Moving From the Streets to the Classroom: Understanding the Teacher\u27s Role for Creating a Robust Education for Homeless Youth in the Classroom

Homeless youth within the educational system have been neglected through the lack of teacher education. Teachers have been misdirected through their education in the Bachelor of Arts degree and the teacher credential program. They are learning how to teach to an “ideal” classroom with students who are always ready and mentally prepared to learn. Teachers are not made aware that every student brings a different background to the classroom, and how that background could affect their academics and behavior. Teachers are unaware on how to deal with issues such as homelessness in the classroom, and that the students’ situations outside of the school grounds could be very traumatic. This has led to a deficiency for a robust education that homeless youth deserve. Some deficiencies that results are students’ experience academic struggle, lack of interest in school, and behavioral issues. The experience of homelessness is considered traumatic due to the effect on emotional stress, emotional well-being, lack of control of environment, and feeling helpless. Research for this paper was conducted by interviewing four teachers and two principals who have dealt with homelessness in the educational system. Through the knowledge that was gained, I created a trauma informed curriculum for the Liberal Studies B.A that enables education to teachers on how to adjust to homeless youth in the classroom. They will learn through the curriculum how to see signs of trauma in a child; they will learn why that matters, and they will learn how to assist a child in that situation through resources and accommodating schoolwork