Written by Dan Johnson
What does poverty look like? Can you tell by looking at the students who walk into your room? Are they hungry? Dirty? Sleepy? Does poverty only affect those in large cities and urban areas, or can you see poverty in rural and suburban schools as well? It may be possible to see some of the signs of poverty in students as they come into your classroom, but what can a teacher do?
What is poverty?
The federal poverty line for a family of four is $25,750 in 2019. Poverty is defined as not having sufficient income to meet basic needs. Many families struggle to meet these basic needs. Even those families above the poverty line, at 130-200%, earning up to $51,500, will continue to exhibit signs of poverty.
Poverty is a growing educational issue in all walks of life, not just in urban areas as was previously believed. It has a significant effect on society and on education as a whole. “Poverty is the most relevant factor in determining the outcome of an educational journey. Poverty, not education, is the US crisis” (Thomas, 2010).
How does poverty affect students?
Teachers must know and understand the physical changes that poverty causes to the brain and be prepared to help alleviate these issues. Chronic exposure to poverty is related to the following issues: emotional and social lags, health and safety issues, depression, cognitive lags, reduced motivation, and diminished social skills (Jensen, 2009).
Two primary issues arise when examining how poverty affects students. The first is academic achievement. Students in poverty generally score 40% lower than their upper-income counterparts. This is related to a number of factors. These students often have more significant attendance issues, do not have access to the same materials and technology, and deal with higher staff turnover in their schools. Even if these students were entering school without the background issues they have faced, the quality of education they receive at school would still have a negative effect on their brain development.
Second, students from poverty come to school at a disadvantage in terms of social issues. Many students walk into the building with poorer health and impaired attention. These issues stem from a lack of proper nutrition and a focus on entertainment, not engagement. These students are exposed to less vocabulary than their upper-income counterparts, and also struggle with speaking and understanding the formal register, the language most standardized tests are written in. Ingrained in many of these students is a mistrust of authorities. These social issues throw up barriers with the professionals who aim to help these students reach their full potential.
What can teachers do to help?
When students experiencing poverty come into our classrooms, what can we as teachers do to help these students be successful? The answer is quite simple. It is the same as for every other child who walks into our classroom. We pour ourselves into them and give them our all, but we may need to approach or reach them in a different way.
Teachers may have to change their mindset to reach students in poverty. First, it is imperative to build relationships with those learners. While some of these students may be resistant to that relationship with the teacher, others may crave it and seek it out. Loving and caring for these children does not replace order and discipline. It is necessary to set boundaries, because if those lines become blurred, problems may arise. “Be friendly, but you are not their friend, you are their teacher” (Faye, 2008). School may be the only place they feel safe or loved. The teacher may be the most dependable person in their lives.
The second important thing that teachers can do to reach students who grow up in poverty is to set high expectations, both academically and behaviorally. These expectations apply to the students, the parents, and the teachers themselves. Accountability is paramount. While it may be difficult to reach high expectations, students who are pushed can achieve more than they thought possible. Hold students accountable by making them work hard to reach those expectations.
The third and possibly most important thing that teachers can do to reach these students is to build a positive classroom and school culture. It is essential for these students to be competing against themselves, focusing on effort and growth. Celebrate successes, even the small ones, because when you build on those successes, students will grow in their academic achievement.
What is the most important thing to remember?
Ministering to students who come from a background of poverty is not easy, and in some ways may be one of the most difficult jobs there is. Remember that each child who walks through that door needs to hear the saving message of Christ crucified and that each parent is a blood-bought child of God. While a teacher’s work with students in poverty may not always produce the desired earthly benefits, the eternal results may be more than we can imagine. Seize the opportunities to help all students walking through the classroom door every day.
Dan Johnson (MLC ’03, MS Ed ’19) is currently serving at Mt. Lebanon-Alpha Campus, Milwaukee WI.
References
Fay, J. (1995). Teaching with love and logic in mind. Golden, CO: Love and Logic Press.
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind: What being poor does to kids’ brains and what schools can do about it. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Thomas, O. (2013, December 10). A poverty, not education, crisis in U.S. USA Today.
Building those relationships is key. When you study how the brain works, you learn that it is nearly impossible to learn when one is under stress. Kids from poverty or other challenging backgrounds are in a nearly constant state of stress. Building trusting relationships with your students helps to ease that level of stress (at least when they are with you) thereby allowing the brain to function in a way that facilitates learning.
Poverty comes in many forms, not just in an income level. Many students may come into our classrooms and not have those basic needs met: food, clothing and shelter. But poverty may take on other forms, not just of a physical nature. Getting to know who your students are and where they come from is key to connecting with them. Until that is done, the road block will always be there to hinder your progress.
Nice article. It reality, it’s the approach we should be taking with all kids. Kids want to be loved and believed in. When they accomplish a tough task- celebrate it. That’s 7 years of teacher education in just a few sentences.
Thank you for your thoughts! All true! This is my first year at Christ-St. Peter in Milwaukee and poverty does play a role. I saw much of the same while I was teaching in Baltimore, MD. It’s important to see the whole family as your ministry and really team up with those parents, even when it’s difficult.
Thank you for the excellent thoughts in your article. It is true that our suburban schools have children who live in poverty as well. Great starting thoughts which could lead to an in-depth article on the subject.