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A short story about free school meals after @MarcusRashford’s win to illustrate just how important it is. When my wife taught in east London a teenage boy joined her class from Colombia. He and his mum fled after his dad was killed in cartel violence 1/8
He barely spoke English so my wife (half Spanish) helped him settle. Like many immigrants, he was incredibly hardworking and mature for his age, perhaps because of what he had endured. 2/8
One day another teacher raised a complaint about him though. He’d been sleeping on his desk all through class. He was pulled in by teachers and my wife was brought in to translate. Despite his acute embarrassment he admitted he was simply hungry and exhausted 3/8
After some coaxing, he later told my wife the full story. He lived in a tiny one bedroom flat with his mother on the other side of London and was getting two buses to come to school as it was the only one that would take him 4/8
His mum didn’t have her asylum papers in order yet and they had no money. He hadn’t eaten properly in weeks. He was travelling several hours home from school then helping her clean offices all night for cash in hand 5/8
The boy was tall and strong for his age and, like @MarcusRashford ,a talented footballer. He needed a free school meal but because his mum was ‘sin papeles’ (no papers) he thought he wasn’t entitled. He was so ashamed of his situation it was utterly heartbreaking. 6/8
Ridiculously, all staff at the school were entitled to free meals, and my wife started sneaking him sandwiches every day while she petitioned his case. Eventually, a member of senior leadership saw sense and they signed off the free meals 7/8
Been thinking about that boy a lot today. Britain is a rich country. Most of us won’t ever know that kind of hunger and exhaustion. Is it that much to ask to help those that do? Especially when they’re children? 8/8