Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

                     When I think about the children I teach, many of them have dealt with or are currently dealing with the stressor of living in poverty.  All of my students come from low-income families, so they struggle to survive on a daily basis.  These children try to survive poverty by sometimes not eating, for their parents sometimes do not have the money and/or the resources to provide for their family.  Many of my students have parents who rely on public assistance for survival, for they do not have the accessibility to obtain other resources.  Unfortunately, this is how some of my children’s families deal with growing up poor.  At my job, my colleagues and I try to compensate the children by feeding the children breakfast, lunch, and a snack before they go home so that they can have enough food to eat.
            The country that I want to know more about is Syria.  Although I do not have an affinity for this country, the stressor that the country is dealing with is constant warfare.  This can impact the lives of the children in Syria because the violence is damaging their cognitive development. Children are unable to go outside, and some of them have even decided to participate in war.  It seems that the only way to minimize the harm that is done to the children in Syria is what the United States and some other countries are doing; fighting against them in war. According BBC News (2017), “Their military, financial and political support for the government and opposition has contributed directly to the intensification and continuation of the fighting, and turned Syria into a proxy battleground” (p.1).  Children in Syria are unsafe there because of war, so they cannot go outside to play much.  This resembles Chicago, for the children here are not able to freely go outside because of the shootings in the city; in a way, Chicago can be considered a war zone.
                                                References
BBC News. (2017). Why is there a war in Syria? Retrieved from
 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35806229.



            

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 30, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    Teresa,
    I enjoyed reading your post. It was very touching, and it is so sad what so many young children have to go through by not having what they need, especially food! I also experience the same problems you mentioned in my classroom. I too do whatever I can for my students, from buying underwear, socks, and providing extra food to those in need. I also work closely with my classroom's family service worker to find out what resources are available to assist my families and students. Continue helping in every way you can, you are a blessing to so many!

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