Well, I changed my mind. This afternoon I was driving home and thinking about my students at school, and for whatever reason, I started thinking about how many (over half at both schools) are on free and reduced lunch. That led my thoughts to something I heard either on the radio recently—how there are more children than ever at the local homeless shelter. The woman who they interviewed said the average age of a person living in poverty is 7 years old and it is getting younger and younger. It may be the fact that I’m about to have my own child, or maybe just that I’m starting to pay attention to more of the community around me, but children living in poverty seems like a cause I’d like to learn more about and be more active about.
I see students come to school in shorts or thin coats in weather like we’re having this week. I know some of it can be neglectful parents, but what about those parents who can’t afford appropriate clothing? What if that were me with my new baby? This is something I really want to learn about.
I thought about this a lot when I taught in Elkhart. They may just be high school kids, but there somebody’s babies! Let me know what you learn and if you find a way we can help make a difference.
Comment by Kristin Baker — January 26, 2008 @ 1:19 am