Problems Everywhere

Problems Everywhere

I work in a small town, in a small school system. It seems that everyone in the office has grown up there, lived there many years, and knows everyone and everyone’s business. Even those that commute to work in the office and don’t live in that town know a lot of information about the residents and the political workings. I’m a real outsider, going there during the day to learn job skills which I hope will transfer to any school system I choose to work in when I do so for “real”.

I’m not naïve, but what I’m a little surprised at is that the children who live in this area have many of the same catastrophic problems that kids in large cities do. I knew I wasn’t going to experience a “Mayberry” culture but I truly wasn’t expecting to come across so many kids who have been exposed to horrific acts of violence. An eight year old girl, cute as a button, with freckles and an easy smile told me about her aunt’s boyfriend. “He shot her in cold blood” was her assessment of the situation. I’ve also learned of a couple of students who have witnessed parental suicides and others who have been the collateral victims of their parent’s domestic assaults. And because this is a rural area, the production of meth is a big problem. There are several children who have been exposed to this hallucinogen, compromising academic potential. Poverty is an issue there as well, with some single parents not making enough money to pay the rent.

It was said to me this week, “If I hear one more time about how we are doing this all for the kids, I won’t be able to stand it.” Maybe I’m truly naïve, but I thought that’s what I was doing this for. It sure isn’t for the paycheck, the prestige, or the Hollywood acclaim.
No matter where you live or work, there’s always a need for someone to be an advocate for children. Someone who can help give them the best chance they’re going to get in life to make it in this world. You don’t have to be a school psychologist to do that. You just need to be a concerned citizen with a 30 minute time frame during the day to volunteer at a school. Once a week. The same amount of time it takes to watch one rerun of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” And immensely more productive.