Not all kids are lucky enough to have been born into a wealthy family. Some kids are less fortunate and are forced to struggle with their family burden while still trying to receive an education. It is important for school districts to recognize that children who suffer from poverty and homelessness have an extraordinarily difficult time with simple school tasks because so much is on their minds. Things such as hygiene, hunger, and shelter are preoccupying the mind of the student rather than their education. The topic for Critical Issue Education for this week was Poverty and Homeless. For our class, we had to read a few articles and watch the documentary, The Homestretch. While reviewing the material I noticed two themes that were reoccurring, blindness and supportiveness.
Blindness first appears in the classroom. School districts know that some families struggle with issues such as poverty. Even though this issue is widely known, it is not widely talked about. The topic of poverty and homelessness is sorta taboo. Some teachers have even gone on record to say that “I didn’t know that this is how my students are living,’”. It is wild to me to think that a teacher could be so blinded and not be able to notice if their student is suffering from poverty. Not only are teachers and schools blind-sighted by the issue of poverty but even my home town, New York City, contains a poverty issue that is not addressed enough. The title of the article that we read itself, “114,000 Students in N.Y.C. Are Homeless. These Two Let Us Into Their Lives”, just proves how bad the poverty issue is in New York City. Besides being so bad there is little to no help is done by the state. As a future educator, I find that this issue should no longer be blind-sighted and be treated immediately. I think a few ideas that could help schools with children in poverty is to make sure they always have free lunches. I can't even imagine how these students were able to attend online school during the pandemic quarantine.
On the bright side of this topic, another theme that I was constantly seeing, again and again, was how supportive each family member is to each other. No matter how difficult life may be sometimes the families within the articles and documentary are constantly supporting each other however they are able to. They make the best out of the situation and still try to strive. In the documentary, The Homestretch, the character Roque is an immigrant student who was separated from his parents due to immigration laws. His teacher, Maria, took him in so he could have shelter and food. Marai not only gave him that she also helped him with his schooling. SHe did not have to do all these things but instead, she did it out of the kindness of her heart. As a future teacher, it made me smile to see how much Marai cared for Roque and how big of a cheerleader she was to him. She truly supported and wanted to help Roque strive in his life.
A book that I feel is an important read for all teachers to fully understand the struggle children, who are homeless and suffer in poverty, go through is The Glass Castle. The Glass Castle is a 2005 memoir by author Jeannette Walls. This book recounts the unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing Jeannette and her siblings suffered because of the actions of their deeply dysfunctional parents. The whole book is about how the author, Jeannette, is constantly moving from house to house because of her parent's inability to keep a stable job. Her mom is a daydreamer who is unable to commute to one job because of her dream of becoming an artist. While on the other hand, her father is an alcoholic who is also a chain smoker. In the book, the author can clearly see Jeannette's family troubles that force her to grow up way too early to be able to survive. Although in the story both her parents do love her and her siblings they are just unfit parents. It is hard to know this book is not a fictional story Jeannette made up but one that she had to live through. Not only did she have to suffer throughout her childhood but so did thousands of other children around the world.
A song that I believe strokes the heartstrings on the topic of homelessness and poverty is The A Team by Ed Sheeran. The A Team is a very emotional song about a woman struggling with poverty and addiction. My eyes always tear when I hear this song. Lyrics in the song that really stood out to me was the quote “Ripped gloves, raincoat, tried to swim, stay afloat, Dry house, wet clothes, Loose change, banknotes
Weary-eyed, dry throat, Call girl, no phone”. These struggles like “ripped gloves” and “banknotes” are real problems. Ripped gloves meaning dirty old clothing people struggling with poverty are forced to wear as a last resort. While “banknote” refers to families having constant financial issues.
De Mare, A., Kelly, K., & Taber, K. (Producers), & De Mare, A., & Kelly, K. (Directors). (2014). The homestretch [Streaming video]. United States: Bullfrog Films.
Cliburn. E. (2019). Westran teachers, staff participate in poverty simulation. Moberly Monitor Index.
Shapiro, E (2019, November). 114,000 students in N.Y.C. are homeless. These two let us into their lives. New York Times
Song: Ed Sheeran- The A Team (2011) Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ
Photo:Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Hi Oliva,
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job reviewing the assignments and incorporating your own opinion on homeless and poverty within students. I noticed that we had similar views with students living in poverty. You noted that this topic is seen blindly to educators, that they do not realize how bad their students living conditions are. I too find that to be crazy! I understand how they might not realize the harsh extremes of it, but noticing the difference in hygiene, or lack of school work and performance can give educators clues that the student is suffering. I also like how you noted how welcoming some people are with students who suffer homelessness and poverty. In the video we see the teacher Maria take in one of her students who did not have a home. I like that you mentioned this in your blog because it truly shows how welcoming Maria was to his situation. Overall I loved reading your blog post and I thought you hit all the main parts!