What its like helping the homeless?

Question

k so my paper is on helping homeless students and how they dont get the same opportunity at education as a student in a stable home. Have you ever like tutored or mentored a homeless student. What was their response like, was he reluctant at first or ashamed of being helped?

Answer 1

I have such experiences.. Once rapport was established between me and the kids, they became at ease in being tutored.. however, what i realized was they are more interested in the answers than in the process of getting it.. if i try to explain how i got an answer, they were kind of bored.. but that is probably because they have other things to do and so they want to finish the lesson fast.. and i think they are not really aware of the importance of knowing how to get an answer..

Answer 2

Well, I have no experience of tutoring  a homeless student. I live in Bangalore -karnataka, india. In our culture we had(sadly not any more) the practice of sponsoring  food for couple of students  who can not afford two square meals, every day and further helping them to get a place to stay in some charitable institutions. This called 'vaaranna' in Kannada meaning weekly food. My grand father used to do it. I have seen couple of them  in my time. Let me tell you it is not nice. Generally when you ask for something free because you cant afford it or have the means, especially food or even knowledge something inside you cringes, you feel humiliated

utterly driven to despair about your situation. Even though your question refers to tuition for students from sheltered homes, i have brought up the food factor, because an empty stomach will not achieve anything.If he could  afford  two square meals he  woundt be  in the sheltered home in the first place.

Answer 3

First of all if you are in the US call your local school system headquarters and ask to speak to the homeless student's coordinator.  Then go to www.naehcy.org  National Assn for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth and www.icpny.org Institute for Children and Poverty which is the major research group studing the effects of poverty sand homelessness on students and http://ilovejesus.com/missions/a-caring-... a part of one of our Caring Hands Ministries web sites with nmany figures and helpful info.  

I have worked with many homeless students as an individual and as consultant coordinator of the Homeless students program for 2 school systems for 5 yrs as well as as Executive Director of Caring Hands Ministries.   Reactions to help differ with different students as you might expect. Little kids are more receptive sometimes than older students but the attiotude of the person helping and the circumstances under which the help is offered make a big difference.   If there is trust in the organization through which the help is offered and the person offering it is not doing an I'm better than u thing generally it is well received.

For many homeless kids schoolis the safest place unless there is meanness or bullying or putdowns from teachers.   We did a progtram called Nuestra Familia- Our family offering basic school readiness and skills for homeless kids 3-8 or 9 with teens (also homeless in many cases) acting as the older sib role models.    The thing that amazed me was that we really did so little,  lunch, educational cartoons, group play and individual attention.The kids were so responsive and it seemed we did so little yet each iof them went up at least 1 letter grade.   It was as if they saw that they could bec we were reaching out to them.   Other kids of course are so hurtb in life that they are resentful and not receptive.   Teens and older middle school especially but not all of either,   The deal that works best is just one person to another not I have and you don't have.   Suggest you volunteer a while and getsome personal experience.