Students' Personal Struggles

 In American education today, some of the biggest issues effecting student success is occurring outside the classroom, even outside the school walls. Every day and night, our students face violence, rape, poverty, inequality and so much more. Yet they are expected to walk into the classroom every day, sit down, and just learn. Just learn? As if learning comes freely, as if the growl in your hungry stomach, the wonder about where you are going to sleep tonight will not affect your learning. Now, don't get me wrong, not every single student faces issues of this severity, but the education system today is providing no support for those who do, despite the evidence that these students will not succeed without the support of those around them.

In teacher training you will hear the words Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs chanted at you year after year.  Students cannot succeed if they are lacking in the most fundamental needs; food, shelter, safety, love, just to name a few. Okay, we got it. Yet year after year as the words Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is being chanted at me, not once have I been educated on how to combat the issues students are facing outside of the classroom. I am taught how to identify students who are struggling or "at risk" but what is the next step?

The key word here…support. And not just support from one teacher or adult who decides they care, support from an entire network of teachers and adults who care. It takes a village. In the documentary titled 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School, the teachers, administration, and school councilors create a network of support for the students in their school. This support, the "I'm here for you and I will do whatever I can to help you" factor gave students the chance to talk about what is going on in their lives and gain the support they need to change their circumstances. But we cannot do it on our own, with hundreds of students moving through our classrooms every year, we are not going to be able to be there for every single one on our own. It takes the entire school and community to make a difference, including parents, other students, and other community members who are empowered to make a difference in youth lives.

So, back to the Maslow stuff here, once we identify what needs our students are not getting, we need to actually do something about it. Know the support networks within your community. Know where the shelters are, where the community tables are, where students can get legal aide. Fight for programs in the school system itself that face budget cuts every year, the food programs that provide three meals a day instead of just one, and the counseling. As future educators, we need to enter the teaching world prepared to start a revolution, a revolution that starts with supporting our students so they actually have the chance and the tools they need to learn, and empower them and help them move beyond the circumstances that are threatening their education and lives.