Searching For Hope

Sometimes I find myself riddled with sadness and frustration. I hate feeling like I'm unable to help others in a meaningful and lasting way. So many of my students live in terrible homes with parents or guardians who neglect them or abuse them. Many of the students come to school in filthy clothes, clothes that don't fit or have holes in them, and without having been fed properly. Some of them come to school exhausted because their parents don't have a bed for them to sleep in so they sleep on the floor. I make a lot of calls to social services and they are mostly just a waste of time. They rarely do anything to help if they do anything at all.

How can we expect children to be ready to learn when their basic needs are not met? We can't. That's the truth of it. So what, as educators, can we do? I have yet to find an answer to this question.

I want to help these kids, give them clothes, care, food, and all the things that little children should be getting from their parents, but I just don't make enough money to support multiple children. I've been considering creating a charity drive for children in need that attend our school. It would be so nice to just go and grab whatever a student needs...clean clothes, clothes that fit, a book bag, school supplies, or whatever. I haven't really figured out how to do this yet or if it would even be appropriate for me to do so.