Poverty in the Classroom.

Background information  22% of children live below the poverty line  Students living under poverty may have difficulties socially and emotionally  These students may also experience a great amount of stress  Race and poverty are not cause-effect but there are correlations, but it is important to remember, it is NOT cause- effect

Common Beliefs  “If you work hard enough, you should be able to find a job and make money.”  “Poverty only happens because people are too lazy to work”  “Children who live in poverty will be poor when they are adults.”

It is our goal as a school to eliminate these stereotypes and accept the real facts.

Facts on Poverty  Over half of all Americans will live in poverty in their lifetime.  Only 35% of children who grew up in poverty will be middle class as adults  2/3 of all families living in poverty have more than one person in the work force.

It is important to treat all students equally; without any bias’ towards any differences a student may have. Previous opinions or attitudes towards certain social issues can prevent equal treatment and also put a block on students’ learning.

Lowering costs It is important to consider families’ financial abilities when asking for them to buy or pay for additional things in or outside of the classroom.  Keeping school supply lists short and simple  Providing financial assistance for extra costs such as field trips, extra curricular activities, etc.

Local Resources: become familiarized  The Free/reduced lunch program (through the school)  The Salvation Army  United Way  Boys & Girls Club of America  Big Brothers Big Sisters  The YMCA  The YWCA  Habitat for Humanity  NHSA  SNAP  HSD  Food Pantries  HealthCare.Gov/M edicare

Get to know your students & their parents  Get to know your students; this can tell you so much about who they are and where they come from  Get to know your parents; parents are able to team up with you and then from there you both are able to help the student from home and school.  Being able to relate to your students and parents can really clue you into why certain things are happening (such as certain behaviors or emotions) and from there you are able to adjust to possibly make a situation better.

Academic Success  There are many studies that show students who live in poverty have a harder time succeeding in school  With these studies, it is easy to generalize but it is very important to hold all students to the same expectations and standards  Students can really benefit from an adult who believes in them and tells them that they can and will be successful, that can be you!

Bullying  Children living under poverty can be a target of bullying and it is very important to intervene if it is noticed  It is also important to try and prevent bullying all together with classroom standards  When creating classroom rules on bullying, do not single-out one group of students; this can be embarrassing and also cause a backlash

Overview  Treat all students with respect, hold them all to the same standards  Be ready to help students by providing information on local resources  Prevent bullying and be ready to intervene if you see it happening in our school