Poverty is a hot topic. Many people think that people in poverty are lazy and do not work which is why they cannot make money. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Many times families just cannot make enough money ever working 2-4 jobs.
There are many challenges when teaching children in poverty. Older students are sometime pulled out of class or working 3rd shift in order to support their families. The stress level of these students can be debilitating.
Empathy is needed when dealing with children in poverty to avoid deeper problems. Teaching is based on relationships therefore, if you do not know your students, you cannot meet the needs of the whole child if the teacher wants to assist the academic development .Teachers need to be aware and keep abreast of resources that can assist these families.
The Challenges of Teaching Students in Poverty Tom Whitby, Nancy Blair, Rafranz Davis
In this segment from the 9/10/13 #Edchat, we look at the impact of poverty on what goes on in the classroom. Follow:@blairteach, @tomwhitby @rafranzdavis @bamradionetwork Edhcat Archive: http://edchat.pbworks.com/ |
Romania
I couldn't access the site blackboard gave us; therefore, I used the UNICEF page
http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/2011_Romania_-_Evaluation_report_Helping_the_invisible_children.pdf
Romania has the most poverty in the world and the united states is a close 2nd.
In the paper, Helping the invisible children report written by Manuela Sofia Staculesu Monica Marin. I gained three insights,
1.
Great Post! I agree there are challenges teaching children from low poverty areas, that is why it is so important for the teacher to get to know each individual child to be able to meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteHello Jocelyn,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that many people have the wrong perception of poverty. Many people are caught up in the cycle of poverty and just can't seem to get out. They are very hardworking and sometimes have numerous jobs but it just does not seem enough to lift them out of poverty. I also agree that we need to build a relationship with our students so we will be able to know how we can assist them and their families. Though it will require some extra effort on our part it is important that we are aware of various resources that we can use to help our students.
Karina