People in this world, helping children, from less fortunate backgrounds, the stories of these, dedicated, educators, from the Front Page Sections, translated…
From before when I’d visited a free afterschool help foundation, it’d taken in the children who are from poverty-stricken backgrounds, raised by grandparents, single-parent families, or just those children who weren’t looked after; the workers at the foundation told, that originally, they’d only taken on helping the students with their homework, but as they saw how some of these children didn’t have any food when they got home, or that they’d, had only candy and cookies, and so, the workers prepared the meals for the students, and fed them before they were, sent home.
I’d, greeted the kids there, held conversations with them, one of the child told me, “I think god is so unfair, I’m from a single-parent family, I don’t have a mother, a lot of my classmates have things that I don’t have………”, I’d found, that although he was, describing to me how unfair life’s treated him, but, he’d carried that, even tone of voice, perhaps, it’s because, he felt helpless to change it, that’s why, he’d, accepted it?
a program, like this???
photo from online
The workers at the foundation told him, “you can work harder, to change your life!”, that child stared with his empty gaze toward the distances, without an answer. The worker kept on, encouraging him, and he’d finally replied, “I don’t need to work hard, and a school will take me just the same.”, it was, so discouraging to hear him say that.
“The fates are, really unfair!”, I’d, stated, and, it’d, caused the child to turn around and looked at me; I’d, found the photos of my students I’d taught from before, showed it to him, “this good looking lad, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was young, I’m guessing, he’d, wanted to, run and play, with other children too! But, he’d had a hard time, sitting up straight, because he would, slide out of his chair, so he had to be, died down by a rope; I’m guessing, he’d, wanted to, play the video games too! But, he couldn’t, because he didn’t have enough muscle strengths in his hands and arms, it’d, taken him double the time and energy, to write one character, he must feel, that fate isn’t, fair to him either!”
As the child looked at the photograph, he’d, fallen, silent, I’d, found the FB account of that student and showed it to him, “he said he was, a hopeless optimist, look at how he was, transported in his wheelchair by his family to the various schools to make the speeches, sharing the discoveries he’d made in his life, he is the one, with the most rights to complain about fate, but he’d not, stopped living, and got trapped, in his own, misery, instead, he’d, moved on with his life, optimistically.”
The child remained silent, I’d, not lectured him, instead, allowed him to think, and continued holding conversation with the other children who were there.
“The volunteer instructors are most worried over how the children were affected by their families of origins, and it’d, taken hope away from their futures, we’re not, that worried about not getting the funding”, as I, finished my tour, the workers told me worriedly, of their beliefs, mentioned how they saw a child with a very good handwriting, they’d had an instructor teach him calligraphy, and, stayed close by to watch him learn. “It’s like how we’re, looking at our own children while they’d, worked on their own assignments too, encouraging him, and from before, someone came to visit, and asked how he was, able to have such neat handwriting, he’d, pointed at me coldly, said, she’d, made me learn it.”
activities such as this one, that can help children develop their reading skills…photo found online
“Listen to him, how can he be so cold, and told the visitor that I was, pushing him to learn it”, I couldn’t help but chuckled, as the worker told me, “You should be glad of that! It wasn’t cold or aloofness from him, it’s his way of saying, that thanks to you, finding him a calligraphy teacher. Think of how little cultural stimulation these children are receiving, they didn’t have good background to get raised in, how do you expect them to show their gratitude the way you and I show it?”
I’d continued, “in this place, they’d gotten fed, and can feel that someone CARED for them, someone loves them, this afterschool program is the place where they can, find love in, I’m sure, that without you guys, these children won’t grow up well at all!”
I’d started giving lectures after I retired, and, visited the organizations, and saw a ton of people who’d, given quietly to education, what they’d cared most about was, how to provide children with better education, how to give them more love, they’d not cared if it’d, strained their bodies, but how much energy they have, left in them, to give another child a hand. Seeing them, I saw, the hopes of this society; seeing them, I’m, more inclined, to believe, that love hadn’t, drifted far from this society of ours.
And these, are the moments that touch us the most, seeing how children’s lives are slowly changing, because of these educators, working hard, to make a difference in these children’s lives. And, this is exactly what we need more of in this world, people who actually CARE about how children are growing up.
Life, the Obstacle Course 