Small Can Be Mighty-Volunteering for Children (Persuasive revised)

Go to any high school activities director and you will get a list of ways students can volunteer as a part of a club or special school event.  Go to a church and ask the youth group leader what their teens do to volunteer in the area, and he will give you a list as long as his arm.  During the summer teens can find organizations all over their cities and towns in which to volunteer, from soup kitchens to the local zoo.  These are all wonderful things, but what about younger children? 

As an elementary school teacher, I’ve seen first hand how eager children are to be helpful.  They volunteer to pass out papers, hold doors open, carry library books, even wipe tables in the cafeteria.  They’ll do anything that can set them apart as special because they helped.  There are no shortages of job seekers.  Unfortunately, as these kids get older, this attitude often changes into “what’s in it for me?”  In middle school students will volunteer if they get out of class or some other special privilege, but many won’t bother otherwise.  By the time these students reach high school age and the opportunities to volunteer in and outside school are plentiful, they are no longer interested.  Younger children need to be given more opportunities to help others and volunteer, so that as they grow they will continue in this way as high school students and adults.               

Many children live in a very small world—mainly their family home and school.  In order to teach them about the importance of volunteering, they must be introduced to a larger world outside of their own.  Elementary schools can have a big influence in this area.  All too often, though, children are only encouraged to “volunteer” to fundraise for the school itself.  While many of these fundraisers provide things such as library books and gym equipment, schools should take the time to include events in their calendars that help a larger community.  An excellent example of this is the Empty Bowls project. 

Empty Bowls is an event where students make and decorate ceramic bowls as part of school art projects.  The school then puts on a soup and bread meal for parents and local citizens.  Empty Bowls suggests a donation of $10 per meal.  The people coming to the meal select a bowl to eat out of, and then take the bowl with them as a reminder of the event.  Students not only create the bowls, but then volunteer at the meal helping to serve the food.  In addition, Empty Bowls encourages whoever puts on one of their events to include hunger education as part of the event.  This is an excellent opportunity for teachers to expand the world of their students.  The school can designate which hunger organization will receive their proceeds, be it a local food bank or somewhere on the other side of the globe.  The happy little helpers of elementary age find their world expanded and can learn the value of helping someone they don’t even know.               

Children should be shown that small things can make a difference. A child can draw a picture or make cookies for nursing home patients.  He can pick a toy and donate it to Toys for Tots.  Parents and other relatives can initiate these things at a  low cost while teaching their youngsters the benefits of helping people—one person at a time.  A child feels the joy of gratitude just as an adult does.  To be able to see someone face to face that they have helped will cause many children to want to see the happiness they’ve brought to someone again.         

Finally, a child must be shown she makes a difference—as a child and as an individual.  An excellent example of this is ten year old Arkansas native Emily Bullington.  Emily attended her church with her mother and heard missionaries speak about hungry people in Africa.  She was so moved that she told her mother how she felt about it and decided to start a lemonade stand to raise money for African people.  What started as an effort by one little girl has blown into over $8000 of money raised.  She and her stand have been welcomed in places all over the state, including Little Rock.  Her “pie in the sky” goal is $360,000 to build an orphanage in Kenya, and as her success grows, it is becoming more of a reality.           

All of these efforts take the help of adults: teachers, parents, relatives, community leaders and volunteers.  But consider the harvest that could be sown if we all participate.  We will reap a generation of helpers, leaders, friends and neighbors who will learn earlier than some of us did how much better they can make the world.  I’m willing to invest in that future—are you?

Driving with a Cell phone (Letter to the Editor)

I will be the first person to praise the convenience of a cell phone.  I like being able to carry it with me wherever I go, having it available in emergency situations, and still have the control to turn it off when I don’t want to be available.  (I may be the last person in America who can do this, though.)  The one place I don’t like using it, however, is while I’m driving.  It makes me nervous to see how many people on the road, especially highways, are talking away as they dodge in and out of traffic.  In most states it is illegal to drive with headphones on, so why should it be all right to talk on a phone?         

 Many other countries have made it illegal to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and China.  I think the United States needs to follow suit.  There are enough distractions on the road without adding a phone conversation.  Pass the phone to a passenger or have the patience to wait for your next stop.  If not, you or someone else may be using that phone to call 911.

Dress rehearsals approaching- wrap continued

It’s March 1^st.  That means my first spring program is in 11 days.  We had another delay last Tuesday, but I was able to get to see the kids I see that morning on Friday—their classroom teacher was all about extra prep time.  This is the class I think I mentioned before that just didn’t want to do anything because they were “too cool.”  I had a combo class with them and another fifth grade that does a really good job consistently.  For once, I think the “good” rubbed off on the “bad.”  The good class was loud and enthusiastic, and after about ten minutes, the other class started performing better as well.

                I actually had combo classes all day—I saw 3 sets of two classes together for an hour each.  This helps the kids hear what songs sound like with a bigger group.  (I get to hear it, too, which helps me breathe a little easier.)  I was able to get the kids in a good arrangement—tall kids in the back, short in the front and to tell them what to expect at our dress rehearsal—a practice with everyone—next week. 

                I have several dress rehearsals under my belt, and think I now run them pretty smoothly.  I have the kids together in the gym (or wherever the performance area is) for about two hours.  I ask their classroom teachers to stay in groups of two for half hour shifts for monitoring.  All the teachers I’ve worked with have always been fine with this because, even with the half hour shift, they still get a longer prep time than normal.  I always try to have double-up class practices beforehand to get the kids in their performance positions.  Then when I have 100 kids in the gym as opposed to 40 in my classroom, they already know where they are supposed to arrange themselves.  I tried doing this arranging at my first few dress rehearsals as a new teacher, and sometimes it would take up to 45 minutes of the practice—what a waste of time! 

                I’m sending a second note home this coming week also, just to remind parents about the program.  It will be the exact same note I sent home initially.  It tells the parents when the kids have to be there and what to wear.  I’m really big on not making kids buy special clothes for a program, seeing that a lot of my kids come from low income families.   In this program they are supposed to wear jeans, tennis shoes and shirts that are a bright color.  My only stipulations are 1) no holes in the pants, and 2) the students must be able to lift their arms completely over their heads without their stomachs showing.   This time I laughingly told them, “Hey, you don’t want to see MY pregnant tummy sticking out, so I don’t want to see yours either!” 

                Things are coming together better than I hoped, but I’ll still be glad when it’s over….

Feeding Children in the Summer – final draft explanation

Many people are familiar with free and reduced lunch programs in public schools.  Some public schools also offer breakfast for students, so students are able to receive ten meals a week for little or no cost.  But what happens to these students in the summer?  Many families are faced with high food bills that they have difficulty paying.  That is why the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is available all over the United States.  Through this program children eighteen and under can continue to receive breakfast and lunch during the summer at no cost to their families.  

          The SFSP is handled by the US Department of Agriculture, under the Federal Food and Nutrition Service, but most states run their own SFSP through educational agencies.  One can easily find sites that serve summer meals in the local area at the Indiana Department of Education’s website.  Most SFSPs are combined with a summer activity program like summer school or day camps.  These are called enrolled sites.  Only children who are participating in activities at these sites can receive meals.  There are also open sites, which are set up in low income communities and open to area children based on census information.  Any child from the area may receive meals at an open site.  Finally, there are sites for children of migrant workers; these sites can serve up to three meals a day instead of the typical two.  Sites can be in schools, parks, churches, camps, housing projects, even Indian reservations.

There are many ways to get involved in SFSPs.  One way is to become a sponsor.  Public and private nonprofit schools, organizations, camps, universities and colleges are all eligible to become sponsors, as well as units of government from local to state level.  Sponsors attend state training, locate possible sites for meal distribution, hire staff, arrange for how meals are made available and prepare claims for reimbursement.  A second way to become involved is to run a site.  Running a site is more hands on than sponsoring—these people supervise meals as they are given out, keep daily records of meals served and handle food storage and site sanitation.  For people and organizations that do not have the facilities or financial ability to be sponsors, volunteering is always welcome.  Volunteers that facilitate camps or other activities are just as important as those who prepare the meals the participants eat. 

Unfortunately, only 15 % of students who receive meals during the school year participate in SFSPs.  This is due to two main factors: lack of information (the parents are not aware of the program) and the amount of paperwork, i.e. “hoops” sponsors must jump through to open and maintain a site.  Fortunately, in the last two years the programs have been officially simplified—limiting a great deal of the paperwork sponsors must complete.  In 2006, The Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, designated the week of June 4 -10, as Summer Food Service Week, to raise awareness of the program and to promote the opening of more sites. 

Summer Food Service Programs are beneficial for parents with low incomes who come to depend on the free meals their children receive throughout the school year.  The programs help organizations like day camps and summer schools provide meals to add to their programs.  They also provide a place for children to go in their own communities that are safe, and where they will have quality summer activities.  With many sites all over the country, children can continue being nourished through the summer as they have been during the school year, and with the many opportunities in these programs, adults and organizations can easily become part of the process. 

Summer Food Service Programs (Explanation Piece)

            Many people are familiar with free and reduced lunch programs in public schools.  Some public schools also offer breakfast for students, so students are able to receive ten meals a week for little or no cost.  But what happens to these students in the summer?  Many families are faced with high food bills that they have difficulty paying.  That is why the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is available all over the United States.  Children eighteen and under can continue to receive breakfast and lunch during the summer at no cost to their families. 

          Most SFSPs are combined with a summer activity program like summer school or day camps.  These are called enrolled sites.  Children can also receive meals at open sites, which are set up in low income communities and open to area children based on census information.  Finally, there are sites for children of migrant workers; these sites can serve up to three meals a day instead of the typical two.  Sites can be in schools, parks, churches, camps, housing projects, even Indian reservations.

The SFSP is handled by the US Department of Agriculture, under the Federal Food and Nutrition Service, but most states run their own SFSP through educational agencies.  I was able to find sites that serve summer meals in my area at the Indiana Department of Education’s website.  I found that both Monger and Woodland Schools of Elkhart, where I teach, are open sites based on school data.

There are many ways to get involved in SFSPs.  One way is to become a sponsor.  Public and private nonprofit schools, organizations, camps, universities and colleges are all eligible to become sponsors, as well has units of government from local to State level.  Sponsors attend state training, locate possible sites for meal distribution, hire staff, arrange for how meals are made available and prepare claims for reimbursement.  A second way to become involved is to run a site.  Running a site is more hands on than the sponsor—these people supervise meals as they are distributed, are responsible for keeping daily records of meals served, food storage and site sanitation.  For people and organizations that do not have the facilities or financial ability to be sponsors, volunteering is always welcome.  Volunteers that facilitate camps or other activities are just as important as those who prepare the meals the participants eat. 

 Summer Food Service Programs are beneficial for parents with low incomes who come to depend on the free meals their children receive throughout the school year.  These children receive nutritious meals that help them stay strong and make them prepared for the upcoming school year.  The programs help organizations like day camps and summer schools provide meals to add to their programs.  They also provide a place for children to go in their own communities that are safe, where they will have quality summer activities.  With many sites all over the country, children can continue being nourished through the summer as they have been during the school year, and with the many opportunities in these programs, adults and organizations can easily become part of the process. 

summer feeding programs?

I mentioned on a previous blog about snow days how it occurred to me that there are parents out there who, on those surprise days their kids are home, suddenly have to provide meals for those children, and if some of them don’t get to eat anything because of it.  As I have continued to read feeds and blogs, this led me to consider these children during the summer months.  One article I read just mentioned that “In the summer, only 7 percent of kids eligible for summer feeding programs participate in them-leaving millions of schoolchildren to look elsewhere for food.”  I didn’t even know there were summer feeding programs available, and I wonder how many parents don’t either. 

            I read a separate Vermont article that was about families having to choose between heat or food in the winter, but it also mentioned summer food difficulties, saying

“food insecurity numbers go up in summer, when children who qualify for federally subsidized free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches lose access to those meals.  Low-income families have to provide 10 additional meals per week for each of their school-age children in the summer.  For a family of four, calculating the cost at the federal reimbursement rate of $4 per child per day, the extra food balloons the budget by $160 a month.”              Boy, to me and my little husband/wife budget, that’s a lot of money.   

            I’m going to look more deeply into these summer feeding programs, and see where they exist.  We’ll see what I can find…

Kids helping kids — good news!

Kids helping kids—this a good news!  I read two articles today about kids helping kids in poverty.  The first one came out of Boston: the Greater Boston Food Bank has been constantly asked to allow children to help by donating their time and effort, but because of the often heavy lifting of food and supplies that volunteers have to be able to do, the age cut off for volunteers has been 16.  Now the Food Bank has organized the Kids Who Care Program for children ages 10 to 15.  These kids, along with family members can pack 12-15 lb. brown bags full of food.  This will add 5,000 lbs. of food to the 30 million lbs. already distributed by the food bank.  The new program starts Feb. 20 and 21, when Boston public school kids are off on a vacation and will be able to help. 

The second article wrote about kids in the Northville school district in Wayne, Michigan.  Bi-monthly, students from the district go to a local Presbyterian Church to participate in a hunger packaging drive.  It is part of the Kids Against Hunger Great Lakes Coalition.  The kids measure out food for hungry people overseas.  (They also get out of class and get to have pizza when their done, but why not reward them for doing something good?)   

Both articles mentioned the organization Kids Against Hunger.  I think I’m going to find more on this subject than I thought.   When I started looking at this child poverty/hunger issue, it seemed insurmountable.  I like that, the further I dig the more I can find of people making a difference, especially kids.  It makes me realize I can make a difference, too. 

Marriage

I read an editorial today that came up in one of my feeds from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, titled “Marriage could be a tool against child poverty.”  The author, Patrick McIlheran makes a pretty good case to say that there are more single parent families that are below the poverty line than families with an intact marriage.  There are organizations at work in Milwaukee like the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative, the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and the YMCA are all working together to promote marriage and help support marriages that already exist. 

“We have to make the case for people to reconsider marriage, says [one case worker]: ‘There’s too much out there saying why you shouldn’t marry.’ Given how marriage seems to protect everyone involved, society needs to crow its advantages, over and over.”

 The author isn’t saying that marriage solves every poverty question, but he is saying it’s something that’s worth investing time in that won’t take a federal grant to do. 

He ends by writing this: “ 

“Marriage, no matter how dented, remains the institution that societies have used for ages to create a stable, protected space for children. The underclass stands out, statistically, in eschewing it. If society’s looking for some means to break the cycle of poverty, it makes sense to take up the tool readily at hand.”

 We have a lot of views in our class that are all across the board.  I’d be really interested in hearing what you all have to say about this.

Skip a meal

I went to Taylor University, a private Christian college, and every few months or so there would be a sign up sheet for “Skip a Meal.”  You would sign your name and your dining commons code number on a clip board, and then on the designated night you’d skip that meal and the money usually paid for that meal went toward some hunger organization.  You were supposed to go hungry for the night and be able to sympathize with people who didn’t have much to eat.  If you were “caught” eating in the commons during a skip a meal dinner (and people did walk through the dining commons to get to and from other buildings) you were given “the look” by the longsufferers who had sacrificed their meal.

This whole exercise was hypocritical.  Most of us would sign up and then go out somewhere and have fast food.  I remember being in a gen. ed. class where we were working on a group project, and my group consisted of a elementary ed major, me, and two football players.  We were going to meet about our project at dinner, and then I said, “Oh wait, tonight’s Skip a Meal.”  There was a pause, and one of the football players mumbled, “I hate skip a meal.”  I have to admit, I laughed, because he was simply voicing what we all thought.

Yes, now I’m older and SO much wiser (ha ha) and realize we were all doing a good thing, best intentions or not.  But I think this goes along with my previous post about my pastor, Rob, telling our congregation to find the “thing” that excites you, and give to that 100%.  Don’t get guilted into spreading yourself so thin doing 15 things that none of them really get any good help.  Find your own thing to endorse and help.  The students at Taylor who organized Skip a Meal had found their thing, and since the rest of us hadn’t yet, we got dragged along for the ride. 

I think being a good public citizen is as much about saying, “No, I can’t do that” as it is about saying, “Yes.”

Organized Religion (A can of worms?)

“The responsibility of intellectuals includes also the recognition that we cannot live above or apart from our own time and what it imposes on us…” –Cynthia Ozick

Isn’t that the truth? One of the things that hit me about all the articles we read for class had to do with how newspapers declared themselves experts –you will listen to what we say because we are the authority. The newspapers who aren’t doing this are slowly but surely folding up and being swallowed by the internet and the blogosphere.

This may be a rabbit trail, but I read that sentence above and immediately thought of organized religion. I do NOT mean a belief in God—I am a Christian and have an active relationship with Jesus Christ. I attend Granger Community Church. When I speak of organized religion, I mean traditions, rules, regulations and the guilt that can be hammered onto people who try to find faith and a relationship with God. There are so many churches out there who are stuck in the 1950s, from the building to how the services are run, how you must dress when you attend, and how you behave in church. I think these church groups are living “apart from our own time” and that is why their effectiveness is waning.

The church I attend is often called “cutting edge.” They play loud rock music, people come in with snacks, dressed any way they are comfortable, there is special effect lighting, dramas, videos produced by people at the church. A lot of “old school” churches are very critical of GCC, and shake their heads at the thousands who attend each weekend. They say it doesn’t count as “real” church. They say we aren’t “real Christians.” Yes, we do all this special effect stuff, but we also have a community center downtown that is clean, well stocked with food and volunteers, and comfortable for anyone who wants to come in. We give truckloads of food to homeless shelters and needy families every December. We have church ministries in India that are teaching Indian pastors to be self-sustaining, so they won’t have to be dependent on us forever and can have independence in their churches. Every week our pastors teach about loving God and loving each other, and how to make real friendships–to find hope and forgiveness in this life. These are all things that were taught by Jesus, but we just present them in a “cutting edge” way. Is it no surprise, then, that thousands come to our church?

Many people in organized religion—Christian or otherwise—are so quick to close their doors to anything new and different, that they are closing themselves off to the world—a world they could be a part of and do some good in. Their numbers are dwindling.

This is what is going to happen to the newspapers or any other organization that isn’t willing to jump on the technological bandwagon.

I hope that made sense.