"I Really Don't Want to Get Involved"

Tyler Cove Elementary School has enrolled a number of new families who were displaced by a recent hurricane. Six-year-old Tamika, her mother, and three siblings arrived in town with only the clothes on their backs. Tamika has not had a change of clothing in several days. Although Carrie has no hurricane-displaced children in her third-grade class, she is very much concerned about their well-being. She mentions to Tamika's teacher that several community agencies are involved in hurricane relief and could provide Tamika and her family with clothing and other resources. Tamika's teacher is unresponsive. "I know, Carrie, but I don't have the time to mess around with this stuff. I've got all I can do to keep up with the things I have to do in the classroom. I don't want to make a lot of extra work for myself. Besides, I really don't want to get involved with these families; they just don't fit into our community."