Imagine you’re a teacher in a school that’s riddled with problems.
Many of your students act out, against you and against each other. Some kids don’t show up at all. Those who do try to apply themselves are struggling to focus and are falling behind.
All of these problems have solutions, but you’re only one person. You can’t afford to give each child the personalized care and attention they need to fix their individual issue.
So what do you do?
One surprising tool could solve a lot of students’ problems: a washing machine.
A lack of clean clothes is one of the most common problems among families with kids who are struggling in school.
“There are students that are being bullied because of the clothing that they’re wearing,” says Emily Edwards, a social worker at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
“You want them to think about, ‘Am I accomplishing good work in my math class?’” says Christina Deering, who teaches third grade. “You don’t want them to be thinking, ‘I hope I’m not too close to you because I might smell.’”
Not having clean clothes distracts kids in class — and it sometimes keeps them out of school entirely. Absences add up and, ultimately, contribute to bigger academic problems that become harder to fix.
