phoenixgirl
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2003
- Messages
- 3,390
Luckily, this post is not about me.
We're not super rich with the market the way it is, but we're fine.
Anyway, last year I was the new teacher in my department's mentor. I remember being the person who had to inform that, unfortunately, the county only paid us once a month, so even though you started doing work stuff in mid to late August, you wouldn't get paid until the end of September. We took her out to a baseball game as a get-to-know-you type thing. I remember being a little surprised at how many beers and hot dogs she had on our bill (we said we'd pay, but I'd have been the "Oh, no, I can't have another one" type person).
Anyway, since the school year started, she has mentioned several times the following facts:
*she is so poor she has entered credit counseling (remember, she is 23)
*she is so poor she doesn't eat lunch
*she is so poor [fill in the blank]
So I brought her some left-overs last week, and I gave her a granola bar and my pretzel snacks the day I found her not eating. She didn't seem embarrassed and had them for lunch. She mentioned another teacher offering to loan her money (not going to go there). But yet when I ask about all her family members that I know of, or her close friend/roommate who works at our school, she says, no no no, they couldn't help because [fill in the excuse]. I get having friends or family who can't help because of their own financial situations, but I don't get:
*not eating at all (can't you buy bread and peanut butter? borrow/sneak from your roommate?)
*being SOOOO open about her problems with acquaintances/coworkers, but not with family
I get being poor. We teachers definitely don't get paid enough. But then she was wearing a new Ann Taylor dress the other week. Sure, maybe it was a gift or borrowed, but still . . . SOMETHING just doesn't add up. I don't want a poor young woman to starve, but I also don't want to feel obligated to pack two lunches, one for me and one for someone who may think I'm some rich old married woman she can take advantage of. How can you really not have money for lunch? Our students are not rich by any means, far from it, and yet a kid not eating anything at all for lunch is something I've rarely seen. The one time I did see it, I loaned the girl lunch money, and she paid me back within the week. And maybe I've given a granola bar here and there. But this just smacks of irresponsibility to me, yet I can't quite put my finger on it.
Any insight anyone?
Anyway, last year I was the new teacher in my department's mentor. I remember being the person who had to inform that, unfortunately, the county only paid us once a month, so even though you started doing work stuff in mid to late August, you wouldn't get paid until the end of September. We took her out to a baseball game as a get-to-know-you type thing. I remember being a little surprised at how many beers and hot dogs she had on our bill (we said we'd pay, but I'd have been the "Oh, no, I can't have another one" type person).
Anyway, since the school year started, she has mentioned several times the following facts:
*she is so poor she has entered credit counseling (remember, she is 23)
*she is so poor she doesn't eat lunch
*she is so poor [fill in the blank]
So I brought her some left-overs last week, and I gave her a granola bar and my pretzel snacks the day I found her not eating. She didn't seem embarrassed and had them for lunch. She mentioned another teacher offering to loan her money (not going to go there). But yet when I ask about all her family members that I know of, or her close friend/roommate who works at our school, she says, no no no, they couldn't help because [fill in the excuse]. I get having friends or family who can't help because of their own financial situations, but I don't get:
*not eating at all (can't you buy bread and peanut butter? borrow/sneak from your roommate?)
*being SOOOO open about her problems with acquaintances/coworkers, but not with family
I get being poor. We teachers definitely don't get paid enough. But then she was wearing a new Ann Taylor dress the other week. Sure, maybe it was a gift or borrowed, but still . . . SOMETHING just doesn't add up. I don't want a poor young woman to starve, but I also don't want to feel obligated to pack two lunches, one for me and one for someone who may think I'm some rich old married woman she can take advantage of. How can you really not have money for lunch? Our students are not rich by any means, far from it, and yet a kid not eating anything at all for lunch is something I've rarely seen. The one time I did see it, I loaned the girl lunch money, and she paid me back within the week. And maybe I've given a granola bar here and there. But this just smacks of irresponsibility to me, yet I can't quite put my finger on it.
Any insight anyone?
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