My social justice group visited Homes for the Homeless, a homeless shelter that is centered around families with children. We met with Margaret Mangini who works with the children on weekdays. We worked with the children to do thanksgiving related arts and crafts. Our group was able to prove that poor children are no different from wealthy children. While homeless children are at a disadvantage in terms of learning and social skills, they are just as smart and kind (if not more). Our group worked with children approximately 3-8 years old. The children worked more diligently than we had expected of them. I am interested in learning more about the comparison between children under and over the poverty line. Research I have done both before and after the volunteer session have shown that the average poor child has heard 5,000,000 less words by the age of 5 than a child who lives above the poverty line. The children we worked with not only possessed beautiful vocabularies, but also proved that the only reason they were learning as much as they did was their extreme determination. Our social justice group hopes to prove in our teach-in next month that these children are no different from anyone who attends our teach-in.

Since visiting Homes for the Homeless, we have discovered that the parents in families of homeless people often don’t encourage their children to do especially well. Many of these parents won’t have graduated from high school themselves because they had to work to support their families. These parents might encourage their children to leave school for a job as well. Others shouldn’t blame the parents for this choice because survival is an instinct, and many can’t afford the luxury of waiting for the reward of finishing school to cash in. Although parents might know that their children will have more opportunities going forward if they finish school, they sometimes have to sacrifice their children’s futures so that everyone in their family can eat well and be clothed.