This week we are talking about themes in homelessness and how it can seriously impact students’ lives as well as their success in school. This is definitely an important topic to be aware of as an educator as some students may not have all of the resources that are available to them as it is available to other students. Some may ask what defines a homeless student? A homeless student can be “defined as students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, that is, students living in shared housing, hotels or motels, shelters, and unsheltered places” (Cai, 2021).  Some of the themes that were brought up in the articles as well as the documentary, “The Homestretch” were exclusion from regular school activities as well as sports, or not being able to attend class regularly because of things going on personally. This also leads to some students feeling shameful and or embarrassed of their situation which they never should, but it can definitely get the best of them and take over. Many of the students from the documentary live in poverty and feel as though they don’t have all the resources they need to succeed in school. This can lead to other issues of students dropping out and having nowhere to go. Some students may feel as though there is no point in continuing their education without the proper support as well as materials needed for school. Technology is very important as having a computer or tablet can help students keep in touch with one another as well as their teachers if they are struggling with an assignment. 

Ujifusa, A., (2021, September 14.) Our Student Homelessness Numbers Are Staggering. Schools Can Be A Bridge to a Solution.https://www.edweek.org/leadership/our-student-homeless-numbers-are-staggering-schools-can-be-a-bridge-to-a-solution/2021/09 

The documentary and articles offer a lot of information regarding students who are in terrible situations and face homelessness and poverty alone. The books that I found connect to the themes in this week’s module and relate to students who are suffering all over the world. 

The first  book is called These shoes by Maribeth Boelts, it goes on to talk about being selfless and helping someone who is in need rather than being selfish and only caring about oneself. It is important to be aware of students who are facing homelessness and poverty as they may not speak up for themselves and what they need because they are coming from nothing so they don’t want to be asking for too much. There are many books on this site that fall under the homeless category and can relate to children 

Homelessness is a very serious topic and with the help of the National Center for Homeless Education we will hopefully start to see some differences being made. “Another factor that impacted data on students who experienced homelessness is the effect that COVID-19 had on the enrollment of students overall. The overall number of students enrolled in school districts also decreased.” The Impact of the pandemic definitely took a toll on many people and for the homeless community it definitely worsened the condition they were already in.

References:

Bullfrog Films (2014). Login required. Logmin.molloy.idm.oclc.org. https://docuseek2-com.molloy.idm.oclc.org/cart/product/913

Cai, J. (2021, July 27). Homeless Students in Public Schools Across America: Down but Not Out. http://Www.nsba.org/Prespectives/2021/homeless-students 

Ujifusa, A., (2021, September 14.) Our Student Homelessness Numbers Are Staggering. Schools Can Be A Bridge to a Solution.https://www.edweek.org/leadership/our-student-homeless-numbers-are-staggering-schools-can-be-a-bridge-to-a-solution/2021/09 

Rosbach, M., (n.d) 9 Children’s Picture Books That Spark Conversations About Homelessness.https://www.readbrightly.com/picture-books-about-homelessness/

National Crisis For Homeless Education., (2022.) Student Homelessness In America
https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Student-Homelessness-in-America-2022.pdf?utm_source=research-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website&utm_content=later-37044835