Success Story (03/2018)

How Can I Focus?

Living in Louisville, Kentucky may be a privilege for some, but for others it offers many challenges. This is especially true if you live in “Old Louisville” (downtown south of the river), which is categorized as a neighborhood having a large population of low income individuals, and a very high crime rate. Along with these challenges it is ranked 30 out of 130 neighborhoods in Kentucky for it’s poor quality of education. 

Englehard Elementary is one of the schools in the heart of “Old Louisville”. According to most recent statistics 82.3% of the K-12 students participate in the National School Lunch Program for free lunch and 10% are registered as homeless. 

How do these children, 70% whom are Black stand a chance? They have a higher suspension rate, live in single parent households, and experience a higher rate of absenteeism. One of the saving graces for the students at Engelhard is the small class size, and dedication of the teachers and saff.

As an EFNEP Assistant, I had an opportunity to touch the lives of these students, using the USDA’s MyPlate curriculum and fun activities. EFNEP Assistant Ms. Emma Robinson assisted me in teaching three grade levels of Mrs. Greta McQueen’s Science classes. For an hour each week for 6 weeks, we talked about the Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd graders  likes and dislikes of fruits and vegetables.  Of all the questions the students had, the very first one at each class sessions was “what are we eating today”?  

After the first class session I noticed a lot of them could not stay focused, and had to be redirected. Knowing the background of the school and it’s location within our city, I told the teacher “we don’t know what these children have had to go through this morning or what they will have to go through after they leave school, how can we expect them to act like “normal” children? My heart went out to them and I saw them as potential achievers if given the chance. 

A total of 35 students participated with some students missing one or more class sessions. I could see the curiosity in their eyes, when an unusual fruit or vegetable was introduced. Some were reluctant to try it, but others would eat it without any hesitation and comment about how good it tasted. Some of the students would ask for the recipe so they could take it home.

At the conclusion of the six one hour sessions I feel as though the students gained a lot more knowledge about fruits and vegetables. We received Thank You notes from Mrs. McQueen and every student. Most of them thanked us for coming and helping them learn about healthy foods. A lot of them thanked us for the food. 

Ms. Louis “Jenie” Carter