Raising Empathetic Children
Exploring Homelessness Education
In my first year of engaging in nonprofit work, I began establishing numerous community connections. One significant relationship I made was with an Elementary School in the metro Atlanta area. The invitation to visit the school came from the parent liaison, school counselor, and principal, who had learned about the work we were doing with Love Beyond Walls and wanted to see how we could partner to serve the students. As is my usual practice, I conducted demographic research on the school.
What I discovered was not only the school’s Title 1 status but also the significant number of students facing poverty and instability. Many of these students were transient, their families grappling with homelessness and lacking a permanent address, and resources were few. This brought up many emotions for me because I remembered my own story and watching my mother navigate acute homelessness while caring for two children and working to overcome a transitional phase in our lives.
I scheduled the meeting for the following week. I will never forget the gratitude and urgency I felt as I walked into the building, reflecting on my demographic study.
Stepping into the front office, I felt a more profound conviction to advocate for those who are often overlooked, nameless, and invisible to those with privilege and access.
As I greeted the counselor, I was drawn to a young girl being led into another room. Her noticeable tears and worn clothes couldn’t escape my sight. Politely interrupting the counselor, I inquired about the reason for the young lady’s distress, who appeared to be in the third grade. The counselor’s response still echoes in my mind, and I hope it stays with you as well.
“The young lady just got into a fight... other kids were mocking her clothes because she's been wearing the same outfit every single day for over a week,” she explained.
Perplexed, I replied, “But isn't everyone in uniform here?”
She responded, “No, she’s wearing the exact same clothes each day because her family doesn’t have a washer and dryer, and she only has one outfit.”
I couldn’t hold back my tears, and the memory of leaving that school stuck with me, thinking of how unkind and insensitive children can be when they haven’t been taught empathy at home by their parents.
When most people think of homelessness and poverty, they often picture adults. However, what many fail to recognize is that homelessness affects children daily, and research shows that it’s the fastest-growing segment of the population experiencing this crisis.
According to Rahman (2011), “Recent research indicates that families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the country.”1
And “The state of homelessness profoundly and directly impacts the education and well-being of homeless children.”2
It’s crucial to acknowledge that while other children may not have comprehended all the significant details that were impacting the young lady’s life beyond the classroom, their lack of understanding likely added to the compounding challenges of her homelessness experience.
It’s important to remember that no child chooses to be without a stable home, and homelessness itself can profoundly affect the well-being of children.
In the study entitled “Understanding the Impact of Homelessness on Children,” conducted by Buckner in 2008, it was indicated,
Homeless children are potentially exposed to three different types of risk factors: risks that are specifically related to being homeless (e.g., stressful conditions within a shelter); risks that are shared by children from low-income families more broadly (e.g., exposure to community violence); and risks that all children, regardless of family income, have in common (e.g., biological and certain family-related factors). Children from low-income families who have never been homeless have only the latter two sources of risk, whereas children in the general population (i.e., housed, never-homeless children from higher income families) face only the last source of risk.3
All this young lady knew was that she was standing up for herself by fighting.
I told that counselor that not only would we create closets in the school for other students like the young lady (so students could have clean clothes), but I also shared my aspiration to make a difference someday.
Fast forward, little did I know, years later, that my daughter and I would share a dream of co-authoring a children’s book that would teach children how to have empathy towards those who are unhoused.
For the last two years, we embarked on this journey to create a children’s book that emphasizes no age limits when it comes to compassion, community service, advocacy, and affirming the dignity of unhoused people. The book’s name is “Zion Learns To See: Opening Our Eyes To Homelessness,” and it is set to be released in March 2024.
This book is not just about my daughter and me; it’s inspired by the spirit of every family and child I have encountered. I was moved to teach both of my children early on to see those who may be poor or unhoused as having worth and value.
I hope it becomes a resource that parents all over can use to initiate meaningful conversations with their children about a subject that left a little girl in tears, waiting in a room for administrators because she didn’t understand why she was being bullied—homelessness.
Above is the cover in case you want to preorder it and check it out for people, including children and parents you may know.
Also, I’d like to conclude this piece with a poem by an educator named Joshua T. Dickerson. The poem is entitled “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil” and vividly portrays some of the daily challenges that people, especially children, face through no fault of their own.
“Cause I Ain't Got a Pencil”
I woke myself up
Because we ain't got an alarm clock
Dug in the dirty clothes basket,
Cause ain't nobody washed my uniform
Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark,
Cause the lights ain't on
Even got my baby sister ready,
Cause my mama wasn't home.
Got us both to school on time,
To eat us a good breakfast.
Then when I got to class the teacher fussed
Cause I ain't got no pencil.
Preorder, “Zion Learns To See: Opening Our Eyes To Homelessness” [HERE]
Rahman, M. A. (2011). The Rising Number of Homeless Students, their Social Condition and its Impact on their Education. Global Awareness Society International, p 1.
Ibid.
Buckner, J. C. (2008). Understanding the impact of homelessness on children: Challenges and future research directions. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(6), pp. 722-723.