My voice...

Politics is something you either love or you hate.  I guess there are those who love to hate it.  Regardless, it's the way things get done in our society.  We listen, read, make a decision, then vote for the candidate of our choice.  That's how it's supposed to work in a democracy, right?  But what if you have no voice?

People who live in poverty often have no voice.  While many of us who have been educated, or have chosen to educate ourselves, vote every chance we get, there are millions who don't.  And probably have no desire to do so.  So what to do about those who have no voice, and sometimes, no inclination to develop that voice?  Do we ignore them?  Or do we use our voice to speak to them and for them?  It's a disconcerting dilemma.

Reading the comments posted on theWichita Eagle website regarding the article by Suzanne Tobias, I'm worried.  I've been worried for some time now about what the future holds for my grandaughter, and future grandchildren. I'm worried about the financial state of our country, like many.  But I think I'm equally concerned about those without voices.  Because this group is growing larger every year.  More children live in poverty now than ever before.  And the chasm between those that have, and those that don't, continues to increase. 

Using one's voice to speak for others isn't something that comes easily to most.  Many people are worried to share their thoughts or their views.  The fear of insulting someone, fear of feeling alone with your beliefs, even fear for a job will prevent people from speaking out.  I wouldn't categorize myself as one of those people.  Much to opposite and probably at the cost of pushing people's buttons and most likely, pissing people off.  But what if the button I push is the right one?  What if getting under someone's skin makes them think outside their safety net, and think a little differently about an issue? What if, I actually change someone's mind?  I cling to the hope that I can do this.  Especially for kids.  I've seen too much in the past ten years, to be quiet.

I had coffee today with a wonderful gentleman who is running for school board.  He is a retired business man, and most likely, he and I probably don't share many of the same political views.  But he is beginning to see the bigger picture of what public school districts have become in the past fifty years.  They are nothing more than a reflection of our society as a whole.  As more people live in poverty and use (or misuse in some cases) government assistance, this spills over to schools.  With the advent of special education, FAPE, ADA and many other government mandates, schools have become the repsitory of many of societies ills.  Children are hungry, physically and emotionally.  Their lives are filled with constant change and chaos.  They lack medical and dental care, and the adults in their lives are developmentally unprepared to be parents.  These children are fundamentally unready and ill equipped to be students who do well on state testing or with school expectations.  Yet, we continue to take away and take away from them in one of the only places where they have the most opportunity to thrive, their school.

Abraham Maslow proposed in a 1943 paper, that the most fundamental needs of a person are physiological.  The other needs are security, friendship and love, and esteem.  When these needs aren't met, an individual is not capable of having the strong desire or motivation to reach what he called "self-actualization."  This category includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts. Sounds a lot like school expectations. Herein lies the need for RNs in schools. If we help a child to have his physiological needs met, we help him to begin inching his way along this heirarchy and hopefully able to become a life long learner.

If you've been following my blogs, you'll see I've been criticized by someone who believes that the school RNs opposition to giving over the counter medications with parental consent only, has hurt the cause of keeping RNs in schools.  I wish it were that easy to explain.  School RNs in Wichita are acutely aware that their are children who live with pain and suffering every day.  We've seen their mouths full of rotten teeth.  Their headaches from the stress of their family lives.  The lice, the filth, the mildewed clothes. We've seen the anxiety, depression and mental health issues that is occurring in far too many children, far too young.  And we know, because we are RNs, the physiological reasons these things are occuring.  We recognize Maslow's theory in reality, and we work as hard as we possibly can to reach out and make a difference. 

Have you heard the story about the beach filled with starfish who were washed ashore during a storm?  A man walking along the beach saw a little boy throwing a starfish back into the sea.  The man approached the boy and said "Why are you wasting your time?  It won't matter because all these starfish will die."  The boy looked him in the eye and replied, "It mattered to that one."  So, I use my voice....