Poverty can shackle and weigh people and families down in this world. It is important that we have awareness and look to help those that are less fortunate. Everyone deserves opportunity for success. (Poverty Stock Illustrations)
Welcome back everyone! Now, last week I know we covered mental health awareness but this week we will be shifting gears. Our topic of conversation will surround poverty in schools, as well as across the globe. Generalizing this term, poverty is a lack of wealth that could result in scarcity of housing, clothing, food and other goods. It is important that we, as educators are aware that our students and people around us come from all different walks of life. It is not safe to make assumptions of people or judge a book by its cover; we must always carry ourselves with grace and respect towards everyone.
Speaking of books...
When I was younger this was one of my childhood favorites. "Those Shoes," is a benign and compassionate way to speak about poverty. This book educates students about not having the means to buy everything you want, and appreciating what you have. The main character Jeremey starts to notice that everyone at school is wearing this really cool new pair of shoes. He and his Grandma are unable to afford them but throughout his journey, Jeremey realizes that he doesn't need those shoes to be happy. For our youth, this book helps to demonstrate the difference between families financial standing. When you are younger, it is not always understood that people grow up differently from one another. These types of books help to introduce diversity and better knowledge of our world. If you have the time, take a moment to watch this read aloud that is attached below!
This week we had the opportunity to watch a film that exposed us to new understanding of what impacts poverty has on the world. "The Homestretch," was a very humbling and moving video in which described the struggles and incredible resilience of so many people. It was noted that in Chicago there are roughly 2,000-3,000 homeless youth out on the street every night (De Mare, 2014). The countless stories shown in this film drove home the one sheer fact about poverty: you are forced to grow up fast to survive. Many of these people, and young kids included, were born into these hardships. Many of them were driven to move around from place to place with people, distant relatives, strangers, anyone they could befriend. For me, watching this film broke my heart. I never realized the the true magnitude of what people living in poverty must face on the daily. The worst part about it all was the fact that children are left to fend for themselves, providing and finding food, shelter, clothes, friends, and the basic foundations of survival. As a future educator, I weep for these kids that must exhaust their remaining energy on getting to the next day, while they also navigate potential of public schooling. Their stresses are magnified beyond belief, and what is unfortunate is they are missing out of true childhood. To be a kid, vulnerable, ignorant of the world's issues, and free to have fun. My heart goes out to any of these children struggling with any of the above issues.
Sometimes, seeing is believing. This film and this week's articles made it very real for me. A problem that is so easily generalized [poverty] can be swept by the wayside and forgotten. Our diligence to helping those in need should come from the motivation of these real world problems coming to an end. According to the article, "Homeless Students in Public Schools Across America: Down but Not Out," we can notice via the figure below that the number of homeless students in public schools are far more than I ever anticipated.
Figure 1. Number and Percentage of Homeless Students in Public Schools
After awareness, the next step is action. How can we make a difference? How can we help those plagued with these hardships? Well, the first thing we can always offer is kindness and respect, but these people need something tangible. Sure, a friend always can go a long way but we need to even the playing field somehow and enact an actual change. According to New York Education Department, since the start of 2022, more than $7 million in grants authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. There was a notable statement given by Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. that said, “The pandemic and economic turmoil that came with it exacerbated uncertainty for many families and increased the number of students who face housing insecurity. Studies show that education is the most important long-term prevention strategy to address youth homelessness. Using this funding, schools and districts are better able to ensure that our state’s homeless children have equal access to the same educational opportunities as their peers.” (NYSED, 2022) Not only do these kids have to grow up fast, what comes with that is determining their schooling. Another underlying theme surround this topic is that school proves to be the best long-term prevention strategy to address homelessness in our youth. As we continue to fund our schools, we must monitor what we are educating our students. Making sure that they are introduced to these real world problems is a major step in their overall educational experience.
Sometimes songs can be made to lighten up a dark or tricky topic of conversation. In my own research, I found a sound that puts hunger into perspective for kids as well. This major crisis is directly impacted by the concept of poverty itself. Below I have included the video. Take a listen to see the delivery of this information to our targeted youth. What are your thoughts? Does this seem like an effective way to introduce tough topics to our students? Ponder this until next time. 'Till then, have a wonderful week and we will be back again for another module talk!
De Mare, A., Kelly, K., & Taber, K. (Producers), & De Mare, A., & Kelly, K. (Directors). (2014). The homestretch [Streaming video]. United States: Bullfrog Films.
New York State Education Department. (2022, August 17). New York State Department of Education Awards $7.1 Million in Federal Grants to Programs Supporting Homeless Students. http://www.nysed.gov/news/2022/new-york-state-education-department-awards-71-million-federal-grants-programs-supporting
Hi Kelly, I enjoyed reading your blog post on the Impact of Poverty on People. I feel this topic is a big issue that is always going on everywhere. Poverty does take a big toll on families and impacts there day to day life. Lack of wealth does not mean living on the streets, it could even be one of our best friends that doesn’t have as much income and has difficulty with buying groceries each week. I agree that as teachers it is important for us to be aware of each of our students home life and it is important that we make it know in the classroom that each kid has a different life, each kid is different, and to be thankful for what we have and that others may not have the things we do. It is important to teach this from day to day so the kids do understand.
Hey Kelly, Your blog piece on the effects of poverty on people was interesting to read. This issue, in my opinion, is a major one that constantly arises worldwide. Families are significantly impacted by poverty on a daily basis. Insufficient money does not necessarily equate to living in poverty. it might also refer to one of our closest friends who earns less and finds it challenging to afford supplies on a weekly basis. I acknowledge that it is crucial for us as educators to be conscious of every student's family situation and to emphasize in the school environment that every child has a completely distinct life and is unique. We also need to instruct our students to be grateful for what they have and to recognize that many other students may not have the same opportunities as us. It is crucial to continuously communicate this to children so they will learn it. Great job!
Above, you can see a cartoon depiction of children and friends uniting no matter what differences in race, sexual orientation, status, disability, etc. Spreading kindness and respect is the fastest and easiest method used to combat against bullying. Welcome back everyone! Now I know last week's discussion was quite heavy, however this week we will also be facing another challenging topic. Bullying, and more specifically the bullying that is orchestrated via the internet: cyberbullying. Many kids and students fall victim to this epidemic and we as a society must attempt to learn from these hardships and proceed with more knowledge and awareness on how to combat it. This week we watched a video entitled, "Dark Cloud: the High Cost of Cyberbullying," that I will include a reference to so you can check it out; it was very sad however, it spoke about positive change that could come from the loss. One story was that of Amanda Todd's; it was one of inexplicable loss and t
"Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness... It is cultivated by purposefully paying attention to things we ordinarily never give a moment's thought to" (Jon Kabat-Zinn). Welcome back everyone! This week we will be discussing a critical issue that not only applies to students in schools, but also teachers and people outside of a school setting. Social and emotional mindfulness is a concept of being that people across the globe need to consider. We all know the feeling of being rushed and always on the go-- this module explains much about what it means to slow yourself down and take a breath. Let's dive right in: We had the opportunity to watch a very informative film this week entitled, "Room to Breath." It targeted the school population, both interviewing students and teachers to get a better sense of the dynamic that is held throughout the education field. Teachers expressed their personal struggle with students that have been intentionally more defiant
. National School Boards Association. https://www.nsba.org/Perspectives/2021/homeless-students
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly, I enjoyed reading your blog post on the Impact of Poverty on People. I feel this topic is a big issue that is always going on everywhere. Poverty does take a big toll on families and impacts there day to day life. Lack of wealth does not mean living on the streets, it could even be one of our best friends that doesn’t have as much income and has difficulty with buying groceries each week. I agree that as teachers it is important for us to be aware of each of our students home life and it is important that we make it know in the classroom that each kid has a different life, each kid is different, and to be thankful for what we have and that others may not have the things we do. It is important to teach this from day to day so the kids do understand.
Hey Kelly,
ReplyDeleteYour blog piece on the effects of poverty on people was interesting to read. This issue, in my opinion, is a major one that constantly arises worldwide. Families are significantly impacted by poverty on a daily basis. Insufficient money does not necessarily equate to living in poverty. it might also refer to one of our closest friends who earns less and finds it challenging to afford supplies on a weekly basis. I acknowledge that it is crucial for us as educators to be conscious of every student's family situation and to emphasize in the school environment that every child has a completely distinct life and is unique. We also need to instruct our students to be grateful for what they have and to recognize that many other students may not have the same opportunities as us. It is crucial to continuously communicate this to children so they will learn it. Great job!