Our Kids

Also on Monday, my last day of teaching PK-5th grade science lab I was informed that one of my students has been getting abused at home. She has always been rather quiet and kept to herself, but only seeing her for 45 minutes a day, I wasn't really able to put a finger on what was wrong.

Her homeroom teacher told me the news. The little girls' mother had previously physically abused her and she had been taken to live with her grandparents. I guess the mother was now living with the grandparents and was again starting to abuse the little girl. The homeroom teacher told me so I would be able to keep an eye on the fragile first grader to make sure nothing bad was happening to her at home.

The girl already had some strange marks on her body, but the school was not able to pin point that those marks came from her mother.

It is so sad to think that this is actually going on. I know that this little girl is not the only student having to deal with issues like this at home either. Everyday my mind it plagued with the thoughts that some of my students may be getting physically or mentally abused at home. They most of my kids have a rough enough life already and the thought of having to deal with something like this makes me sick to my stomach.

As I get to know my students and their stories I am more motivated to make a difference.

The other day I was explaining to someone about what I currently do for a living and they looked at me and said that I was brave for working with those kids.

The person I was having a conversation with did not mean any harm by the statement. I was actually at a charity fundraiser they had organized when the conversation took place so I know they have a good heart, but the comment was still very telling of our society.

I feel it is statements like these that allow many of the problems my students face to exist. Instead of tackling issues head on, and working to make things better, we quickly turn to labels like those kids. These label allow us to separate ourselves from the issue and instead of acting, look at the situation with pity.

Instead, we should think of these students and children in our country as Our Kids and begin to take responsibility for the future generations we are developing.

In reality these students are our kids, in my mind they are my kids. I am very attached and I feel that I am very accountable for their successes and failures. I work hard everyday, not for those kids, but instead for our kids and our future.