Dear Bex!

I am a teacher. I work in a middle school that suffers from some pretty harsh economic problems. In this school there are a disproportionate number of students who are homeless, hungry, and hurting. We see a host of problems that are holding these kids back from achieving what they are capable of. Many of my students don’t care about their work and grades, and while that is common among this age group, they also don’t have successful adult role models to care for them or help navigate them. These are stories we see in public schools across the nation throughout our towns and cities, way too often. Now, being involved with this community, I am gaining a deeper and deeper perspective of the effects this life has on these young people. 

Today a group of 3 sixth grade girls came to my room in tears; they are…