I’m struggling to cope with extremely intense student behaviors at a high-needs elementary campus. After particularly hard days, I feel a level of anxiety that reminds me of what someone in an abusive relationship might experience, the kind where you’re on edge, waiting for something bad to happen for no clear reason.
On a near-daily basis, I’m dealing with being pushed, hit, having objects thrown at me, ignored, bitten, spit on, and cursed at. It’s taking a real toll on me emotionally and mentally.
I find myself questioning what it says about me that I continue in a job where I’m treated this way. If a friend told me they were experiencing this kind of abuse in a relationship, I would tell them to leave immediately. Yet here I am, trying to endure it.
Support from parents and administration has been minimal, and I feel like I’m being left to handle this on my own. I’m really struggling.