Growing up as a child I lived in a wealthy suburban white town with a strong public school system, but that doesn't mean I didn't see poverty or know what it was. I consider myself to be cultured and understand how different people live. Coming from a strong educational state of Massachusetts to North Carolina for college was a change and I have enjoyed seeing life down here. As an education major I have been in many schools around the High Point area and seen the affect of poverty on children. I personally don't treat these children any differently, in fact I care for them more because I want to make sure their economic status doesn't hinder their academic potential. However, I have learned that poverty has a strong effect on children and their success at school.
I am currently student teaching at a elementary school in the Randolph Country school system. This school is predominately white but includes over 50% free and reduced lunch. I don't know specific information about poverty among my students, I don't know what their parents make or how their houses look, but I do know that it's my job to help them grow academically and not be oppressed by poverty.
When I look at the students in my classroom based on my best guessed judgment I would say most of them would fall under "relative poverty" or "rural poverty". I don't know personal stories but based on the area of the school I would assume most families have a low income and don't have access to the best insurance and job opportunities.
Relative poverty is defined as "the economic status of a family whose income is insufficient to meet it's society average standard of living". Rural Poverty includes more single-guardian households, families that have less access to services, support for disabilities, welfare programs, and fewer job opportunities. (Jensen 2009).
Through my college course about diversity I am learning about some risk factors that poverty has on education and cues to look for in my students. Some cues to look for in students that could live in poverty are; chronic tardiness, lack of motivation, inappropriate behavior, delays in language or reading development, aggression or violence, or social withdraw.
In my first grade classroom I see some signs of poverty through tardiness, lack of healthy hygiene, delay in language and reading, and some social withdraw. In my classroom I see single-parent households, blended families, low income jobs, and abuse and neglect. Most of the my students are eager to learn and I don't see aggression, outburst, or lack of motivation. One student who is constantly tardy now pushes her mom to get her to school on time so she doesn't miss her pull out reading group time. I also see lower reading levels and I have hypothesized that to be from lower parent academic level and support for school work. I also see a lot of moving within my school. Students will often move to a different family member household due to their parents being in jail, absent, or unfit to raise them, and will then in turn have to move to a different school. When a child moves from one school to another their learning track gets set back due to new changes and adjustments and interrupts their year and progress towards their leaning goals.
What I have learned so far about teaching children that live in poverty is that you teach the child for who they are as a student and person not because of their social standing. Teachers need to have high standards and expectation for all their students and this is something I strive for.
When I teach my students I don't have different expectations because I think they can't handle a lesson, I have faith in them. I try to make sure to relate activities and lessons to something they have experienced before or seen. Some students might not have been able to visit a zoo or seen the ocean so I will either find something everyone has experienced or knows of or show picture or have other students help me explain what it's like.
Research has shown that students who experience poverty during younger grades in school have a lower rate of high school graduation and school completion. The most important aspect for a child's education is being at school. If a child comes to school and doesn't have excessive absences then the teachers will be able to take care of them and teach them what they need to know to be successful and competitive in the world. Teachers need to be warm and caring and develop safe and trusting relationships with their students. If a student feels safe and welcomed at school they will want to be there and want to learn.
This is my biggest practice with my students, I want them to want to be in our classroom. Learning should be engaging and fun and manageable for all social economic levels of society. I welcome my students every day, I take interest in their lives and every day I try to build our relationship so they trust me to teach them and give them something to look forward to. I say goodbye every day and I hope they come back the next day.
"A good education is often the only means of breaking the cycle of poverty for poor children." (http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/)
Resources:
Jensen, E. Teaching with Poverty in Mind. 2009
The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved on February 2nd 2014 from: http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/
Black and White with Chalkboard Photo. Retrieved on February 2nd 2014 from :http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubai-cares-launches-end-poverty-educate-now-ramadan-campaign-2013-07-14-1.514226
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