Every day I see kids doing amazing work under terribly challenging circumstances. I often think that I could never have done what so many of my students do when I was in high school. How many of you think you could do academic work in a second language, sometimes in a new country and culture? How many of you could have excelled in high school while working two full time jobs and paying all your own bills, including rent, food and utilities? How many of you would have even bothered to try if you had to pass through two or more violent gang territories to and from school? How many of you would do high level academic work while sleep deprived, suffering from hunger, and often dealing with traumatic home conditions (if you had a home)? I am humbled and impressed at what so many of my students manage to accomplish despite all this.
That is good, incredible even. Two full time jobs and school I feel is a bit of a stretch though. You’re telling me that someone you know works 80 hours a week and can take high school? I highly doubt that one.
Quite a few of my students do. They come to school directly from the overnight shift. Sometimes I get pissed at students who fall asleep in class all the time, until I realize what they are dealing with.
Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they consider full time 32 hours which would equal 64 hours of work for two of these full time jobs. That’s roughly 9 hours a day if they work weekends too. Then there’s school for 7 hours So that’s 16 hours of work then drive time between home, school, work, work, home in one day. Let’s say they’re lucky and that takes 1 hour of travel. So now we have 17. That leaves 7 hours to eat, sleep in the best case scenario. May be possible with that best case scenario and hats off to them. They will likely be one of the hardest working individuals I have ever heard of. if that job was actually 40 hours a week however for each job that changes dramatically. That’s 11 hours a day working including weekends. Plus 7 hours of school, plus 1 hour travel that’s a total of 19 hours making room for 5 hours to eat and sleep. That I would say is very unhealthy for mind and body. I don’t see how that could be workable
You might find it hard to believe what these young people do because they know the value of an education for their future. There are more people out there doing things you can't believe than you could believe.
That’s probably true. I won’t doubt someone’s motives. Good for them if they can actually make it work
What’s humbling are the teachers willing to teach in conditions like these as well. If your students travel in violent neighborhoods I think it’s safe to say that the teachers have to deal with the violent culture of these areas as well. Then they have to deal with keeping kids awake, and awake enough to learn. So don’t take credit away from yourself as well. The key to changing violent cultures is schooling in my opinion.
If a student is working two full time jobs they don't need to be in school. The only way that would be possible would be if they had a technically full time job where they would work like 24 hours on the weekend and get paid for 40 and those jobs are very rare these days. Factories used to do a weekend shift just to keep things running over the weekend and keep OT down but I haven't heard of any doing it in years. Beyond all that, yes people with crappy lives do well. Yes people with silver spoons ruin their lives. Humans are equally capable of very impressive things and horrendously stupid thins.
Fighting your way to school through dangerous territory as a kid... paying your own bills.... sleep deprivation... are things that exist somewhere. But its rare. My college roommate grew up in Spanish Harlem without a dad, raised in a urine smelling tenement. He's an MD today. One of the high school students I taught in California had a drunk as a dad and a druggie as a mom. She told me I was the first adult to ever tell her she was worthwhile. Such things exist. But they are rare here in America.
My life is filled with joy and success. You life seems to have spent in quiet desperation, unable to rise above that desperation, willing to place blame on everyone else and wallowing in being a victim. Didn't I see you outside a tent on a sidewalk in San Francisco the othet day? Was that you with the needle and the drugs? You're right... that's not my world. Enjoy yours. I sure enjoy mine.
And there's a lot worse out there, but still so many of these kids try so damn hard under such trying circumstances.
I think some would rather not listen to others life stories. I’ve seen drive by shootings in person as a kid and I grew up in a nice area. I’m sure some areas are much more dangerous than I understand. So I’ll listen to others to see how their lives are. Everyone has hardships and some peoples are worse than others in one arena yet not in other ways. hopefully the kids you speak of get good jobs in the future. People with hardships can make it in life if they focus their frustrations in the right way.
I could tell you some stories that would break your heart, but I won't share those here. Some things people don't need to know.
