An Exercise In Expression –

Examining The Hardships Of Homelessness

By Tanjua Damon

Seventh grade students in Karen Kirch’s English Language Arts class at Newtown Middle School had no idea what Friday’s class was going to be like. They only knew to bring a coat with them.

With the first real snow falling behind the middle school, the class huddled in a group trying to stay warm. Some white boxes sat off in the distance.  The boxes became “home” for the students for just a few minutes, but for some a few minutes was enough to convince them they would never want to face the hardships of homelessness. 

The experience is the beginning of a class unit on social issues. The unit will show the seventh grade students how to express themselves in a way that is effective. The students will view persuasive writing and public service announcements as examples of effective expression, according to Ms Kirch. This year the snow happened to fall just at the right time for students to realize the impact homelessness can have on people during the winter.

Class began Friday with a scenario by Ms Kirch. She told the students they had just entered the Twilight Zone and what they woke up with is all that they have. Then the students went outside and were told they were looking for shelter since they had been walking around all day. At this point five or six students went into one of the boxes, which also contained some newspapers, and had to stay there for a few minutes.

“It was cold. It was kind of cramped. And there was snow in it so I got wet,” Alicia Kulp said after her time in the box. “It makes me realize that they don’t have it the best. We already have so much and still want and want. We have it really good. It makes me feel bad for the homeless.”

Several students agreed that the boxes were cramped and the cold made it uncomfortable to have to be outside in the snow.

“It’s really freezing and cold. The snow makes it wet,” Karli Beitel said. “It makes me realize what they [homeless] do go through.  And they have to live day by day in cold temperatures.”

Amanda Roy found the experience difficult to imagine as a reality for herself.

“I guess I really couldn’t imagine being homeless,” she said. “Because it was so cold and boring.”

Once the students arrived back in the classroom, they filled out a reflection sheet about what they saw, heard, smelled, felt, and thought. The students also were asked to fill out the same reflections in their beds.

One student’s reflection stated she could smell the cold crisp air and hear the rustling of newspapers in a box near hers. She thought about the reality of not having a warm place to return to.

Another student could hear the snow hitting the box and her own breathing. She said she felt freezing cold and numb while inside the box.

Other students reflected on how hard the ground felt and that their breath warmed their faces. Some even stated they started to worry.

During seventh grade, students learn how to express themselves, according to Ms Kirch.

“The main part of the entire year is to get seventh graders to express their opinions,” she said. “This is presented in the textbook. This fits into expressing their own opinions in a way that will affect people.”

The homeless unit is one way for the students to learn about expressing themselves not only through writing, but also through a project. Ms Kirch said the students all are affected differently by the social topic. Some students will volunteer at a soup kitchen, others will write reports based on facts and information, while others will make something and donate it to a homeless person.

“Some students become very emotional about this. This assignment allows them to decide,” Ms Kirch said. “They explore and find out every homeless person’s story is very different. You can befriend them. You can help them and what impact one person can have on another person. They all come up with very different ideas.”