REACHING OUT

Poverty affect students many different ways in the classroom. The most obvious effect is their lack of resources. A poor student will come to school dressed differently than the other students. He/she might smell, and have dirty clothes. The lack of money in their home directly affects their emotional behavior as well. The poor student might get picked on because they aren't wearing "cool" clothes. They will be left out of groups and called names because they just don't quite fit in. This will lead the child to lash out in different ways. Some become withdrawn, others become angry and misbehave. The teacher might assign a science project which includes extra materials that the poverty students family can't afford. This will lead to that student failing in class. It is a continual cycle. Eventually the student will either get help from a teacher/counselor or other adult or he/she may drop out of school entirely. As teachers we need to be aware of each students background and take the time to understand the students situation. Communication between the parents, student, and teacher is vital.
In my classroom name calling and segregation will not be tolerated. I think it would be crucial to pair up the disadvantaged student with another student who showed signs of maturity and compassion. I will communicate with the parents to the best of my ability and try to work out the students financial needs so that he/she can be successful in the classroom setting. For example, if the class is starting a reading program and the disadvantaged student can't get to the public library for some reason then I would allow that student to go during recess or break time to the school library. Also, if the students parents can't read English then I would help the student check out books on cassette. The most critical piece in the success of the disadvantaged student is to have open communication with them. If they don't tell you what the problem is how can you fix it?