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According to the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS), one out of seven children runs away before the age of 18, joining a homeless youth population that currently numbers between 1.3 and 2.8 million. No longer willing to tolerate difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions at home, runaway youths often discover that life on the streets is even more distressful and perilous. While their reasons for running away are diverse, most young people leave home to escape physical and/or sexual abuse, changes within the family structure, substance abuse by a family member, or parental neglect.
The challenges faced by this homeless population are monumental. Emergency shelters routinely turn young people away due to a lack of beds and restrictive admission policies. And while the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act has eliminated many enrollment obstacles, few are able to complete their education, secure work, and become self-sufficient. Being minors, most unaccompanied youth cannot legally earn money for food and basic needs and often turn to crime or prostitution, placing themselves at risk for arrest and AIDS or HIV-related illnesses. Understandably, this homeless population has a high incidence of anxiety and depression, poor health and nutrition, and low self-esteem.
For those who have already chosen life on the streets, their best hope lies, unfortunately, in the past. While many crisis intervention programs are available to help remediate homelessness after it has occurred, the more sensible option is to prevent it from happening. For runaways, this responsibility primarily falls to the family of origin, although friends and clergy also have parts to play. Classroom teachers, who are trained to look for symptomatic behaviors among their students and who have the benefit of long-term daily contact with each one, are closer to the problem than perhaps any other professional. Their compassion, stability, and guidance can be a lifeline to a scared and confused student with no other adult role model in which to confide.
Teachers—along with liaisons, counselors, and school administrators—are uniquely positioned to identify signs that a student is in danger of running away and to offer better alternatives. Not surprisingly, the best deterrent is education. By maintaining an ongoing curriculum that emphasizes critical life skills and underscores the importance of listening, communicating, problem solving, and safety, teachers can model positive behaviors and interpersonal dynamics within the classroom that can influence a student’s everyday interactions. The NRS’s Runaway Prevention Curriculum, for example, enhances self-confidence by strengthening communication and problem-solving skills. Teachers and other school personnel should also watch for erratic behaviors that suggest emotional or physical distress, such as mood swings, sudden weight gain or loss, extreme fatigue, unkempt and dirty appearance, or a sudden change in social circles. When students exhibit signs of domestic trouble, teachers can encourage communication by showing interest and being available for rapport. It is important, however, to resist probing or intrusive questions that might alienate the student. Instead, let the student open up when he or she is comfortable doing so. If a student chooses to confide in you, remain objective and avoid taking sides, which could further strain the parent-student dynamic. Instead, suggest alternatives such as counseling, family crisis programs, or reputable intervention organizations such as the National Runaway Switchboard 1-800-621-4000 or www.nrscrisisline.org).
www.nrscrisisline.org/
http://www.nrscrisisline.org/teacherguide1.pdf
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