Students in low socioeconomic situations exist in conditions of chronic negativity more often than not. It is in my experience, that these students are often jaded towards life and their futures. School is no longer about an education and place of learning, but rather a place of safety. However, educators should not despair for both Eric Jensen and Professor Marcia Devlin and team provide insight and strategies for teachers facing difficult SES situations within their classrooms.
As teachers, we have big hearts for education is no profession for the weary. We are fully invested, givers, with hearts bigger than our means more often than not. Personally, when faced with a student of low SES, my heart aches with desire to save that child from the world. Though my bank account cannot save every child I will meet in my upcoming career, research and resource may aid me in doing all that I can do as that child's educator.
Professor Devlin collaborated with colleagues among several universities to compile the best advice for aiding these low SES students. Her team shares that as the teacher one should know and respect the students; offer students variety, flexibility, and choice; make expectations clear using accessible language; scaffold students' learning; be available and approachable to guide student learning; and be a reflective practitioner (Devlin, M., Kift, S., Nelson, K., Smith, L., & McKay, J., n.d.) Though it sounds like a long list of a scaffolded program, it makes sense when broken down into explanation.
Teachers should take the time to know low SES students personally as they would any others. These students deserve the same respect as their peers. The reality of these students' lives however is unpredictability from the time they leave school grounds until the time they return. Teachers must find an understanding of this foreign reality when addressing low SES students' assignments and provide alternative means of completing the required tasks. Low SES students need more than a teacher of educational instruction, but a mentor, investor, to take the extra time and effort to guide these students through learning and life (Devlin, M. et al., n.d.).
This extra time and energy is not solely on the educator. There are many different types of low SES situations, students are growing up in. Not every low SES student lives in a negative environment. Jensen demonstrates within his text, that his studies revealed students of low SES status as high achievers in the school environment due to the efforts of their parents at home (2011). The common theme among these students and those of low SES, low performance within the studies of Devlin and peers, is the extra investment of energy and effort by an adult within the lives of these students.
Jensen too focused the role of the educator, providing areas of focus the teacher should take. With focus and time spent on students' core skills such as attention skills, memory, problem solving skills, self-esteem, progress in these basic areas will be made aiding growth in all areas of learning and education (Jensen, 2011). The best way to help students with these core skills to build them to stronger students and individuals is to know them as individuals; have students' physical needs assessed by the school health personnel to be sure these needs are met. Assess also on reading and math process, carefully observing the student to pinpoint exactly where the struggle arises (Jensen, 2011). Jensen stresses the necessity of attention to detail within these students. A focused effort can go farther than a larger, broader effort.
Through positivity and investment in our low SES students, transformation can be made. Jensen and Devlin and team all demonstrate research supported strategies for educators to make that difference in the lives of our low SES students. If we understand the diversity and beauty that these students contribute to our classrooms and community, take the time to invest energy where it is needed the low SES students' achievement will rise.
References:
Devlin, M., Kift, S., Nelson, K., Smith, L., & McKay, J. (n.d.). Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Practical advice for teaching staff. Informally published manuscript, Retrieved from www.olt.gov.au/../SP10_1838_Devlin_practice_advice_teacher_201.
Jensen, E. (2011). Teaching with poverty in mind, what being poor does to kids' brains and what schools can do about it. Alexandria, VA: Assn for Supervision & Curriculum
Interning at Southwest Elementary School provides exposure to a new community within the Guilford County School system. Southwest is an unique school environment compared to the rest of the county schools due to its unusually high average socioeconomic status of the student population. Though the SES level compares higher than those of the district, it should not mislead or deceive, for the Southwest community experiences poverty as well. Where SWES lacks generational or urban poverty, it does contain many homes and families experiencing situational poverty due to a number of circumstances such as divorce, disease, unforeseen job layoffs.
My knowledge of the populations' circumstances are limited due to my time concentrated in the fourth grade classrooms. The most frequent causes of poverty observed have been family illness or sudden job loss. These students are faced with a sudden, polar shift in the home environment, forced to live with less fiscal and material resources as well as less parental involvement. Students existing in situational poverty, struggle emotionally and socially to balance their shift in home life while maintaining their social and academic life in school. Entering school with issues at home cause distractions and stresses on students, revealing themselves in altered personalities, changes of work ethic and product. These changes need prompt and attentive recognition so that the student may be relieved of the stresses of home and poverty to feel safe and able at school. This type of action requires resources and a plan. The SWES community does not deal with poverty with any great extreme or frequency and therefore lacks the resources and plans in place to appropriately deal with sudden situations that arise.
Immense amounts of research have been completed throughout the country in an effort to discover the best, most appropriate strategies to ameliorate the stresses the student experiences and aide them in still succeeding. Eric Jensen demonstrates for educators a vast amount of action steps to take when dealing with students in poverty (2011). His main point stressed throughout his presentation of the research is the great importance of understanding on the part of the educator. Teachers must have an understanding of the situations and circumstances their students are being forced to live in. Many teachers struggle to comprehend the harsh realities of the lives of these children, but research agrees that the first step is an open mind by the educator (Jensen, 2011). Jensen stresses within his text that as educators, action steps must be taken on the behalf of the students. The following steps provide students and teachers alike an amiable environment within which to coexist and excel; recognize the signs, alter the environment, empower the students. With these steps, teachers will demonstrate a renewed understanding to their students while providing them the support, environment, and resources they need that are not being received elsewhere (Jensen, 2011).
Handling poverty and its stresses is no small feat for any district. It takes great effort, efficiency, and resources. Balloch expresses the need for schools and districts to embrace the resources that are available (2001). Though resources can be limited in some areas or a challenge to receive in others, government resources do exist to be used for the benefit of those that need them. School communities lacking proper resources available for situations of poverty need to research all the resources that are out there. Balloch's research revealed the numerous public organizations, both community and government based, with funds and resources available to school districts with proper process (2011). These organizations include, but are not limited to church and faith organizations, armed forces, universities. These varied groups and more can step in and assist the families struggling through alert and partnership from the schools (2001). Many schools are unprepared to face the sudden situational instances that occur, just like those in the SWES community. Southwest Elementary is a strong school academically with an equally strong faculty community which supports it. However it is not properly prepared for the encounters with poverty and the needs of the students living in it. Through the action steps for educators shared by Jensen and the resources for schools researched and demonstrated by Balloch, Southwest Elementary could progress leaps and bounds in its handling of poverty.
Resources:
Balloch, S. (2001). Partneship working: Policy and practice. The Policy Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books
Jensen, E. (2011). Teaching with poverty in mind, what being poor does to kids' brains and what schools can do about it. Alexandria, VA: Assn for Supervision & Curriculum.
