Surely this image of the typical high school classroom can't be too far from the truth. Maybe not every student is making an A or even a B, but by and large, the playing field is level, right? If only this were the case. Think back to the group of athletes looking forward to the upcoming game; were the built up grass stains on number 54's jersey all that noticeable? Maybe not to everyone, but number 54 knows that trips to the laundromat have been happening less and less frequently ever since his mother lost her job three months ago. What about that freshman with his head down? He wishes he could blame his tiredness on a growth spurt, but instead he was up half the night listening to his parents argue about how they're going to afford his sister's unexpected medical bills. Lastly, how about the young lady with her shoes untied? She's the only one who knows they are hand-me-downs just as her mother and grandmother's were.
According to the NCES, nearly 10.9 million children, ages 5 to 17, are living below the poverty line. In other words, nearly 21% of all school-aged children are forced to cope with the detrimental circumstances brought on by poverty on a daily basis. Gone are the days when a teacher would wonder if an impoverished student would be in her class. The reality is that poverty affects nearly every school in America, whether it be in a rural town with limited resources or an urban community with the world at its finger tips.
Even with just a few weeks of student teaching under my belt, I have already been exposed to how poverty can greatly affect a student's chance to succeed, their motivation to overcome academic obstacles, and the overall classroom culture. Recognizing that students in my class are coming from all walks of life has been the first step in working towards accommodating for their circumstances and finding strategies to maximize their success. For example, from observation and discussion with my cooperating teacher I have learned of students in my classes who are coming to school every morning without breakfast, who are living in a foster home with up to a dozen other children, and who have just lost a parent unexpectedly. Not one of these students comes from the same situation as their peers, yet all they want is to be treated like and have the same opportunities as everyone else.
The ways in which living in poverty affects the students I work with everyday varies greatly from case to case. For example, through observation I have noticed that a student who's never sure if there will be dinner on the table that night or a bed to rest their head is rarely one to act out or misbehave in class. Rather, they'll often seem distracted, uninterested, or unmotivated to learn. As discussed in Jensen's Teaching with Poverty in Mind, students exposed to "chronic socioeconomic deprivation" are deprived of environments that allow for the development of self-determination. Additionally, a situation of consistent low-income can cause depression and interfere with a student's ability to foster "optimistic attitudes" that can easily interfere with their intrinsic motivation and desire to learn.
Knowing that poverty comes in many shapes and sizes, I have also observed how a sudden loss of a loved one has affected a student. In one particular case, the unexpected death of a single mother left several school-aged children in the care of their elderly grandmother, grief stricken and unsure of their future. With such a sudden change of environment and family dynamic, it is likely that the student's grade and performance in class may suffer, understandably so. Add in the factor of economic hardship and the situation has just taken another turn for the worse, resulting in increased behavioral problems and an uncooperative attitude.
As an educator, student learning and academic growth should always be the number one priority, regardless of the extenuating circumstances or situations of poverty that my students are facing. In my opinion, developing effective strategies for teaching and motivating students living in poverty is just another part of becoming a 21st century teacher that can successfully prepare her students for life after graduation. For example, as educators, we must make ourselves aware of and sensitive to the backgrounds of our students in order to be better able to serve them in the classroom. In Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Jensen writes that many teachers are unaware of what living in poverty really means and how it can affect the emotional, physical and mental health of a student. Holding workshops and teacher discussions to better inform ourselves on the economic circumstances that our students are facing will help us to better understand truly what our students need from us.
In my classroom, knowing whether a student is coming from a home that cannot provide them with a stable environment can help me to develop realistic expectations and goals with that student. For example, if a student works a part-time job after school to support his family then assigning homework daily, which counts for 25% of his grade, doesn't seem realistic. Making accommodations for students in poverty doesn't mean expecting less of them, it simply means setting goals that are attainable and can help move the student towards a more successful educational experience.
Poverty is a circumstance that no child asks for, whether it be temporary or long-term. It is our responsibility as educators to embrace this aspect of diversity in our classroom and do everything in our power to enable students living in poverty to become successful, global citizens, regardless of their present situation. Providing encouragement, achievable goals, and methods for extrinsic motivation can help these students find a path to self-efficacy of which their current circumstances deny them.
References:
Children living in poverty. (2013, May). Retrieved February 4, 2014, from National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coe.asp
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Percent of Low Income Students in All Public Schools 2011 [Graphic]. Retrieved February 4, 2014 from: http://www.southernstudies.org
Knowing that poverty comes in many shapes and sizes, I have also observed how a sudden loss of a loved one has affected a student. In one particular case, the unexpected death of a single mother left several school-aged children in the care of their elderly grandmother, grief stricken and unsure of their future. With such a sudden change of environment and family dynamic, it is likely that the student's grade and performance in class may suffer, understandably so. Add in the factor of economic hardship and the situation has just taken another turn for the worse, resulting in increased behavioral problems and an uncooperative attitude.
As an educator, student learning and academic growth should always be the number one priority, regardless of the extenuating circumstances or situations of poverty that my students are facing. In my opinion, developing effective strategies for teaching and motivating students living in poverty is just another part of becoming a 21st century teacher that can successfully prepare her students for life after graduation. For example, as educators, we must make ourselves aware of and sensitive to the backgrounds of our students in order to be better able to serve them in the classroom. In Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Jensen writes that many teachers are unaware of what living in poverty really means and how it can affect the emotional, physical and mental health of a student. Holding workshops and teacher discussions to better inform ourselves on the economic circumstances that our students are facing will help us to better understand truly what our students need from us.
In my classroom, knowing whether a student is coming from a home that cannot provide them with a stable environment can help me to develop realistic expectations and goals with that student. For example, if a student works a part-time job after school to support his family then assigning homework daily, which counts for 25% of his grade, doesn't seem realistic. Making accommodations for students in poverty doesn't mean expecting less of them, it simply means setting goals that are attainable and can help move the student towards a more successful educational experience.
Poverty is a circumstance that no child asks for, whether it be temporary or long-term. It is our responsibility as educators to embrace this aspect of diversity in our classroom and do everything in our power to enable students living in poverty to become successful, global citizens, regardless of their present situation. Providing encouragement, achievable goals, and methods for extrinsic motivation can help these students find a path to self-efficacy of which their current circumstances deny them.
References:
Children living in poverty. (2013, May). Retrieved February 4, 2014, from National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coe.asp
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Percent of Low Income Students in All Public Schools 2011 [Graphic]. Retrieved February 4, 2014 from: http://www.southernstudies.org
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