Poverty in the Classroom

For teachers all students are the same, and we have the same expectations for all of them. The only way we can find out of a student’s economic situation is by students comments like: I didn’t have breakfast today, or I am hungry, do you have something to eat Mrs. Stevenson? As teachers we do notice when students wear the same worn out jacket, or shoes. A couple of times I noticed a couple of my students were wearing torn shorts or shirts. We can guess what could be happening at the home, but our best indicator is student’s performance at school. Hidden rules like the language they use in school and how they express themselves, what vocabulary they have, most of it comes from home.  My school is good at providing free breakfast for those students struggling, they also give them money for the winter shop, they can get free clothes at the nurse’s office for emergencies, every once in a while they will get a treat in class for birthdays, and positive reinforcement.

 I had a student call me mom once, I teach fourth grade! I feel is a privilege to see these children more than their own parents. I don’t have my own children, but when I have them, I already have an idea of how I will raise them. In reality money is just a factor in my opinion. Money doesn’t mean anything, what matters most is quality time with your child. That has more impact on children’s academics. The more time you spend with your children, and talk to them, the better they will do in school. I can tell when students have an involved parent, or a stay home mom. It is just wonderful to see the impact of an adult at home to supervise homework, behavior, manners, and to implement values.

As teachers, we try to provide the hidden rules, and the values they may not be getting at home. Nevertheless, love, security, and stability is something a parent has to provide for a child, so the child can concentrate in school and academics.

Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money but we had all of our needs covered,  a very stable home,  my mom was a stay home mom,  our house was paid off, we never moved, we always went to the same school, we had the same friends and neighbors, and church friends. That stability was great for me and my brother to concentrate in academics. My brother and I got scholarships for our private school, and we both got scholarships for college. 

Assessment

I use the two types of assessments formative, and summative. Formative assessment is sequential practice work students do after every lesson. It helps me determine student’s comprehension of the new subject, if they are learning and following the sequence. Students’ capabilities are also reflected here, it has taught me to understand how my students learn. Also it has helped me differentiate the different types of learners in my classroom. This kind of assessment includes homework, fluency work, exit tickets, class participation, cooperative learning, etc. It is by using this tool that start noticing if I need to reteach, if I need to cover vocabulary again, or if I have to teach it again in a different way.

Summative assessment is my evaluation tool to decide if there needs to be intervention for some students after the end of a big unit. It is the accumulative work of several lessons with a common topic. It also helps me identify if a student needs to be tested.

After a test, I review all the problems with the students again and we conclude what was the mistake. That helps them recognize what details they need to be paying more attention to. 

All the data gathered in tests and formative work, are good indicators of a student's learning type, reading level, development, growth, improvement, and ultimately deep learning.