Key Insight 2
The importance of support for underserved children
From my time in community service, I have found that one of the most impactful experiences is working with children. They are so adaptable and insightful, and able to bounce back from vast situations - but they are also vulnerable. Most underserved children are in circumstances that they cannot control, whether that involves food insecurity, housing insecurity, familial issues, or a number of other factors. Those of us lucky enough to work and volunteer with children in underserved schools have the important role of supporting them and aiming to provide equal resources for them, no matter their situations.
WTC Artifact
When first coming to the University of South Carolina, I did not understand the severe difference of resources and opportunities provided to students at well-funded schools as opposed to those in underserved areas. When taking my SOWK 303 course, Social Work With Children, Youth, and Families, I learned how often those in underfunded schools are overlooked and not given the tools and mentorship needed to succeed. The class covered explanations on what resources were available to students and the problem of inequality in funding. Some schools have one or multiple social workers there to provide support for students that need it, while others do not have any. Some large schools only have one social worker for a very expansive and diverse population, making it impossible for them to effectively reach each student. This opened my eyes to how many students in need are likely to fall through the cracks, simply due to inequality in resources. It was also noted in coursework that the statistics of not completing education, crime, and disease in underfunded schools were significantly higher than well-funded ones. When students are given what they need to succeed and prosper in life, they most often are able to. Not providing these opportunities for children sets them up for failure compared to their counterparts in areas with more resources. My artifact includes notes taken in class on unequal funding and how that transfers into the school setting.
In my beyond the classroom experience, I served as a one-on-one mentor at an underserved middle school through the Generation Gamecock program. In this experience, I was assigned one female student that I met with three times a month. During this time, we could discuss whatever she wanted to, whether it was friend troubles, class problems, or family situations. I learned through my time with this student that she was experiencing a lot of familial struggles, and was not able to get the assistance she needed to help complete her homework and studying during this traumatic experience as the school was understaffed due to funding. This was causing her to fall behind in her classes, and her grades were alarmingly low. All of this stress and hardship just added onto the negative emotions she was feeling from her home situation. Knowing this, the majority of our sessions were spent completing homework and reviewing for tests and quizzes. The more time I spent with this student, the more I realized how intelligent she is. She learns quickly and is able to apply knowledge in a way that is very impressive for any student. If she was looked at broadly just through her grades and school behavior, she could easily be written off by an understaffed and underfunded school as a troublemaker. When resources were poured into her, though, she was able to thrive. Her grades and moods improved, and her teachers enjoyed having her in the classroom. This experience really showed me how necessary support is for children in situations like my mentee. She deserved patience, support, and help just as much as any child at any other school, no matter her home situation. After spending time with her, I noted big points from our meetings through journal entries. Seeing the progress in each visit is truly astounding.
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Without my time with this population through community service, I never would have understood the extreme need for resources and assistance in underserved schools. So many incredible students exist in hard situations, and the entire trajectory of their life could be changed through the support of staff and volunteers who care for them.