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Sunday, April 26, 2009

Stability and transience

I was going to blather about Ludlum today, but there's something that's been churning around in my brain this week, and I don't think I've spoken about it before on here. I think it's time I did so. Call it my two cents trying to become a nickel. Anyway, one of the schools I work at is in a lower-income neighbourhood, and for some of the students, it is becoming less of a school than it is a hotel, while the teachers are being forced to become babysitters. The students aren't there long enough to learn anything substantial, as their parents shuttle and shuffle them from house to house. Some of these families are just barely earning enough to make it through the day, let alone the month, and I know that they don't have the time nor the energy to waste worrying about a missing library book or two. These are not the ones I'm aiming my writing finger at. They are trying their best.
There are also parents with 'issues' (let us call them) who care little what their kids are doing or whether or not they're getting the necessities of life. These are the ones who are responsible for all the angry, resigned mutters that echo through staff rooms all throughout each and every school division in the world as we know it. Parents that could (and SHOULD) be thinking about their children but care only about themselves and their 'quick fix' (let us call it). And these are children who want to learn, who want to come to school and want to improve their reading, writing, and math skills. I'm not a teacher, but I can hear the mutters as clearly as anyone, and it frustrates me as much as it frustrates anyone.
As I've said, I'm not aiming my cannon at all parents. There are those who genuinely care about their children and about their necessities. They are the ones who come to events and beam with pride at seeing what their son or daughter is doing or has learned. These are the ones who go a long way in establishing some sort of stability for these children, and they must be commended for it. Now, I don't have a lot of space left, and I want to come to the Semi-Buddhist part of my post. Without some sort of grounding in this life, these children are going to wander in confusion and misery until they go to the next life, which might be even worse. One needs to attain stability to feel secure, strong, and open-minded in this or any life. Attain stability before you may understand transience. These children are going to pass on before it is their time and life won't be any better the next time around.
I'm not presenting any answers here. This is just spleen-venting from a frustrated library tech. who has seen things a little clearer. Not that I was wandering around blindly before. Anyway, that's all. BYE.

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