Friday, July 22, 2011
OVERCOMING STRESSORS
I have a very close college friend who faced so of these adversities, but she found strength through another outlet in life. My friend often opened up her heart to me when we were roommates in college about her life growing up. She said that her mother turned to drugs when their father left them. Her mother drug abuse affected my friend and her brother. She said that there were times when her mother would use whatever money they had for the month for drugs and left them hungry. She said no matter what was going on at home she and her brother managed to go to school so that they could eat and be in a safe place for awhile. She said that she would always remember her 5th grade teacher because she noticed the condition of her clothes and hair. My friend 's teacher informed the school support system. Eventually they were placed with family member, and her mother received help for her drug abuse. I often told my friend that she was BLESSED because through her determination to go to school each day she overcame her situation. Even today when we see each other she still reflect on that time period in her life. I see that these stressors stay in your memory even after time moves on. The obstacles that my friend faced made her strong, but sadly others are not as strong. Their are so many children around the world, and right in our community dealing with many of these stressors such as, poverty, violence, chaos, any many other problems. Children are affected by theses adversities in a dramatic way. Without food , nourishment, and a safe home environment the body and mind will not function. I try to keep my friend story in mind when I encounter new children in my class. I pay close attention to their mental and physical status. I watch for a change in mood, like sleepy or tired and highly distractible. Many times when children face these situations it is hard for them to trust and feel safe so these stressors play a major role in the development of young children.
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4 comments:
I am so glad that your friend's fifth grade teacher was so observant and caring. Her efforts obviously had a positive impact on her life. It is interesting how some adults who have had a difficult, stress filled childhood can overcome that experience and lead productive lives while others cannot. I often wonder where that inner strength comes from.
It is amazing how observant we become as we grow, but it makes us better educator's by noticing a child's basic need are not being met due to home environment. I too have become very aware and compassionate due to personal experiences. Thank you for sharing your story about your friend.
That child truely was blessed, and i wanted to also point out that it was a teacher who really made a huge change in the lives of the entire family. The situation could have had a terrible outcome, but because that teacher was caring and observant the children had the opportunity to have a better life. It is hard to report things that we suspect without hard evidence, but as early childhood professionals, or educators it is important to remember that if you see something that makes you wonder it is better to report it to the authorities and let them figure it out. You could very well be impacting the life of a child that no body else will stand up for.
I agree with you... So many children are faced with these day to day stressors which no child should have to go through. Many children are not as blessed as your friend was in her outcome but hopefully educators are being more aware and with awareness more children will recieve the help they need to have a better outcome as your friend did.
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