Social Awareness Project

Poem:

The Angry Hand

I feel the stinging pain

All over my body

Walking all over my skin,

hurting me.

It’s all because of the hand.

The Angry Hand.

Hurting me every time I do something wrong,

but I’m only human.

The person of that hand doesn’t treat me nice.

That hand of theirs always smacking me,

or hitting me,

or punching me.

I have to leave, but I’m afraid that the angry hand will find me.

So I just stay facing

The Angry Hand…

for now.

It was actually easy for me to write this poem.  I wanted to keep adding on to it, but decided to just leave it the way it is, because I wanted the readers to wonder what happens after they read the poem.  To write this poem, I thought about how an abused child would write a poem.  I really enjoyed writing this poem.

Interviews:

Aunt Nilsa - who is a Deaf Education teacher.

How’s it like being a teacher for deaf kids?

I like and enjoy it very much, it can be tough and challenging, but it is always rewarding.  You do have to have a lot of patience.

Do you like your job?

I like my job.  I like it a lot.  I actually love my job.  I love the kids, especially during the holidays where we have lots of fun.

Why did you want to be a teacher for deaf students?

I wanted to work for kids who would appreciate communication, because it’s such a struggle for these children.

How do deaf kids learn?

Learning for them is difficult, but they can learn.  It takes a lot of time and a lot of repetition. You have to use sign language and finger spelling.  Reading and writing can be a challenge for them.  The easiest subject for them is gym.

How do the kids act?

They pretty much act like regular kids.  It depends on their individual personality.  Some can be sweet, others can be stubborn.  Some can be kind and some can be mean.  Some can be friendly while others are introverted.

Cousin Daniel – who has recently undergone a bone marrow transplant to help him rid of Sickle Cell Anemia, and now helps other kids that are sick in the hospital.

There is a show called Red Band Society about what it’s like being a sick kid and being in the hospital.  What are your thoughts on it?

I feel that it doesn’t portray reality of what it is to be in a hospital and very ill.   In reality, you wouldn’t really make friends as easily as in the show. It’s not very realistic.  I feel that it is kind of dumb that they are trying to portray a positive view, but it isn’t reality.

How was it like being in the hospital for treatment last summer?

It was okay, I guess.  Very boring.  Once I left the hospital to sleep at the Ronald McDonald House I felt relieved.  I also realized that a lot of my friends were ignoring me and not really talking to me, except for three of my closest friends.  Once I finally got back to school, people were still ignoring me, which hurt me a little.

What/who did you miss when you were at the hospital?

I missed home.  I missed the feeling of being home.  I missed being in my own bed.  I just missed that comfortable feeling that your home gives you.

What are your thoughts on kids that aren’t sick and don’t have diseases, or cancer, or illnesses?

I hate to say this, but I feel that every kid should feel the emotions that I went through while in the hospital.  It would open their eyes to really show how crummy life can be sometimes.  Kids may even stop being ungrateful brats.  There is one expression that I always liked which was that there is always someone worse off than you, which reminds you that you should be grateful of what you have, because there is always someone who has it worse.  Nowadays, lots of kids can be ungrateful for what they have because they don’t know what it is to be extremely ill.  Yes, kids are always going to be spoiled and ungrateful at times, they are kids, but at least should try to be more grateful and appreciate life, and then look at a sick kid’s life.  I had to spend some holidays and even a birthday in the hospital.  I didn’t get to spend time with all of my friends and family, I wasn’t even home.  When I would get a cold, I had to go back into the hospital while the average kid just rests in bed and let the cold run its course.  So I feel that kids need to be more respectful and grateful, to their friends, families, themselves for being healthy, and just for having a normal, healthy life.

How did you feel when you were cured?

I didn’t really feel anything.  I did feel relieved and prayed that everyone turned out positive.  I felt the same, but I was happy.  To me it really wasn’t anything special, although I knew it really was.

How do you help others?

Whenever I am able to, I go the hospital where I spent last summer.  Of course I can’t always go, but when I can, I do.  It is several hours away from where I live.  I help serve food, deliver gifts sent to the hospital to distribute to others who are currently there, and spend time with the kids there.  It makes me feel good to help kids that are sick, like I was.

My mom – who is a working, single parent.

What is it like to be a single parent?

For me it is satisfying.  I did not choose this path, as I would have loved to have been a part of a whole family unit (i.e., father, mother and child(ren)).  However, I am a single parent and have learned to be very happy with my life.

Do you ever get jealous of stay at home parents?

No.  I am almost 50 and I have always worked.  I began working at the age of 15, and have never been unemployed.  If some people can afford being a stay at home parent, I think it’s great for the individual person.  For me, I need to work.  I like to work.

How do children of single parents differ from children of non-single parents?

I can’t speak for anyone else.  But Mark is a great kid.  We live in a great neighborhood; have a roof over our heads and a loving, supportive family.  As long as you have that, it doesn’t matter whether your child comes from a single parent or a non-single parent home.

Reading Response:

One of my favorite books that I’ve read is the book Wonder.  I would say that this book definitely has a social issue.  The social issue is bullying and trying to fit in with your peers. The book is about a boy named August that has a deformity.  He has been homeschooled since 4^th grade and has now decided to go to attend a school.  When he goes to school he makes a few friends, but a lot of kids think he’s gross and a freak.  He faces many obstacles along the way just by being a kid trying to fit in with everyone else.

When August goes to school a kid named Julian starts to pick on him.  He doesn’t really like August and doesn’t feel that he belongs in the school.  Then Julian tells his Mother about August, who then tries to get August out of the school.  I feel that people can really be mean to other people that are “different.”  I think that everyone should be treated the same, no matter what they look like.  Some people aren’t considerate of the feelings of other people.  They forget that they are people too.  My question is why would a person want to kick someone out of school?  Is it because they don’t look like most people?

People need to stop making fun of others or treating them like they aren’t just as important as others because they are different than your average person.  We are all human, and nobody is alike, and that’s what makes you different than everyone else.  So if you feel like you don’t fit in, be yourself, and if anyone disagrees, then that’s their problem.