Goings On

Hey everyone, today I want to tell you a little about the kinds of stuff these kids face everyday. Today we had two different groups come in and talk to our kids and parents about touching. I know that I had that talk as an elementary student and learned all about good and bad touch but it was left at that. The communities I have lived in so far have been very supportive and I felt safe. Here that is a complete 180 degree difference. When I heard there would be people coming in to talk about abuse I thought it would be mostly for the younger kids but it was definitely an all age type of deal which just makes me sad. Before I go any further here are some statistics on child abuse in Alaska.

-For every 1,000 children in Alaska, 42.2 were victims of abuse. That means that every year, approximately 8,000 children in Alaska are physically or sexually abused. This only represents reported cases that result in substantiation or indication of abuse. Numbers of unreported cases may be much higher (This number is definitely higher just because of the cases I know here in the village that are go unreported or where the abuser is PROTECTED by the community)

-According to the Child Welfare League of America, Alaska consistently has one of top 5 rates of child abuse in the United States

-Children in Alaska are sexually abused at 6 TIMES the U.S. national average. 


The trooper that serves our area begins to tell girls at age 4 to put something in front of their door at night to keep people out. The horror stories you hear of child abuse happening in the lower 48 and thankfully seem very rare are common occurrences here. The stories I have heard and read about lately are definitely the kind that keep you up at night. 

So for this short post I just ask that while you are praying for me and the other teachers up here you keep these kids in mind as well. There are lots of places to go read about this (because I know this is what most of you want as some light reading) but if nothing else just reading this post helps you realize the mindset of the kids when they come to school. While they have been told they can trust adults that is not always shown and while they know school is really a safe place they also realize it is a safe place where they can let go of some of that anger.

We are definitely getting into better routines here at school and it has actually gone really well all things considered lately. That doesn't mean it hasn't been a 5 ring circus at times but we are getting there. They are starting to trust us and that is really helping a whole lot! So please keep us in your prayers, I know I/We cant fix everything but even fixing a little goes a long way. 

Thanks everyone!