The Lost Boy

"He fell through the cracks when nobody cared"

I knew so many of them. I try to take pride in knowing I helped some, but there were many whom I did not reach. Some of those became the lost boy in your poem.

We all share a responsibility for them. We all allowed them to fall through those cracks.

Your poem is a thoughtful expression of their plight.

Did you have an individual in mind?

Ann

It is based on the story of an individual, but is also about the plight of those who fall through the cracks in general.

Peter and everyone,

A friend sent me one of those forwarded emails today. I liked it so much I posted it on my website.

It's a story about one of those kids who was falling through the cracks, so this seemed to be a good place to post it:

http://www.annjoiner.com/goodstuff.htm

Ann

And sometimes it doesn't take much, just small acts of kindness can make a difference. When I had a small study hall for struggling kids, a boy who came to my class dirty and unruly, came late one day clean and neatly dressed. He was smiling and happily told me the assistant principal had met him at the door to the school, and had him go to the boys locker room and take a shower while he washed his clothes. It meant the world to this boy that someone cared.

alj wrote:

Peter and everyone,

A friend sent me one of those forwarded emails today. I liked it so much I posted it on my website.

It's a story about one of those kids who was falling through the cracks, so this seemed to be a good place to post it:

http://www.annjoiner.com/goodstuff.htm

Ann

It's a great story Ann, written by Elizabeth Ballard (now Elizabeth Ungar):

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/teddy.asp

"Elizabeth Silance Ballard-Ungar’s collection of short stories, Three Letters from Teddy and Other Stories, to touch the heart. Those who are acquainted with Teddy Stallard and his teacher, Miss Thompson, will enjoy further stories of this teacher's ability to touch the lives of her students. Other stories include The Christmas Nandina, which tells of a dying woman’s effort to make her last Christmas special for her three young boys. Big Rocks Cafe shows us another aspect of the homeless, while The Mirror shows us another face of aging. These and other stories will touch you and perhaps cause you to look at those around you in a different way.

Her short story, Three Letters from Teddy, first appeared in 1974 and has been almost continuously in print every year since that time in various publications. Marian Wright Edelman selected it to appear in her 1994 Annual Report of the National Children’s Defense Fund. Congressman Dan Burton, Indiana, requested permission to have the story reprinted and distributed to every educator in his district. It has also been selected for the course packs of the schools of education in several universities including the University of South Florida, UNC-Greensboro, University of Northern Iowa and others. (Righter Publishing)."
-August 24th, 2007 by Luanne Barbee

The book, Three Letters from Teddy, can be found here:

http://www.topsail-island.info/wordpress/index.php/nc-authors/elizabeth-silance-ballard/