Hi everyone! This week’s post is discussing poverty and homelessness amongst students, a significant issue we face today. This was a tough module for me to get through, over the last two years my family has taken in a homeless student. For the sake of his privacy for the remainder of this post I will refer to him as Adam. One of the themes from the Documentary Homestretch is that just because a person ends up in a bad situation does not mean they are a bad person. I find that rings true with Adam. He is the way he is in spite of his upbringing, if you met Adam two years ago you would have never known he was living out of his car. He attends Molloy and is on track to graduate early, while working two jobs. Living together I have gotten very close with Adam, he is a complete goofball. Music plays an important role in our lives, we go to concerts together, when we drive around town he's constantly singing whatever song is on the radio. If I had to pick one song to use to describe Adam and his situation it would be Kelly Clarkson’s song “Stronger (What doesn’t kill you)” not only because anytime it comes on he sings every part including the high notes but because the message is so true. As I said Adam is the way he is in spite of his upbringing, his family situation is very complicated but he survived and is stronger because of the hardship he had to endure. One of the other themes the documentary and articles share is the programs that were created to help homeless students. However, something the documentary touches on is that for a lot of those programs there is a significant amount of paperwork, which makes things very complicated.
We all know how much of a pain FAFSA is, and the struggle just to fill it out. Well for Adam he almost had to drop out of college because the FAFSA took into consideration his parents income and did not give him any aid. The amount of paperwork that we had to fill out for Adam to become an independent student, which means that his parents income will no longer be needed to fill out the FAFSA and instead his income will be used, was ridiculous. The process took forever. I would say it took no joke about six months of meetings, and phone calls, and emails to finally find someone who was willing to help him and figure out what the steps were to keep him enrolled in school. In Homestead one of the students was struggling to get an ID because the paperwork requires signatures from parents, what the paperwork does not take into consideration is what happens when that is not possible. What happens when a student is alone and their parents are not in the picture. Many programs are out of reach to homeless students due to the logistics of paperwork.
The process of becoming an independent student seriously affected Adam’s mental health. I personally believe that is one of the biggest issues faced by homeless students. In the Documentary Kasey’s mom almost missed her graduation, you could see in her face how that affected her. She was completely distraught before arguably one of the most important days of her life. She overcame adversity and was graduating. A book that reminds me of Kasey’s story is the children's book “The Tortoise and the Hair”. By all logical reasoning the Hair should have won the race however through perseverance the Tortoise won. Adam and Kasey overcame so many obstacles to complete what for many others was just a regular task. Personally I am hyperaware of the little things because of the last two years and because of Adam. I think as educators it is important for us to notice if a student is wearing the same clothes day after day, and maybe a student's mood has changed significantly. I know there are resources to help educators deal with the difficult situations faced by their students, and I think we need to be educated in those resources in order to help out our students.
Cai, J. (2020, July 27). Homeless Students in Public Schools Across America: Down but Not Out
. National School Boards Association. https://www.nsba.org/Perspectives/2021/homeless-students
De Mare, A., Kelly, K., & Taber, K. (Producers), & De Mare, A., & Kelly, K. (Directors). (2014). The homestretch [Streaming video]. United States: Bullfrog Films.
Mc-Kinney Vento Homeless Education. (2021). New York State Education Department. http://www.nysed.gov/essa/mckinney-vento-homeless-education
New York State Education Department. (2022, August 17). New York State Department of Education Awards $7.1 Million in Federal Grants to Programs Supporting Homeless Students. http://www.nysed.gov/news/2022/new-york-state-education-department-awards-71-million-federal-grants-programs-supporting
“Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) [Official Video].” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I&t=5s. Accessed 23 Oct. 2022.
Hi Emma,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog post and was touched by your personal experience. I think it is wonderful that your family took Adam in. When you mentioned some of the activities you and Adam do together it made me think of how important it is for people to understand that poor and homeless people are still human beings. They do regular things and enjoy hobbies such as track or singing. Often, people judge a book by its cover and many people assume homeless people must be drug addicts or alcoholics. Of course, substance abuse can play a role in homelessness and poverty, but it is not the sole cause. In the documentary, following the lives of Kasey, Anthony, and Roque we gain insight on the struggles of homeless students. Ms. Rivera helps Roque get the proper matriculate card. Also, you wrote about Adam's struggle with FAFSA. It can be very hard for homeless students to have the proper paperwork to receive financial or educational help. This is a critical issue education faces. Similarly, other topics we discussed about racism, bullying, gender diversity, and mental health, students who are impoverished or homeless are at a disadvantage. We want all students to be provided the same educational opportunity regardless of their home life. In order to do this, we must address what issues homeless and poor students may face.
Hi Emma, what an inspiring story! You don't hear often about families doing what yours did. It sounds like this week's assignment really resonated with you. Reading about how you and Adam bonded over a love a music was really heartwarming. It's really important to understand someone's situation before judging them, unlike FAFSA did. Every student deserves a fair chance at receiving the necessary help. This is an issue that has become more and more prevalent in our society, and change needs to occur. Thank you so much for sharing you and your families experience with this, and I wish Adam continued success in all of his endeavors!
ReplyDelete