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THREAD: I once taught the most wonderful young lady who had a constant smile and wicked laugh. One day, out of nowhere, she broke down. I took her for a chat and she admitted she was just very hungry. It turns out mum had lost her job in cuts and had to wait weeks for benefits.
She hadn’t said anything because she didn’t want anyone to think badly of mum, who she was so proud of as a single mother who had brought her and her siblings up on her own, but that day she was struggling to cope. She was struggling because it was her birthday.
She didn’t want anything for her birthday but for mum to be able to smile again, at which point I was struggling to hold it together. She took her siblings to school in the morning and used to meet up with one of the young men in her class whose behaviour was challenging.
For the past week he had been asking if they could pop in the shop on the way. He had come out every morning with packs of sweets or chocolate bars and out one in each of their pockets. She wanted me to know that deep down he was kind.
Obviously, by the end of the day we had made sure that both her and her siblings at a local primary were sorted for dinners for the foreseeable. We also helped mum with the support she needed and assured her she was part of a community that would support. I cried that night.
The next year I had a hug from mum at a Parent’s evening and the young lady went on to achieve above her target at GCSE and went off to college. She was by no means the only child I have ever taught who was hungry. I’ve lost count. But she is the story that affected me the most.
So good on people like @MarcusRashford for actually trying to do something about something that shouldn’t happen. And utter shame on those MPs who voted to keep hungry children worrying about when their next meal might be. Hang your heads.
