Sunday, October 17, 2010
poverty...
the article on poverty by ruby payne was one of the most interesting readings so far. it really made me think about the notion of poverty vs. wealth, and what does that mean exactly? the data was helpful and i especially found that it offerred some serious points to reflect upon. mainly, it made me think about how poverty is perceived by people, even themselves, but primarily in the classroom. i liked the points that stated that poverty is relative, and that we all have hidden rules about poverty. i don't think that one can equate poverty opposed to being wealthy, as far as being a happy child goes. just because a family may be wealthy, it doesn't mean that they have a happy home. and conversely, just because a family may be poor economically, doesn't mean they aren't happy. now, obviously, money can bring more comforts and resources, but i like the idea that education can bring wealth. to me wealth doesn't always have to mean money, but a wealth of experiences, and knowledge can make a person successful in life. as teachers, we have a responsibility to work with the students in a way to where we are familiar with their backgrounds and family situations. we can help them to overcome obstacles that may stand in their way to becoming successful. also, we can help them provide the means to better relationships at school which will also help them to grow and learn about themselves and the world around them. it's our job to help students with the tools to overcome poverty, and to work within their individual cultures and ethnicities.
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I think that giving our students the tools to attain a good education and possibly a good job is important. I also think giving them rich experiences is important as well. We never know who our kids are...what their family life is like, if they have any help with homework, etc etc. Getting to know our students on an individual level is important, even though these days they warn against it, there's really no other way to connect with our students. As teachers we need to realize our job is to give students the resources to succeed, but sometimes I think you can only help certain kids so much. If we offer the tools, and students don't take them...well, that isn't always our fault.
ReplyDeleteI have not read the article yet...I was out of town over the weekend ..but after reading your post I am very interested in reading it! I do agree with you that money does not always garantee happiness. I work in a school where most of the children and families are wealthy. And a lot of those children spend hours in before and after daycare, or they are with nannies all the time. This is due to the fact that parents are working so much or they are out getting pampered at local spas!! Those kids are craving attention and I believe that their ability to learn is influenced in a negative way as well. As children are learing and growing they want to share those experiences with their parents! There are many other "riches" in life than money.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your presentation. You played your role well. The payne article really opened up my eyes to the differences between the different socio-economic classes. I have known there are hidden rules, but it's always been hard for me to identify them. This article helped shed some light on that subject. Money can buy a lot of things, but money cannot buy happiness. Maybe the people who are living life and caring for others are the ones who are truly happy. I do not know for sure; this is only my opinion. I think we can agree on one thing. If a person has relationships and a purpose in their life, their quality of life is probably better as compared to the person who doesn't have those things.
ReplyDeleteI thought that paper was very informative. I liked answering the questions after each scenario, and really found the matrix describing the differences between poor/middle class/wealthy to be quite informative. I've never seen anything like that before. It kind of makes you aware that each students socio-economic status really matters. For example a poor student may not have adequate financial resources; however, they may have the emotional support of an extended family/clan, because relationships are more important within a poorer community.
ReplyDeleteYes the Payne article was eye popping. I thought I grew up in poverty,. But I done’ t seem to match up with Dr. Payne’s checklist. I was surprised to see how middle class I matched up. The hidden rules got me to. I can see how they can keep a person in a certain cast. Like the example of “Oprah” who when finding some finical help for herself she was expected to give/share her money, making it impossible to get ahead. Yea I can also see that money is not a happy home maker. My Rio Rancho students have dirt bikes, boats and still they have it rough. They also experience abuse.
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