The Ugly

In my previous posts, I described the very rewarding experience of volunteering at Little River Elementary School. I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity to read to students who have yet to develop a positive relationship with books. I hope that my visit inspired them.

While I truly enjoy this experience, there was a not-so-pretty side to it all: the ugly. The ugly is the sadness and hardship that these students have had to endure. In just the five hours that I was there and the brief interaction I had with these kids, there was one boy and one girl who shared with me that their relative was in jail. One was a mother, the other an uncle. Mom was in jail because she fought with Dad; Uncle was in jail because he robbed a bank because the family needed money. Now if this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, I don't know what will. It is just heart-breaking to know that six year olds have to live in these situations. One can only imagine why these students might be behind academically. Could it be that there is no one home helping them? Yes! Could it be that they have so many other things on their mind that it is impossible to focus on school work? Yes! It is so clear to see that they need us.