Where do we go from here?

Dear reader, you may have noticed how little I have blogged of late. I must admit that I have felt adrift of late, not sure what to discuss now that most of my life is devoted to work. I have since decided that the fates must not be argued with, so I am going to begin postings on what it is that I do all day long. That's right. I'm going to regale you with tales from an urban school setting. Fear not! I promise intrigue and danger, sex and lasciviousness, drugs and urban warfare, sadness and moments of humor.
Here goes:

I work in the library at a middle school in indianapolis. I also student teach in the same school. The children I work with are almost universally poor and deal with trauma that I can't even begin to imagine. I am wary about asking students how they got that scar crawling up their arm lest they tell me the truth. This is one of the hardest things to deal with as someone who can love even the meanest of children. Legally I am required to inquire about injuries and report anything suspicious, but I must tell you a dirty little secret: NOBODY CARES. I was talking to the special ed teacher today about abusive situations and she told me that the state rarely takes a child out of their home situation unless its sexual abuse. Horrifying? I know. I know what she says is true because I have witnessed it first hand. I reported to the school social worker a boy whose arm was covered in bruises that I heard him say his grandmother gave him. He said that this kid was a troublemaker. (the implication being that he probably deserved it.) At the current school I'm working at, a teacher reported a girl covered in bruises to the social worker. The girl said her mother did it. The social worker said that the girl ran away from home over the weekend and her mother was probably angry. Nothing was done. The sad thing is that even if the children are taken out of their homes and put into foster care, they are still at risk for physical and sexual abuse. (Indiana's foster care system is in shambles and numerous children of late have even died whilst in state custody)

I would bet that at least 60 to 70% of our kids could identify a family member or close friend who has died from violence. They all seem to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. As a person who will be teaching in this environment and has worked in this environment for a few years, I can understand how inner-city teachers become disillusioned and disheartened. It is hard as a teacher in this position to see the fruits of your labor. A businessman can count on quarterly results, but teachers must wait until a child has reached adulthood to see if their work has any meaning or impact.

These kids are all survivors and they bring to the table an amazing amount of life experience. They can be incredibly insightful and have so much personality that it would be hard to leave them. One teacher I know tried working in a suburban school and she said, "I had to leave because it was just...too white." I understand what she was getting at. These kids have a perspective that is unique and could bring so much to the world...if we can just get them to appreciate themselves.