Teaching Story 5

This is a story about Robert. Robert was in the fourth grade and homeless. Robert had set a record for most suspensions and ripping apart the class/ school the previous year. I was new at this school. At the teacher inservice before school started a lady came into my class crying.

She, Robert, an older brother, little sister and baby brother were homeless and school started in 2 days. They had lived in low income housing but at an inspection, the house did not meet standards so they had to leave the home: HOMELESS! Mom and 4 kids.

They were living in the car just outside my school. Robert was big and he had a separation problem mom told me. He will hold on to mom with a death grip when mom was to leave. When the separation took place, he would explode and get objects and throw them. It was a regular pattern mom said. She cried that she wanted Robert to do well in school. She knew it was important. Robert could not read, write or do math. I told mom that I would take control of Robert when she needed to leave and I would stop and dangerous behaviors. i went out to the car and talked to Robert. He seemed very shy.

They spent the last few nights in the car by the school. The first day came and mom was in with Robert in tow. Robert was almost as big as mom and hiding behind her. I showed him the room and got him a snack and mom left uneventfully. He did well. The counselor came in and we talked to her about finding housing for Robert's family. She went out to the car and talked to mom after talking to Robert and I. We got his family into a motel until housing came available. The counselor found furniture for them. Robert worked hard in school after this. The separation problem did happen a dozen times but I would pull him off mom and he would try to throw but we took him away from others and things. It took less time and less intense with each episode.

He did have blowouts during the year, but much less than before. He learned to read and do math. He even went in front of the school board because of his great gains. He had two great years and I was pleased to be his teacher.