I teach in Southfield, Michigan which is a suburb of Detroit. Many of my students live in Detroit, but commute to Southfield. Detroit is only 16 miles from Southfield. Many of my students find it amusing when we have to practice a tornado drill. I then have to remind them about the tornado that hit Hamtramck and Highland Park in 1997. There were 13 tornadoes that hit Southeastern Michigan, which Southfield is apart.
Many of my students receive free or reduce lunch (90%). This means that I teach many students that are considered to be living in poverty. Because of the high percentage of poverty that I teach, some of my students have trouble grasping concepts that are not currently happening to them.
Even though we recently haven’t had tornadoes rip through Southeast Michigan, there have been many storms that contributed to power outages and electrical fires. When a storm like this occurs, it could potential put people out of their homes. I think a great agency for students and parents to become involved with is Habitat for Humanity.
Ultimately, if a family or students can volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, their current situation doesn’t seem as much as a loss. When a person feels like they are helping out, they start feeling better and are more willing to seek ways to get out of a current situation that could be bringing them down.
Resources
1997 Southeast Michigan Tornado outbreak. (2011). Retrieved from
Habitat for Humanity http://www.habitat.org/getinv/volunteer_programs.aspx
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful cause. When I worked in a hospital on the east side of Cleveland, there were a number of people that participated in Habitat for Humanity. It was so convenient because it was close to work, and you could see the benefit to the community.
If you are interested, there is a great website at:
http://www.dosomething.org/
which also suggests ways for students to become involved in their community. Amy