Intense situation with a student

[jaypo]

So my C.I. approached me yesterday and informed me about a serious situation with a student. We have a student that is 12 years old and very big for his age. He has been abused physically and mentally since he was young. His grandmother takes care of him because his mother is a meth head. The mother steals from the grandmother, is abused by her boyfriend, and abuses her children. She's a very big woman, probably about 350lbs. So she comes home yesterday without notice (she has warrants out for her, so she moves around constantly), and when our student asked her why she didn't love her kids, the woman begins beating the student. He took a few hits to his face, but then he used a face block and reverse punch and hit her. She then picked up a TV tray and threw it at him and also hit him with a boat paddle. After meeting with his social worker, the social worker suggested that he be removed from martial arts because he hit his mother!

My initial response was to tell the social worker to jump in any time to stop the abuse himself rather than removing my student from the only family he has. But I wonder what everyone thinks about this. Was he wrong for hitting her, or was he justified from protecting himself from a violent person abusing him while dangerously high on Meth??

[The Pred]

So my C.I. approached me yesterday and informed me about a serious situation with a student. We have a student that is 12 years old and very big for his age. He has been abused physically and mentally since he was young. His grandmother takes care of him because his mother is a meth head. The mother steals from the grandmother, is abused by her boyfriend, and abuses her children. She's a very big woman, probably about 350lbs. So she comes home yesterday without notice (she has warrants out for her, so she moves around constantly), and when our student asked her why she didn't love her kids, the woman begins beating the student. He took a few hits to his face, but then he used a face block and reverse punch and hit her. She then picked up a TV tray and threw it at him and also hit him with a boat paddle. After meeting with his social worker, the social worker suggested that he be removed from martial arts because he hit his mother!

My initial response was to tell the social worker to jump in any time to stop the abuse himself rather than removing my student from the only family he has. But I wonder what everyone thinks about this. Was he wrong for hitting her, or was he justified from protecting himself from a violent person abusing him while dangerously high on Meth??

Just because one gives births or contributes in making a child. Does not make one a parent. That said he was totally justified.

[sensei8]

Just because one's a human being, it doesn't mean that they know how to act like a human being. The child was defending himself....good for the child. As far as the rest, I'd inform the appropriate authorities, and that's all I can really do.

[DWx]

Sounds like the social worker is ill informed about martial arts. I guess they don't have any actual powers to stop him from training? If you think it's worth it, perhaps a good opportunity to educate them on the subject and invite them to join our watch a lesson and see the positive sides. Or send her one of the thousands of articles discussing the benefits of training in children.

[JR 137]

The truth is these things are far more complicated than what we know. None of us (nor the social worker) were there to be able to say if the child was or wasn't justified in what he did.

The way it's put forward here, he seems justified in what he did and the social worker seems like a moron.

Common sense (to us as MAists) would say taking away MA is the last thing that should be done, for the reasons given and then some. But I too frequently ask why it's called common sense when it's not very common?

I'd tell the social worker where to go and what to do. But I'd also ask myself what the social worker knows about the situation that I don't know. The best thing you can do is state your case as to why the student needs MA in his life. There are plenty of answers.