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Children: The forgotten victims of the financial crisis. Where is the outrage? (Part II)
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Photo courtesy of NCJRS
As highlighted in Part I of today's column, the financial crisis is forcing hundreds of children to move schools and will ultimately cause lifelong hardships.
Just as I was shunned for my scholastic weaknesses, I endured social rejection as well. As my 7th grade English teacher, Ms. Lee, passed me in the hall one afternoon she sneered, “I think there is something wrong with you.” I was stunned. “You’re so aloof. You always have that mean look on your face,” she continued. “So serious.” I walked away in shock, trying to figure out how my being quiet translated into having something wrong with me. From then on, I considered the term “aloof” to be derogatory, equating into to being “mean.” I felt trapped and painfully misunderstood. I was overcome by emotion but could not show it. I was not “mean”, “crazy”, or “unapproachable”, as everyone seemed to think, but rather shy and struggling to survive. Ms. Lee’s false perceptions and words cut me to the bone. Looking back, I question why a teacher would not have befriended me and asked what was wrong rather than assuming I was the problem.
Neighborhood parents can inflict cruelty on these displaced children as well. Many parents would not allow their children to play with me. These parents never took the time to get to know me and make a decision based on my character or behavior. Instead, they recoiled from me because of the rumors they’d heard about my family and our lower social class. This left me feeling even more unsure of my future and I turned to books to comfort my loneliness, hiding from the unfair world around me. I resigned myself to isolation and often thought “What’s the point? Adults don’t see how it feels and kids are cruel.” I forced myself to accept the fact that I’d always be different and moving.
While moving can negatively influence kids’ education, equally harmful are the affects it can have on a child’s social skills. With feelings of uncertainty, isolation, insecurity, and anger, kids and teens often turn to dangerous outlets as they search for ways to “fit in”. Many act out their anger physically, getting into scuffles and fights with their peers or even joining gangs in hopes to be a part of any kind of a “family” or “community”. Others may act out sexually, seeking affection and feelings of stability with unsafe sex. As parents are distracted with financial distress, working longer hours, and too busy to properly educate their children, there will be a huge increase in the rate of teen pregnancies and STDs. Some teens, especially those that may be having a hard time making friends in their new surroundings, may turn to the internet in search of someone to relate to. With tools like MySpace, Facebook, cell phones, and web cams, technology can be a child’s worst enemy, putting them at risk for many different dangers.
In 4th grade, Mrs. Takasuki made it known that I wrote my letters inverted and was in need of speech therapy. I received specialized help that year but soon we moved again and I was lost in the system. It became a vicious cycle. Every once in a while a teacher would reach out and try to guide me but each time I would be yanked away too soon their brief concern to have a lasting effect. As there was no stability or certainty in our lives and money was tight, I was left little choice but to take drastic measures. In sixth grade when my math teacher would leave his classroom, I would sneak in, fill false records in his grade book, and cut class so I could work cleaning apartments. Since classes were so overcrowded, as they are again now, it was easy to slip away unnoticed and get lost in the shuffle.
In between my constant moving, my parents being too self-absorbed at that point to participate in my education, and missing class in order to put food on the table, my learning disability was not taken seriously until college. I was unable to comprehend certain subjects like algebra or get a firm grasp on the rules of grammar. However, the the term papers I’d painstakingly spent countless hours editing and rewriting were always praised for their excellent content. Had my childhood been more stable, my disability could have been diagnosed and treated early enough to have a profound impact on my education and emotional health.
As our mistakes continue to take such a large toll on our children’s education, the end results will not be pretty. The loss of solid, healthy friendships can lead to an increase in violent behavior. Teens will suffer through feelings of hopelessness as their chances at receiving a college education become uncertain, causing some to miss out on financial aid opportunities as more people clamber for help with tuition while others may give up on their goals entirely. Healthy outlets and coping strategies are becoming harder to come by as funding for extra-curricular activities, athletic programs, and fine arts courses is continuously reduced. Reduced income can result in higher incidents of theft and children become desperate.
I know how hard moving and instability can be on a child. I’ve lived it. Though I eventually came out on top, no child should have to suffer as I, and millions others, have. Even if our economy flourishes again, irreparable damage will be done. Every week, month, or year a child is deprived of a solid home, education, and support circle will affect their future.
It is high time we made our children a priority again. They are the future of our nation and will be in charge of our well-being sooner than we realize. If we let them fall behind, our entire nation will follow suit.
