Teaching

When teaching classes here, you really have to get in a different mindset. The tricks at home don´t work here like they should. You could try to reward the kids for good attendance, but most times it is not at all their fault that they are not attending the program regularly. You have to worry about possible embarrassment with rewards-- if they get frustrated and embarrassed that their schoolmates have more stickers or bracelets than them, they might stop coming all together.

The school provides food. This isn´t just a nicety- a lot of these kids probably are very hungry. When you think about why these kids aren´t prone to learn, you can´t just blame it on behavior. They might be hungry, they might be witnessing something at home we wouldn´t want them to, they might be lacking a good place to sleep at night and are tired.

I was playing with a five-year-old yesterday, and he couldn´t catch a big ball I was tossing to him from 3 feet away. Where would he have gained hand-eye coordination? He looks to have not showered in weeks, much less have a ball to play with at home. This kid in particular is quite bright. He is picking up the alphabet very quickly, but he is so painfully shy and reserved that the only words I´ve gotten out of him are his name and his asking for permission to go to the bathroom.

The saddest thing is that these are the kids whose parents actually care enough to send them to a program. I can´t even imagine life for those whose parents don´t even care, or see the reason for, even that much.