Priviliged Childhood

I can't identify to Junior's child hood in comparison to my own childhood.  My sisters and I were privileged children just like Roger at the white school outside the reservation.  But what I can relate the book to is to teaching students who may have not had breakfast before school, have a parent in jail or family members who drink excessively and become violent.  We have schools in Sioux City with 90% of the students on free or reduced meals and they bring home a backpack of food to eat over the weekend.
I felt the violence in Juniors life was the most shocking to me.  I have never heard of a list of rules that have fighting listed as a solution to every altercation imaginable.  It helped me to understand why many elementary students (girls and boys) break out into fistfights on the playground at recess.  Fighting is the only way they know how to settle differences because it is all they see at home.  Character building has become more important to me because of Junior's rules to fight by.  Most any topic can be used for an emergent reader, so why not use lessons and stories about being a good person of strong character?