I see the OP has deleted her account. This was interesting discussion. I wish her well.
It's a pity she did. I have so much more to say on this but don't have time today, so I'll just say this. The personal potion of genuine care, wisdom, and charisma that formulates the rock solid self possession you need to be a pro cuddler is the exact same formula a teacher needs, and contrary to how the system is behaving, it's pretty rare, and not inclined to stick around to be abused. Admin aside, the kids will call you out for ANYTHING just to see if they can make you squirm. If you flinch, ITS ON. Now they're all coming for you, and now you're defending yourself, and now instead of providing an inspiring education, you're scrutinizing yourself in the mirror Wondering if this lipstick is just a shade too pink worthy of scandal. And now your magic is gone.
I went back to private and non profit education setting if anyone is curious. They don't deserve me.
@biancalovecraft Which is why the Department of Education needs to be strengthened not eliminated IMO.
@bobadevotee Few things in education are as black and white as they seem. While there are sexual predators who would take advantage of kids, I have seen no empirical evidence that so-called “no touch” policies actually help kids stay safe. In fact their explicitly stated aim, more often than not, is to protect school districts from lawsuits.
In my opinion, (and I have studied the question), approaches like the one @justjennn alludes to can be effective in protecting kids. They do this by teaching them about consent and bodily autonomy, encouraging them to pay attention to their feelings, and empowering them to communicate when something feels off.
Former educator and child advocate, 🐒
@MonkeyNeedsAHug Thanks for chiming in. Always good to hear from someone in the field.
@donhulio: thank you for the article link. It reminded me that one of our professors "pressed" (I hope the translation is correct) her tits against our shoulders while passing behind us to check how we were drawing. We were 13-14 yo. Never heard about her anymore when out of that school. A search for her full name (if I remember it correctly) shows up the nickname of a showgirl and adding the subject leads to nothing. That's strange and needs further investigation...