Everyone needs a support system that they can trust, especially students. If a student does not feel comfortable in their own home, how can we expect them to feel comfortable at school? Some teachers assume that the parents of a child are someone that the child can trust and talk to, but that is not always true. It is important for teachers to realize the role they play, as a support system for many students. On Monday, I attended the Plight of Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth lecture. The keynote speaker, Ryan Berg, the author of No House to Call My Home: Love, Family, & Other Transgressions, spoke about his time in New York. Berg told about his work he did in New York working with LGBTQ+ youth in foster care and those who did not have permanent …show more content…
These youth are more likely to be homeless than anyone else is. Personally, that makes me sick. I do not understand how their parents could no longer want them in their house for something as trivial as sexual orientation. These kids are not in control of how they feel, and yet everyday children are kicked out of their house, because of something that is out of their control. I believe that Barbara is safe now because of Berg. Berg was her support in her time of distress. Berg is a perfect example of what I believe a teacher should strive to be, a support system. One teacher alone cannot save every student that is going through a hard time, but if the students know that, a teacher is there for them, it could change someone’s life. Each student has different Funds of Knowledge, and teachers have to realize that. Students come from many different backgrounds and home lives, and sometimes a teacher might be the only trusted adult someone has. I have a very strong relationship with my parents, but that did not change that fact that I needed more than just their help with my depression. Students are at school for eight hours a day, not including extra curricular activities. For many students that is more time then they will spend with their family in one day. For some students it is easier to connect with a teacher, because that may be who they spend the most time with. Every child is different, because of their Funds of Knowledge, yet every child will need their teacher in some way or another. That is why it is important for teachers to remember where their students are coming from and to demonstrate that they will be there for them no matter