involved for fear of being deported. She can't move out because she currently has no income and the children don't want to move to the Philippines because this is their home. I wish there was some way I could rescue him. I feel so helpless. I'm sorry this post is so depressing but I needed to get it off my chest. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
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