Back in the early 2000s, I taught for a year at an inner city elementary school in Florida. I LOVED the job. Best job I’ve ever had. The kids were all sweet and appreciative (I taught computers, which they loved).

If we paid teachers a living wage, I would still be doing it (but that’s a different question).

One morning I was on breakfast duty in the cafeteria. Just basically making sure things were OK. I saw one of the kindergartners crying. I knew her (I taught every child in the school), so I got down to her level and asked what was wrong.

She was crying because she forgot her backpack.

Then I got the whole story. She lived with her grandmother, because both her parents were in jail. Her grandmother wasn’t much better and apparently had a drug and partying problem. Turns out her grandmother had left her alone for THREE days.

She had gotten herself up and to school every day. Her only meals had been breakfast and lunch at school. She had been taking care of herself.

At five.

And what she was upset about was forgetting her backpack.

Yes, I had to call CPS.