Children go to school in Houston: (picture)

[roguevalley]

(Distraught 6-year-old Jamie Se'Maj Lollis bangs on the school bus door as she leaves for Ryan Elementary in Houston. Louisiana children at Houston shelters were bused to schools for the first time.)

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[SmokingJacket]

1. Poor sweet thing -- how incredibly traumatizing to be bussed away

from her family after going through all THAT.

Probably the parents could use the time their kids are in school to get themselves together, but frankly, I think the kids would do better with a few weeks off to adjust...

[pop goes the weasel]

3. respectfully disagree

Kids thrive on routine. Getting them into a school, with a routine schedule and plenty to occupy them, is excellent therapy. I can't imagine anything worse for a kid, or an adult even, than spending all day, every day, for weeks, in a shelter among restless strangers.

[IndyOp]

2. It would be great if the schools would invite

parents to visit the classrooms whenever they wanted to, especially the first few weeks of classes - at the least.

I think that the kids/parents should have the option of taking a few weeks off - different families will have different needs.

:cry:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Poor little sweetie

I wish they could have done like we did here and let the parents drop the younger kids off on their first day at their new schools. I understand that's not possible in a metro area, however.

Even with them doing that here there were still tears and the first day was not easy on the new students. The one thing they did here that I disagreed with was tell the students not to ask the new students about what they'd been through. Their intentions were good, but it had the potential of making the local children uncomfortable around the new students by creating a division. Luckily the kids didn't listen and asked questions and encouraged the new students share their stories with their new classmates.

[qanda]

5. Cruel beyond words

Why do these kids have to start school right now? They should at least give them a couple of weeks to get settled and know that they won't have change schools again. I just don't get this. Missing a few weeks of school is not going to matter that much. These children have been traumatized in every sense of the word and they probably need counseling not more trauma.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Kids thrive on routine

They really are better off in school, IMO.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

7. But ma-barker-bush thinks they have hit the jackpot!

Wonder if little junior used to bang on the window of the limousine when the chauffer was taking him to school?