Mar
2024
Blog Post Five
After watching the documentary and seeing the stories of Roque, Kasey, and Anthony, I felt very disheartened from seeing their situations, but also hopeful that there is potential for students who were previously homeless to be on the path to success in their lives. Two themes I noticed while watching it as well as reading the two articles I chose are that homelessness affects marginalized youth the most, but there is also hope for these students and they will be able to get themselves into better circumstances.
Homelessness amongst youth has been rising in numbers, with a jump from 54,030 in 2009 to 95,723 in 2017 12th graders classified as homeless (Cai, 2020). Seeing this reminded me of how many of the shelters in the film were forced to turn children away at night simply because there was not enough room to comfortably house everyone as well as another house having a six-month waiting list to get inside (De Mare, Kelly, and Taber, 2014). Amongst this group is a high concentration of LGBT, minorities, and children with disabilities, with some living out of cars or sleeping on couches (Cai, 2020). As seen in the documentary with Kasey’s story, she left home due to the immense amount of homophobia she faced from her mother and grandmother because she identified as a lesbian, she then moved into a shelter and then got kicked out due to breaking curfew (De Mare, Kelly, and Taber, 2014). Roque’s story is also a truth for many children as we
ll, with their parents getting deported and then being forced out of their home or living situation. Seeing their situations reminded me of Pearl Jam’s Even Flow, which is a song narrating the life of a homeless man living on the street. The lyrics “Oh, someday yet, he’ll begin his life again, life again life again” (Pearl Jam, 1992) mean that this man wishes to help himself get back on his feet and reclaim his life once again, despite his current situation.
The next theme I observed from the documentary and article is that there is still hope and happiness to be found, despite these dark situations the children are in. New York State is awarding certain districts with grant awards, with some worth over $500,000 to help the large amount of homeless youth in their districts (O’Hare, 2022). This month is being put to creating tutoring and health care services in their districts so their students have access to these programs free of charge. In the documentary, it warmed my heart to see the kids bond together over playing games, creating songs, or ju
st talking with each other. I was also happy to see the end of Roque, Kasey, and Anthony’s stories, with each of them taking steps in the direction they want to go in, whether it be attending college or being able to live in their own apartment (De Mare, Kelly, and Taber, 2014). This amount of hope and happiness reminded me of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”, the book about how you will end up where you want yourself to be, surrounded by people you want to be by, reminding me of Anthony saying how he cut off a lot of his friends who weren’t supportive of him trying to better himself.
Homeless students and youth are an ongoing epidemic that must be solved, whether it be through monetary or housing solutions, but hope is a strong feeling that can be seen in any situation, no matter how grim.
Image from https://hopegrows.org/news/why-is-hope-so-important/
References
Cai, J. (2020, July 27). Homeless Students in Public Schools Across America: Down but Not Out. National School Boards Association. https://www.nsba.org/Perspectives/2021/homeless-students
De Mare, A., Kelly, K., & Taber, K. (Producers), & De Mare, A., & Kelly, K. (Directors). (2014). The homestretch [Streaming video]. United States: Bullfrog Films.
Dr. Seuss. (1990, January 22). Oh, the Places You’ll Go!. https://benavidez5thgrade.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/7/3/86734958/oh-the-places-youll-go-by-dr-seuss.pdf
New York State Education Department. (2022, August 17). New York State Department of Education Awards $7.1 Million in Federal Grants to Programs Supporting Homeless Students. http://www.nysed.gov/news/2022/new-york-state-education-department-awards-71-million-federal-grants-programs-supporting
Pearl Jam. (1991). Even Flow
. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKWTzr-k6s
annb21
March 19, 2024 at 6:37 pm (2 months ago)Hi Gabby,
I really liked your blog post this week. It was incredibly insightful. I liked it when you addressed Kasey’s story. It is so important to recognize that marginalized students are so much more likely to be homeless, because, as teachers, we know to pay special attention to them. In Kasey’s example, being lesbian is her main contributing factor to being homeless and I think you did a great job shining the light on her story. I wonder how being homeless affects students’ academic performance. Could you look into that area and make some comparisons? I am a bit confused about how the book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” is incorporated with the desperation of homelessness. I do see the theme of hope recurring in the documentary, but there is also alot of hopelessness. I wonder what other books could be associated with this idea and maybe connect the two.
alyssab77
March 21, 2024 at 4:51 pm (2 months ago)I liked how you highlighted the themes of hope and resilience in your reflection on the documentary and articles. It’s heartening to see how despite facing such difficult circumstances, individuals like Roque, Kasey, and Anthony are determined to make positive changes in their lives. I wonder if there are more community-based initiatives or mentorship programs that could provide additional support to homeless youth like the ones mentioned in the documentary. Sometimes, having a supportive network can make a significant difference in navigating challenges and accessing resources. I am confused by the staggering increase in homelessness among youth from 2009 to 2017, as mentioned in your post. It’s alarming to see such a jump, and it raises questions about the underlying factors contributing to this trend and what strategies can be implemented to address it effectively. Overall, your blog made me think about important issues and how we can support each other to make things better. Keep sharing your thoughts!