By: Jennifer Bergeron

Jennifer Bergeron — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:03:27 +0000

Ms. Bracey Harris’s article “Homework in a McDonald’s parking lot: Inside one mother’s fight to help her kids get an education during coronavirus” brought me right back to that McDonalds in Greenville MS. I lived in Greenville from 1979 – 1989, and was a teacher in the Greenville Public Schools from 1986 – 1989. It is an understatement to say that it is a high-poverty area. I remember children telling me the only meals they ate were the breakfast and lunch they had when they came to school, and judging by the way they wolfed those meals down and cleaned their plates, I believed them. Students came to school without socks – I bought socks. They had coats with no buttons – I sewed on buttons. But they were greatly eager to learn and desperately wanted a better life, and their parents very much wanted them to have a better situation. I cannot imagine how those teachers are trying to cope with teaching students who don’t have access to technology, who live with families just trying to survive in a situation that was already barely survivable.
I’ve been enjoying Ms. Harris’s other articles as well. I hope the focus on the MS Delta continues, as it is an area that absolutely is in need.

Comments on: Homework in a McDonald’s parking lot: Inside one mother’s fight to help her kids get an education during coronavirus

By: Jennifer Bergeron