Hi everyone! In my Child and Adolescent Psychology class, I responded to a discussion board post on the issue of children experiencing homelessness. After reading this article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFNmEMLVh9v4STp5tCBePxSDzP2wD96QUC7G0 I wanted to share my thoughts with you. You may also comment on the issue if you'd like.
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Every child deserves a home. No matter what the circumstances are, children as well as adults need shelter, food and clothing (the basic human necessities) to survive in this world. I thought this article was very sad to read. Many of us are so fortunate to have homes and have never had experiences such as these that we look passed some of the major problems affecting the world, one of which being homelessness. It was disturbing for me to see 1 out of every 50 children is homeless. That is A LOT of children and as a soon to be teacher, I have to ponder what this means to their education.
"The report said homeless children are far more likely than other children to experience hunger, suffer chronic health problems, repeat a grade in school and drop out of high school." - Crary Children have so much potential and I believe every student is intelligent in his/her own unique way. To have them need to repeat a grade or see them dropping out of high school as a result of being or having been homeless, I feel, is a waste of talent and hinderance to their development. To try to conquer this problem in school, as a teacher, I can bring awareness to the issue of homelessness. I would explain to children that a home is where your heart is. It can be anywhere and it is important to stay postive and focused on the future because things can get better. As a school, I would suggest having monetary, food, and clothing fund raisers for homeless families. This would give them some comfort while they are in the shelters. I would propose the idea of a "career fair" at school where different employers would come and interview homeless parents for jobs, hopefully hiring some and enabling them to get back on their feet. Finally, I would have students do projects and papers on homelessness dealing with: what it is, statistics, how to help those in need and what can be done within our own communities.
Overall, I would be as optimistic with them as possible and keep them busy so they stay focused on their education. I think it's best to keep things as normal as possible, such as in a death, so students do not dwell on the issue. It would be one of my goals to have them hopefully realize being homeless is just one part of their lives. With self motivation and a different outlook on life, I would want them to know it can even help them become a better person. "Out of our greatest rejection comes our greatest direction." - Joel Osteen
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