Thursday, January 5, 2012

A New Year


It’s always difficult coming back from a break. The holiday season is especially difficult because it can be a very emotional time for the student and family. So many of our children live in extreme poverty and sometimes a warm bed or hot meal are a challenge for these families, let alone providing Christmas presents. We try to help as many families as possible through our Gift Drive, but even with presents under the tree, we can’t always fix the challenges in their home lives.

At Partnership with Children we try to give students the skills they need to cope with the challenges they face in their lives outside of school, but for some students it takes a few steps backwards to move forward. Sometimes, when starting out in the program they falter a bit when left to their own devices at home. And if a child felt ignored over the holiday, he may start acting out again in class or bullying other students, just to gain attention.

I’m not really sure what the rest of this week will bring. The students have been home for over a week now, without Partnership’s help. Some students might be just as I left them but others might have regressed a bit.
I always hope for the best, but know after a break like this it can get challenging. In this line of work, every day is a new day and I just need to keep pushing ahead.