Investing in our Children

As a high school English teacher, I sometimes become so focused on teaching writing or getting my students to understand a Frost poem that I forget that there are 100 students or so that pass through my classroom, each with their own unique set of skills and challenges. I don’t do this because I lack empathy, but sometimes the sheer amount of needs that I am presented with is overwhelming. Pair this with a lack of resources and a not-so-subtle socio-cultural war on public schools, I often feel powerless.

Last school year I had a student who reminded me not only of my own limitations within the system, but of the unequal access to resources and opportunities that is a blight upon our country. I teach College Prep and Honors English at a virtual school, and I have a fairly diverse group of students. There is, however, one commonality among all of my students: they want to do well. Their reasons why vary, but they all have bought into the idea that academic success is a vital component to a brighter future. When you don’t have to cajole your students into caring or even believing in themselves enough to envision any future, your job is much easier.

But then there was Letisha. Ambitious, intelligent and articulate, she at first didn’t seem different from any of my other students. She did all of her work, and she did it well. So, I was quite surprised when she started failing the course. She had expressed to me her love of science and a desire to go into the medical field, so why would she stop working so suddenly? I called her to find out. I was saddened to learn that she and her mother were evicted from their apartment and had become homeless. Her mom had serious health issues and her family had fallen into the cycle of poverty. Letisha had to help care for her mother and navigate life in a shelter, and all of her hopes and dreams were set aside so she could deal with daily survival. The two were embarrassed about their situation and internalized their circumstances as some sort of personal flaw. Letisha tried to remain upbeat and told me that she would catch up in the course and apologized profusely for her lack of work. I was struck with the stark contrast between many of my other students and her. While some of my students have their own laptops, tutors, European vacations and are worried about their next ballet recital, Letisha didn’t even have a place to do her school-work. The shelter had spotty Wi-Fi access. She lacked proper clothes and toiletries. What could I do to ameliorate the situation?

I really wish I could say that I helped her, but I am haunted by my own ineffectuality. I sent her a care package, for which she was grateful. I excluded her from assignments. I told her she could have as much time as she needed. I offered her extra academic help. I contacted her guidance counselor. I put her family in touch with people who said they could help. But, none of it was enough. She did not pass my class, and as of today, is still living in a homeless shelter. I am worried that she now has given up on going to college.

What could I have done differently? How can teachers help their students who live in poverty and unstable environments? How can educators fight a system that allows students like Letisha to fail? None of these problems have easy remedies, because the problem of deep socio-economic inequality cannot be solved by educators alone. We live and breathe the inequality every day. We complain about it and try to fix problems that it invariably causes, but every solution is a mere Band-Aid. I am convinced that only significant societal change will help students like Letisha—and there are a lot of them out there. We spend a lot of time jabbering about how children are the future and such platitudes, but that means nothing if we don’t invest vision, time and money into our children, particularly our children who live in poverty and for reasons out of their control, have limited opportunities. Our future as a civilized country depends upon it.

Nicole Jacobson, TOLF Volunteer Social Media Coordinator