By Rick Kumar, CASJ Economic Justice Action Group and Surrey teacher

What does it mean to be a teacher? Are we guidance counsellors? Mediators? Curriculum specialists? The role of the teacher is adapting,

and no more so than during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Today teachers are more than educators in every connotation of the word; they are a source of stability, encouragement, optimism, and—increasingly—a source of food.

The World Bank has stated that “the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to push an additional 88 million to 115 million people into extreme poverty [in 2020], with the total rising to as many as 150 million by 2021.” Where does that leave millions of students across the world? As families struggle to meet rising costs of living, teachers have seen the effects on these students in their classrooms. Poverty, in all its iterations, translates to our students not having their basic needs met.

2016 data from Statistics Canada shows that 18.5% of children aged 0 to 17 in BC live in poverty. That is roughly 1 in every 5 students. In an average classroom of 30 students, this equates to six students in every classroom living in poverty. This number is higher among children in minority groups.

In the 2015 BCTF report Hungry students in BC public schools and the adequacy of school meal programs to support them, 80.6% of teachers reported having students in their classes who started the day hungry. 80.3% of teachers reported having students in their class who did not bring food for lunch or snacks. Food security and lack thereof has not changed much for the better in recent years. In a nation of declining job security amidst slowing industries and shuttered businesses, hungry children are more present in our classrooms than ever.

So where does the teacher come in to all these facts and figures? As workers on the front line of education, teachers have gone beyond providing food for thought. Teachers, often through their own agency, provide food for students in their classrooms. Ensuring that your school has a no-cost program to provide nutritional lunches and snacks eliminates the worries hungry students face in the classroom. While not every societal problem can be solved in the classroom, teachers have led the charge to ensure that future generations lead brighter futures.

Although the negative compounding factors of food insecurity lead to decreased participation, higher levels of stress and anxiety, and ultimately poor health and well-being, poverty does not end in the kitchen. Poverty affects all aspects of a child’s development. Ferguson’s 2007 research, The Impact of poverty on educational outcomes for children, confirms that the “incidence, depth, duration and timing of poverty all influence a child’s educational attainment, along with community characteristics and social networks.”

So how can we combat the effects of child poverty in our classrooms? It begins with not much more than one step: open and unconditional caring. When students know that you care, they are more likely to approach you, talk to you, and ask for your help. Not all signs are as visible as sleepy students and empty lunchboxes, so approach this aspect as you would any other in your practice: with open and unconditional care. In your school, connect with other teachers, workers, or maybe even reach out to a local fire department to see if they can assist in a meal program. Offering a catch-all program ensures that those students who may need food assistance aren’t being singled out and made to endure undue stigma.

While food programs are essential and wage reforms are even better, we as educators need to do what we do best—educate. We have the responsibility to educate our students and give them opportunities they otherwise would not have. We can empower them to find a voice, a cause, and hope. Through us, our students can become better equipped with the knowledge they need to thrive in this ever-changing landscape. In all classes, there are places to teach empathy, to teach understanding, and to raise the bar on what it means for socially conscious and unified citizens to step up together and do their part.