Poverty, Abuse, Hunger and the Foster Care System

When I signed up for this job, I had no idea that I was diving head first into the equivalent of an urban school. Don't get me wrong, my high school is no South Side of Chicago, but poverty, abuse, hunger and foster care runs rampant. In Alaska, each resident gets a Permanent Dividend Fund (PFD) every year, which this year totaled $1,300. The sad part is, that many of the parents either blow the money earmarked for their child, or blow it on big screen TV's and sound systems, so for the month of October everyone is well fed and well dressed. Unfortunately, come November, when the funds have dried up, the kids are hungry and dirty all over again.

I don't want you to get the wrong picture, our school is by far one of the most diverse schools I have ever seen. We have a mix of high, middle and low income families, double and single parent families, families that are supported by the student and foster kids. It all makes for quite the teaching experience.

My biggest frustration so far is the social service system. I have students who openly talk about abuse. Twelve year-olds who have seen more foster families in their lives than I have had schools, and families with dozens of children, many from different fathers (and sometimes mothers) are abundant. It is hard to see children with such unstable home lives and even harder when the abuse is reported and nothing seems to get done. No 13 year-old should have to lock her bedroom door at night in fear of her father only to go home and be beaten by her step-father.

I know that this was a semi-hastily strewn post, but I think I know why I am here. A lot of these kids need a safe place to go where they can have shelter and dependable adults to rely on. Without the school systems, a lot of these students would be lost in the system.