Students with Socio-economic issues, Poverty

My mission statement and plan of action for constructing an effective learning environment for all of my students.

Focus: Students with Socio-economic issues, Poverty

My background:

When I was younger, I had good teachers and I had ones I remember not so fondly. From the ones I liked, I remember the teachers really cared about me as a person. I believe my success in school was directly related to the teachers who believed in me. When I first moved to Ottawa, my parents had divorced and my mom brought myself who was 8 years old and my sister who was 4 years old to a new city. We came from Kingston and were originally in a French-Immersion setting. The first school we went to, my sister and I both had bad experiences with the teachers we had. My mother at the time, was a single-mom trying to make ends meet for us financially. She worked full-time and could not afford to put us into extra-curricular activities. We weren't poor but we were different because we didn't have everything that all the kids had at that time (e.g Money for pizza lunches, $ for field trips, nice clothes etc). This made me feel upset at times because I couldn't do what other children from a two-parent home could do, financially speaking. For me I remember math class specifically in that school because that was where my anxiety towards math stemmed. I had a teacher who would make me stand up in front of the room and had me stay there until I figured out the math problem on my own. This is in no way a good strategy to help a student succeed in math. Alternatively, I had an amazing teacher the following year who did a lot of hands-on math. She didn't humiliate me in front of my peers and made learning math fun. I take these experiences as great learning experience for what not to do and what to do as a teacher and how to engage learners in mathematics. The teacher I remember fondly, took the time to get to know me, my background and living situation. She was very understanding and non-judgmental. I felt like I could talk to her about anything. She encouraged me to always do my best and not worry about other students and their achievements but focus on my work and how I learn best. This teacher was amazing. I felt cared for and understood. I felt like I was capable of anything I put my mind to! Despite coming from humble beginnings, I was able to build resilience and I persevered in my schooling and became unstoppable. I loved school and as a direct result of this teacher, I wanted to become a teacher for those very reasons. Help children do their best and be there to support them along the way. Not just to teach the 'curriculum' but to help children learn in the ways they like best so as to instill a love of lifelong curiosity and love of learning. This is truly my mission as a teacher!

Connection to Poverty in schools:

“In a truly equitable system, factors such as race, gender, and socio-economic status do not prevent students from achieving ambitious outcomes. Our experience shows that barriers can be removed when all education partners create the conditions needed for success.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008, p. 8)

**Therefore, teachers, admin, community partners need to collaborate and work together in order to help students who come to school from low-income households, succeed at school.
It takes a village to raise a child!

Some statistics about Poverty in Canada:
http://tvo.org/whypoverty/info/poverty-in-canada

• Poverty affects children, unattached adults, single-parents, Aboriginal Canadians, recent immigrants, people with disabilities and seniors.

• Survey: What's the cause of poverty in Canada?

  • 51% “Circumstances beyond the control of the poor.”

  • 11% Respondent unsure

  • 37% “People aren't doing enough to help themselves”

Source: Angus Reid. “Canada and United States Concerned Over Poverty: North American Poll: Canada & U.S.” 2007.

One in Six: Education and Poverty in Ontario

After watching this video: 

• A lot of thoughts come to mind. The statistic that really hit home with me was “25% of homeless people in Toronto are children under the age of 2.” In the richest city in Canada, how is this even possible? This statistic astounds me!
• From the video, “Sameness is not the issue when we speak about Equity, we must treat people differently based on their needs.” I really believe, that teachers need to get to know the needs of each child in their classrooms.
• Kids who come from impoverished homes really can fall through the cracks if teachers don't take heed to their circumstances. Teachers really can make a difference!
• Divorced/single moms are disadvantaged and this impacts their children. These mothers may be fighting depression, mental health issues, anxiety, trying to find a steady job or to coping with working 2 jobs to make ends meet. This in turn can have a direct impact on their child's academic achievement.
• Children who come from low-income families may have trouble attending school. If they are not bused, the parent may have difficulty getting their child to school. Missing school means missing content and this may become a vicious cycle and the student will fall further and further behind the rest.

Case Study: Chen

http://tvo.org/sites/default/files/Poverty-and-Education-infographic.pdf

Chen is 9. He came to Canada with his mother from China. No father in the picture. They live in Public Housing.

•  One in six Ontario children live in poverty.(The People for Education. The Measure of Success: What Really Counts. Toronto: The People for Education, 2011. Print.)
• The rate of poverty is 50% higher for aboriginal children, children of colour, and children of female single-parents.
•  47% of new immigrant children live in poverty.  (Ciuffetelli Parker, Darlene, and Joseph Flessa. Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario. Poverty and Schools in Ontario: How Seven Elementary Schools are Working to Improve Education. Toronto: Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, 2011. Print.)
• Chen is a statistical representation of the poorest kids living in Ontario
• Chen’s mother works nights in a factory. She’s asleep on school mornings. Chen has to get breakfast for himself, but often he can’t find anything to eat.
• Chen would benefit from a breakfast program and ESL training at his school.

- When reading about Chen, it brought a lot of ideas to mind in how to help him. If I was his teacher, I would ask him each day if he had breakfast. If my school had a breakfast program (e.g. Kickstart Breakfast Program sponsored by the Ottawa Food Bank in the OCDSB) , I would make sure he was able to make it there every morning before school started to get a full nutritious meal. Children who have had a full breakfast are more ready and able to learn. I would also try and arrange a meeting with Chen's mom to discuss her needs and what I could do to help her and Chen. I would offer her to check out resources my schoolboard offers for example; the free Parenting and Family Literacy Centre, The Education Foundation. (The Education Foundation is an organization that helps parents/students meet basic needs. They raise money to buy school supplies, winter boots, snowsuits, fees that cover class field trips etc.: http://www.educationfoundationottawa.ca/about/our-studentsocdsb/). If my school offered supports for ELL, I would direct Chen and his mom to get help in learning English as a second language. “Children raised in poverty are much less likely to have these crucial needs met than their more affluent peers are and, as a result, are subject to some grave consequences. Deficits in these areas inhibit the production of new brain cells, alter the path of maturation, and rework the healthy neural circuitry in children's brains, thereby undermining emotional and social development and predisposing them to emotional dysfunction (Gunnar, Frenn, Wewerka, & Van Ryzin, 2009; Miller, Seifer, Stroud, Sheinkopf, & Dickstein, 2006). (Jensen, 2009).

Poverty and Math, the barriers:
-"Ginsburg and Russell (1981) found that preschool children with different socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds performed differently in various mathematical problems, showing an effect of the home environment before any formal schooling takes effect. It is possible the home environment experienced by the children affects mathematical learning opportunities."
-"It is possible the children of higher SES backgrounds have parents/careers with higher education and more tendencies to discuss mathematical concepts with their child, encouraging them to think and analyse mathematics when away from school. These children are not necessarily more skilled in mathematics but the chance to explore and practise gives them an advantage when being tested later in school (Nunes et al., 2009).
*Therefore, a students' home environment may impact their learning. Also, children from low SES backgrounds may not have parents who have gone through formal education and may be struggling to teach themselves math. Math talk may not be a priority for these parents.
Source: http://learning.wales.gov.uk/resources/learningpacks/mep/numeracy/numeracy-and-inclusive-practice/barriers-to-numeracy-learning-poverty-and-social-factors/?lang=en

"One of the most consistent findings in the educational literature is the strong link between socioeconomic status and educational achievement. Poverty matters in education. But fortunately, Ontario educators are proving that poverty is not destiny. Direct interventions, such as our Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP), are already helping to narrow the achievement gap between poor children and their wealthier counterparts." 

 (Ontario Ministry of Education, Reach Every Student, 2008)

My Mission statement and Plan of action:

I think this graphic represents my mission statement towards teaching students from low-income households. To me, equity means that we must treat each person based on their individual needs. We can't treat everyone the same because not everyone is starting from the same place (e.g., some families have more $ than others and two parents who work, others have 1 parent working 2 jobs to make ends meet etc.) When it comes to students from low-income families, they need their teacher to help bridge the gaps they face and be their advocate. Students who come from families with lower SES don't have the resources available to them to practice math and reinforce their learning of math at home. Parents may not be educated or able to help their child with homework. Teachers can help!

Strategies to help all students:

*Develop a good relationship with students and their parents from the first day

*Recognize student difficulties early on and try to identify programs/resources they can access in the school or community

*Provide alternatives to field trips or cover the costs for them if they request it

*Provide homework that helps the child reinforce concepts of math at home:

• Have math games prepared so that students can borrow and play at home

• Providing access to a computer. If the child has extra time in class allow them to play some math games on the computer in order to help reinforce concepts.

**Try and identify students who may be having difficulties in math early on so they can benefit from extra help and support by Learning Support/Resource teachers. Give the student extra time to complete assignments (if needed).

*Make math class fun and hands-on, pair students up and have them work on a problem of their choice.
*Have 1 on 1 conferences with students to see if I am meeting their needs in math, what do they need from me to learn the best?

*Be flexible
*Host a parents night where kids and parents play math games together, maybe even make an evening out of it with a dinner too!
*Get kids and their parents talking about math. Offer an evening where I could teach parents how to talk about math. For example, they can take skills developed in the workplace home to discuss real-life examples with their kids. This will bring in a real-world connection to math for students.

References:

Angus Reid. “Canada and United States Concerned Over Poverty: North American Poll: Canada & U.S.” 2007.

Barriers to numeracy learning: Poverty and social factors. (2013, January 1). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://learning.wales.gov.uk/resources/learningpacks/mep/numeracy/numeracy-and-inclusive-practice/barriers-to-numeracy-learning-poverty-and-social-factors/?lang=en

ETFO Provincial (April 23,2013). One in Six: Education and Poverty in Ontario. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqk99s-y0Q4.

Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with Poverty in Mind. Chapter 2. How Poverty Affects Behavior and Academic Performance. Retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074/chapters/How-Poverty-Affects-Behavior-and-Academic-Performance.aspx

Ontario. Ministry of Education. (2008). Reach every student: Energizing Ontario education. Toronto

Poverty in Canada. TVO (2013, January 1). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://tvo.org/whypoverty/info/poverty-in-canada

Poverty in Education. A day in the life of a child living in poverty. TVO. (2013, January 1). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://tvo.org/whypoverty/info/poverty-in-canada