Student Predicament: School by Day, Homeless by Night

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Running head: STUDENT PREDICAMENT: SCHOOL BY DAY, HOMELESS BY NIGHT 1

Student Predicament: School by Day, Homeless by Night

Jera Jackson

Professor Lori Rogers

ENG210

2 December 2011



STUDENT PREDICAMENT 2

Abstract

Using research from the U.S. Department of Education, I was able to better understand what

classifies a person as homeless. Applying this knowledge, I combined illustrations by V. Dill, S.

Pelley, and M. Anderson to schools with their role in homelessness presently and what they

should do to improve current conditions. Also G. Zingher, J. Murphey and K. Tobin provided me

with situations students are facing in schools and in their home life. If schools and the

community recognized the need for more support, homelessness among children could be

reduced as well as the amount of helplessness they experience.




Student Predicament: School by Day, Homeless by Night

Imagine walking into a hotel room, an action most people participate in at some point.

Many people begin by checking the room for insects or unpacking their belongings, often

complaining about the cleanliness or appearance of the room: the idea that this room is a luxury

for others never crosses their mind. With Thematic Journeys, Gary Zingher (2011) tells of

Monica Gunning‟s book, A Shelter in Our Car , which tells of Zettie, the eight year old narrator,

and how she faces the difficult label of being homeless with her mother. Throughout her story,

Zettie tells of the challenges she faces including being bullied, going to bed hungry, and often

not being able to sleep due to sirens blaring past the car they sleep in. Eventually her mother has

enough money to pay for a hotel for one night. Zettie walks into her hotel room and instantly

“ jumps into bed”, stretches out, and “smells the clean sheets” (p. 30). For one night, Zettie and

her mother will not have to worry about safety and staying warm because they have the luxury of

staying in a hotel room.

According to Vicky Dill with Educational Leadership (2010), “one in fifty U.S. children

experience homelessness in any given year” and the number continues to rise (p. 44). A common

misconception with being homeless is the idea that these people are living in the streets;

however, the U.S. Department of Education (2011) provides a list of situations which are

considered homeless which include:

“Doubled up with family or friends due to economic conditions; living in motels and

hotels for lack of other suitable housing; runaway and „throwaway‟ children and

youth; homes for unwed or expectant mothers for lack of a place to live; homeless

and domestic violence shelters; transitional housing programs; the streets;

abandoned buildings; public places not meant for housing; cars, trailers, and




campgrounds; awaiting foster care; migratory children staying in housing not fit

for habitation” (p. 3).

Understanding the different situations that are identified as homeless, schools and

communities can help diminish or at least reduce the amount of homeless students if community

members offered to take in families who need temporary assistance. Also the community should

open up more centers based on the amount of need in that community. Another resource could be

to open school overnight to families who have students in that school. School should act as a

family for the student during the day, a place where the child feels safe and comfortable going to.

Why not open it up overnight to ensure children have a warm place to sleep as well as a place to

wash up?

Having a warm and safe place to sleep at night is crucial for the development of children,

but they also need to know people care about them because often times a child believes the

homeless state they are in is their fault. CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley (2011)

interviewed Ashley Rhea, a young girl at Casselberry Elementary School who was homeless at

the time with her parents. She said she felt that it was her fault her family was homeless because

her parents “have to pay for me” and the “clothes that they buy for me” is the reason they were

short on money (para.15).

The education system also has the responsibility to aid their students every day; however,

children with a consistent life need to be aware of what being homeless means. Parents face the

chance of losing their job every day which could result in homelessness for any child so with

proper assistance they could be prepared for life on the streets. If the community and education

system steps up and helps our homeless families, children will not only have consistency with

where they call home but also will enable them to do better in school.




Great Depression: 1920’s-30’s and Back Again

In school, children are taught about the Great Depression in the 1920‟s through the

1930‟s. During this period, homelessness was common among many families in the United

States. Students learn about the hardships faced everyday by being homeless during the Great

Depression but are not aware of the depression occurring now, even that around them. Although

counting the homeless population in the United States is difficult to do, Joseph Murphy and Kerri

Tobin (2011) report that studies have shown the number has risen to more than that accounted

during the Great Depression (p. 34). Knowing homelessness is a growing, epidemic problem,

students need to be aware that in a sense, the Great Depression is not only past tense but also

present; this will give children an opportunity to see homelessness on a more personal level and

have a better understanding of what their classmates, and possibly themselves, could potentially

be going through.

Current Situation: In Schools and Communities

Dill (2010) writes that in 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Stewart B.

McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, which was “reauthorized and amended as the McKinney-

Vento Law in 2001” (p. 44). The law requires that every school district must hire a homeless

liaison; they are in charge of working with homeless children to ensure they have what they need

for school to help them be successful.

One problem schools, especially the liaison, face is how to detect if a student is homeless,

especially when there are numerous definitions of homelessness. When a parent enrolls their

child in school, they are required to fill out information regarding contact information such as

where they live. Dill (2010) reports that, “families may not fill in questionnaires accurately”

because they “feel that they have failed their children if they admit that their housing is unstable”

(p. 45). Victims of abuse may also incorrectly fill out the information because they are “afraid to




share their address” (Dill, 2010, p. 45); teenagers who left home may also do the same to keep

their parents from finding them. Pelley (2011) also interviewed Victoria Coates who had been

living in her car with her husband and three children. She admitted to placing a checkmark in the

“shelter” box when describing her place of residence. She claims there was “no box for car”

(para. 15). Coates was afraid that by admitting her children were not living in a stable

environment, the state would take her children and place them in temporary housing. Coates

stated “there was not an option to take my girls away,” an attitude similarly seen in several

homeless families.

Without a stable environment, the U.S. Department of Education (2011) reports “Fifty

percent of homeless children do not attend school” (p. 3). Students who miss school often face

the dilemma of being burdened with excessive homework their teacher expects them to complete

out of class. Their grades may frequently lower because they do not turn all of their missed work

into their teacher. Educators also may not be aware of their student‟s situation which results in a

higher expectation of receiving homework.

According to Michelle Anderson (2011), with Education Week, “the McKinney-Vento

Law prohibits schools from segregating homeless children except in four counties: San Joaquin,

Orange, and San Diego counties in California and Maricopa County in Arizona (p. 24). In these

counties, schools have been built solely allowing children who fit the condition of homelessness.

Here, students receive similar education as they would in other schools but are in classes with

other children with comparable experiences. They receive school supplies and backpacks as well

as clothing and shoes necessary for ideal education. After-school programs are also provided to

ensure children have the necessary means to complete homework and tutoring to help them be

successful.




Currently, homeless shelters have been built, especially in cities. Food kitchens are also

placed in larger towns and cities which provide free food for those who do not have the means

otherwise. But as the number of homeless people and children continues to rise, so does the need

for more resources.

Proposal: Role of Schools

As previously stated, a school district is required to hire a liaison to be responsible for the

student homeless community; however, students are often unaware that such a person exists.

School faculty needs to remind every student that there is someone they can turn to who will

help not only them but also their family. Assistance regarding how to find the liaison is also

crucial in helping the homeless because they may not have the resources to contact them.

In addition to educators directing their students on how to find help, they also have the

responsibility to be sensitive and available for their students. Sensitivity is important because one

may not know the current living condition their students are in. A teacher has the obligation to

“create an atmosphere of community in the classroom in which all students‟ feelings and

situations are accepted and stigmatization is out of the question” (Dill, 2011, p. 47).

By reading stories regarding homeless children, such as A Shelter in Our Car , victims of

homelessness would have someone to relate to, giving them a sense that there are others will

similar problems and they are not alone. Teachers can also use books to teach other students

what homeless people face every day.

Children, especially homeless children, need to hear and understand that the homeless

situation is not their fault. Although it may be difficult to discuss why many families are put in

this difficult situation, teachers must attempt to communicate empathy for the students and use

homelessness as a teaching opportunity about how the United States economy is in a downfall.




Because teachers are already discussing the Great Depression, this is an excellent introduction to

homelessness and what causes it.

School districts also have the opportunity to build schools designed for homeless

children, but these facilities should not be limited to states such as California and Arizona.

Having been amended in 2001, the McKinney-Vento Law should be modified once more giving

other counties, especially those with a high percentage of homeless people, permission to build

schools to help the homeless community. With these schools, students will have enhanced

resources which should result in higher student achievement as well as aid in the overall

development in children.

Proposal: Role of Community

Besides the school district having the responsibility to provide students with the

necessary means to be successful, the community should also be a factor in providing homeless

children and their families with the necessities to survive. Several people who lose their home

often resort to moving in with other family members, but other people may not have family

members to live with. People with excessive space in their homes ought to assist families with

children by sharing their spare bedroom for a temporary amount of time, at least enough time to

allow the parents to search for a stable work. Although this may get expensive, guests could

agree to do daily tasks to help with the maintenance of the household. Taking in another family

can be difficult financially, especially for longer periods of time, but often they do not have

access other resources.

For members in the community who are unable to open their homes for others, there are

other means of assistance the homeless community is in need of. Pelley (2011) states many

families he spoke to had “tried to go someplace safe” but “every shelter in the area…was full”




(para. 16). Many homeless shelters have been built, especially in cities, yet the overcapacity is a

continual problem. More shelters which would only hold families with children in school need to

be opened up. Volunteers from the community could run these and also work as tutors for the

students. Children who live in cars regularly do not have proper lighting to be able to work on

homework, which causes them to not complete their work. In this kind of shelter, children will

have adequate lighting as well as assistance to help them succeed. Anderson believes, “the most

at-risk kids are the homeless kids” (p. 24). Knowing this, the focus of the shelter would act as a

sort of night school. Because children should feel comfortable and safe at school, volunteers

would have the responsibility to provide this same environment.

Schools and communities are productively working to assist homeless children,

especially with the support of the McKinney-Vento Law: “the McKinney-Vento Homeless

Assistance Act was designed to help homeless students continue their education” (Anderson,

2011, p. 24). However, with the number of victims increasing at a constant rate, additional

resources are required to continue supporting them. Schools must provide emotional support in

the classroom to help their students understand they are not alone. Communities should also

provide any means possible to ensure students are living in the proper conditions necessary for

healthy growth. Children, such as Zettie from A Shelter in Our Car, should never go to sleep

hungry because food is not available nor should they be bullied because of a situation they have

no control over. “Being homeless does not mean being hopeless,” an idea in which schools and

the community has the responsibility to prove (Dill, 2011, p. 46).




Bibliography

Anderson, Michelle D. (April 20, 2011). Special Schools for Homeless Students Bursting at the

Seams. Education Week. Vol. 30 No. 28, p. 24.

Dill, Vicky S. (November 2010). Students Without Homes. Educational Leadership. Vol. 68 No.

3, pp. 43-7.

Homelessness among Students. U.S. Department of Education: Curriculum Review. Vol.

51 No. 3. (November 2011).

Murphey, Joseph F. & Tobin, Kerri J. (November 2011). Homelessness comes to school. Phi

Delta Kappa, Inc. Vol. 93 No.3, pp. 32-7.

Pelley, Scott. (November 27, 2011). Hard Times Generation: Family living in cars. CBS News 60

Minutes.

Pelley, Scott. (March 6, 2011). Homeless children: the hard times generation. CBS News 60

Minutes.

Zingher, Gary. (March 2011). An Empty Belly and No Bed to Sleep In. Thematic Journeys.

School Library. Vol. 26 No. 6, pp. 30-1.

Documents

Student Predicament: School by Day, Homeless by Night