They are concerned about these children, about their health, safety, and happiness. Educators are aware that they themselves are models and examples for the children they teach, and that they are the only readily available source of support, concern, and caring for many children. Educators want to do what is best for the children in their care because their professional standards require it. They teach responsibility and respect for the democratic ideals of equal protection under the law and duty to uphold the law. When it comes to abused and neglected children, educators are obligated to practice what they teach.
Ethics require their involvement in child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment.
Personal Commitment For many educators, professional responsibility and respect for the law are supported by a deep personal commitment to the welfare of children. The value of this personal commitment must not be underestimated for without it, child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment efforts can be no more than superficial academic exercises. It is this sense of personal responsibility to and for children that is perhaps the strongest reason for educators to become involved in the struggle against child abuse and neglect. Survivors The helping professions, including education, sometimes attract those who would like to make the childhoods of others better than their own. Some educators were victims of abuses in their own families and these abuses may have left residual scars.