Are you guys through yet?

This one comment has stuck in my mind.
[color=brown]“Children live for months with pain that grown-ups would find unendurable. The gradual attrition of accepted pain erodes their energy and aspirationsâ€

Let me say that yes, I am shocked and disgusted that people have allowed school and towns to get so bad. You know it happens, but it just doesn't seem real until you actually read about it.

As I was reading about the East St. Louis situation, I could relate in a much smaller scale to the sewage problems. I recently moved to a new house and in part due to the fact that I had sewage backing up in my own yard. It was the fault of the plumber who came to dig a drainage ditch in which the water from the washing machine and shower drained into. This was an older house in the country and was common. When they were digging the trench, they main sewer line was busted. The plumber did not fix the problem, just covered it up. When the first good rain came...so did the sewage. (I would like to add that this is in no way a reflection of the landlords that I had...they were wonderful people and tried to get the situation remedied. It took some time as no other plumber wanted to touch it since the other one had screwed it up. I still don't know if it has been fixed.)

It was gross and disgusting and I cannot imagine having to live in this situation on a daily basis. I did for almost 3 months and it turns my stomach to think that children have to go through this everyday. Something needs to be done. Why doesn't the county, state, and federal government do something...not only for the schools, but for the struggling families also.

It really bothers me that we see so much aid and assitance going to other countries to feed their poor and to help keep them healthy when that same help is needed right under our noses.

Randy, I agree with you and Amanda. The lady that teaches with me has a student in her class that needs glasses. He has owned a pair of glasses, but misplaced them. Mom has a great job and is fully capable of taking him to get a knew pair, she just won't take the time. Her job is her life, not her children.

I agree with what you said about helping other countries when we have problems like this in America. I feel like packing shoe boxes with supplies and sending them to East St. Louis schoolchildren.

The conditions just turned my stomach. When the author talked about school closing for the day because of sewage backing up in the kitchen and then opening the next day, my thoughts were "How could you have sanitized this area so quickly and be ready to prepare food?" and then "Who would want to eat any food that had been saved after clean-up?"

I agree...I wouldn't eat the food there if my life depended on it. I am too picky the way it is and sometimes don't want to eat the food in the cafeteria at my school...even though I know it is clean. But that is just disgusting.

Hey, guys. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who was so terribly distrubed by this book. Wasn't it hard to read??? Did anyone else have trouble getting the images of those kids and the horrible conditions out of your mind? I did.

I posted (I think) a message about Savage on Friday. Did anyone see it? I'm still trying to navigate my way through the boards. This is all new to me. Hopefully we can touch base and overview the basics in class on Wed.

On a lighter note, I read Ender's Game. As of Friday Barnes & Noble had 3 copies left. You may want to stop by tonight a secure a copy if you haven't already. I love that book!! Can't wait until we all read it - it'll be a good one for discussion.

Regina

They were out of copies by Sunday

My father was a man of great wisdom. Several years ago prior to his passing,we would on many occassions have those father, daughter heart to heart conversations. I shared with him the fact, there are so many hungry, suffering children in the world, and I'm going to try to do something to help. I shared a letter that I received from an international organzition along with a picture of a child. I was excited about meeting the need of the child in a monitary way to say the least! In my excitement Dad looked at me and said in just a few words, "charity begins at home", end of conversation... When I read of the horror and terrible conditions of E. St. Louis, home of many disadvantaged families and children, need a lot of charity.

I had a student last Tuesday that almost died because his mother did not get him the right medication for his asthma, his great grandmother was up all night and had given him 3 breathing treatments and he still wanted to school. Needless to say, when he came he was gasping for breath so we called 911. I rode in the ambulance with him and met his mother in ER. She was so cold and unfeeling towards him. Later that day, they almost lost him. I went back to the hospital that afternoon and the first thing he wanted to know was if he could come back to school the next day. That night he got worse and had to be transferred to Baptist Hospital, ICU. That baby stayed up there by himself. He came home for two days and was in another hospital for 3 days. Today he comes back and is still having trouble breathing. He is sent home and we find out the greatgrand mother gave the mom the money for the meds and they were not bought. I'm ready to get DSS involved but the SOCIAL WORKER wants to wait. I'm really frustrated how the system is not protecting these children. Sorry this is so long, but I'm really upset about this child.

Erica....I think I would go over the Social Workers head...that really needs to be taken care of...is the Social Worker afraid of the family? Isn't that their job?

Erica,

I think the fact that your student wants to be at school says a lot about his home life and school life!