Chaos In the Lives of Our Children

Being a preschool teacher in a poverty stricken community in NJ, I have a large percentage of children with stressors in their lives.  These stressors take a toll on our children in body, mind, and spirit.  Chaos is a stressor that is defined as being confusion and disorder where behavior and events aren’t controlled by anything.   The following is a narrative of what a typical scene may look like in one of my children’s lives:

“It’s a bitter cold January morning.  A nine year old little girl walks her four year old brother to school.  The streets are littered with hypodermic needles and small plastic baggies. In the distance, the morning calm is interrupted by the sounds of sirens.  The little boy, while distracted by a stray cat nosing through a discarded paper bag, realizes his sister is almost a whole block ahead of him.  He runs to catch up, but stumbles from the rubber sole falling off the front of his well-worn sneaker.  When he finally catches up to her, she snatches him up by his arm and says in a scowl “you almost got left”.  They approach an old, gray church located on the corner of a predominant drug set.  They step over a homeless man sleeping on a piece of cardboard and ring the doorbell, hoping someone answers the door quickly.  Sister walks the little boy to his classroom and half hugs him before running out the door.  The little boy proceeds through a purple trimmed doorway to the “I Am Here” board and moves his picture from “home” to “here”.  He turns as he hears footsteps behind him and sees his teacher, Ms. Karen.  “Good morning Za’amir, how was your night?” she says in a welcoming tone.  She helps him stow his belongings in his cubby and they walk to the sink to wash his hands.  He explains that he did not have a very good night.  He did not like what mommy made for dinner and that he went to sleep hungry, and also his new baby brother cried a lot.  Additionally, he is upset because he could not find his 100 book challenge book and his sister Nyonna wouldn’t wait while he looked for it that morning.  Ms. Karen hugs him tightly and says “Za’amir, breakfast will be here soon and those tummy grumbles will hush shortly.”  He goes to the writing area, gets his journal and crayons, and joins the rest of his classmates at the table for “thoughts of the day”.  A short while later, the bell sounds over the loudspeaker.  The children put their items away and line up to go to the cafeteria.  Za’amir’s eyes light up as a smile comes across his face.  The school day has begun just like it did yesterday, just like it did the day the man came to check their ears, just like it did four months ago on the first day of preschool.  As he walks by Ms. Karen standing in the doorway, he can’t help but to grab her leg and give her the biggest hug.  She looks down while rubbing his knotty hair and says “I love you Za’amir”, and then he quickly jumps back into line before losing his place.”

This hypothetical scene is very much like a typical morning in my classroom.  Many of my students come to a safe place out of the chaos and turmoil of life as they know it.  Poverty and drugs are very much a way of life in Camden, NJ.  I strive to make my classroom environment one that is inviting, positive, and child centered.  I pride myself in consistency and routine, while maintaining the need for flexibility.  My expectations, while set high, are well defined and I remind and reinforce my students in regular intervals.  I feel that this helps to promote a harmonious classroom learning climate with minimal behavior issues and distractions.  I try and instill these ideals in my families that are serviced within my school.  I provide parents with resources and points of contact that are within the community that may aide in areas that are in need within their lives. 

            Chaos is prevalent in the United States, however the UK, Canada, and other relatively industrialized and forward thinking countries are  coming in close behind.  This rise in chaos is due to a rise in poverty levels, erosion of community and family structures, teenage pregnancy, single parent homes, drug abuse, and divorce.  Society is yet to confront this growing chaos in the lives of children and families today, and it is probably going to get much worse before it gets any better.