Understanding Poverty (a paper I wrote)
A Framework for Understanding Poverty and Its Impact on Educational Events
Over the past several years I have had numerous conversations with friends, family members, and other individuals—about the topic of poverty and its impact on a person. I have always argued that poverty was not something that a person just decided they would throw off and move away from. It is not like an annoying friend that your mother forced you to play with when you were a child, and now that you are older you have decided to avoid. Many times during these discussions I have tried to articulate this point, but have not had the proper language or facts to back up my opinions. For this assignment, I wanted to look deeper into the topic of poverty and its impact on an individual. I chose to read the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Dr. Ruby K. Payne. In this book, she outlines how and why poverty has an incredible impact on a person’s education experience, and why poverty is not something we just walk away from.
The main argument I hear over and over again about people in poverty, is that they are impoverished because they have not tried hard enough to change their situation; they just make bad choices with their money, or they just don’t care. Basically, if they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, they would be able to pull themselves out of their impoverished state. When we talk about poverty this way we make the assumption that poverty is solely an economic state that can be resolved through working harder and getting a better job. Dr. Payne would argue that a person’s ability to move from poverty to the middle class, depends more on the other resources a person has (Ruby, 1998). She would define poverty differently; her definition does not revolve around a lack of financial resources, although that is included (Ruby, 1998). Payne would argue that poverty is a lack of a combination of the following resources: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationship/role models, and knowledge of hidden rules (Ruby, 1998). Some individuals may have a shortage in a few or all of these areas, which keeps them in poverty.
I feel this distinction is an important one for educators to make. For many educators and individuals who come from middle class families, we carry with us our cultural assumptions about poverty. I have briefly lived in what is defined as situational poverty; this type of poverty is defined as poverty that is caused by some sort of event (Ruby, 1998). For a time when I was a young child, my parents were struggling to make ends meet and were living off of government assistance. After a couple of years my father completed a night school program, which allowed him to improve his employment situation. After this my mother went back to school and finished her college degree, which also helped her improve her employment situation. My father came from a family that walked a fine line between the middle class and poverty, but would probably be considered middle class. My mother came from an upper middle class family. So although for a time they were struggling to support themselves, they had access to many of the resources needed to move out of poverty. They were able to utilize these resources so our time living under the poverty line was limited. I have never experienced what Payne would define as generational poverty—a family unit that has been in poverty for two or more generations (Ruby, 1998).
Even though my personal experience with poverty is limited, it has had a profound impact on my thoughts toward the subject. My parents would not have been able to change their economic state without utilizing the many other resources that they had available to them. Even before reading A Framework for Understanding Poverty, I understood that my parents were fortunate to have the resources to help them make this move; but after reading Dr. Payne’s work I had the words to articulate what had happened. I believe my parents’ experience highlights four of the resources needed to move from poverty to the middle class. The first two of these resources are emotional support, and a strong support system. My parents were able to support each other, and they had friends and family that lived nearby. These friends and family were able to help watch my sister and I, provide hand-me-downs, and encourage them as they made sacrifices to move forward. One of these sacrifices came in the form of personal relationships. My parents did not see each other a lot during those years my dad would come home and my mom was off to school. Dr. Payne makes the point numerous times that in order to move from poverty to the middle class, or from the middle class to the wealthy, an individual often has to sacrifice personal relationships (Ruby, 1998). In generational poverty relationships are highly valued, and this makes the move from poverty to middle class difficult (Ruby, 1998).
The other two resources my parents had are also closely tied together as well. First, my parents had knowledge of the hidden rules of the middle class. Secondly, they had role models and relationships within the middle class. An example of one of these hidden rules is that in the middle class we see money as something we manage; while in poverty money seen as something you spend (amongst the wealthy money is invested) (Ruby, 1998). Because my parents had both grown up in middle class families, they understood this concept and knew this rule. Now this alone did not make their transition possible, but it was to their advantage. If my parents had been in generational poverty, relationships with individuals in the middle class would have been vital for the acquisition of the hidden rules of the middle class (Ruby, 1998). Even though my parents knew the rules, they did need these middle class relationships as they supplied them with resources. There were a number of times where my mother’s parents helped my parents. Whether it was helping pay for groceries or helping fix the car—my parents had help. This resource in family members is probably not something someone in generational poverty will have available.
Poverty has a profound impact on the educational setting; and it is important for educators to be conscious of the difficulties children from poverty will face. One of the biggest barriers that many students from poverty face is language difficulties (Ruby, 1998). In an education and work setting we use formal register, while most individuals in generational poverty only use casual register (Ruby, 1998). Register can be described as the style in which language is used. When children from poverty use casual register in a school setting—their work is perceived as poor, and this impacts their grade. When children are unable to participate using the correct register, they have difficulty finding academic success (Ruby, 1998).
Reacting to discipline can be another area where children from poverty can struggle (Ruby, 1998). Dr. Payne describes a patter of discipline in which a child makes a mistake, is belittled by their parent and then is feed by that parent (Ruby, 1998). This leads to the child using the child voice where they become defensive and withdrawn (Ruby, 1998). The parent voice is authoritative and judgmental; it doesn’t give the child choices and presents a situation where the child must follow directions or face the consequences (Ruby, 1998). The adult voice is the key to disciplining children from poverty (Ruby, 1998). The adult voice gives a child choices, is non- judgmental, and avoids being negative (Ruby, 1998). Many children from poverty don’t even realize they have other options, and working with them using the adult voice allows them to discover other options and problem solve difficult social situations (Ruby, 1998).
Another reason children from poverty have trouble in a school setting is because they do not have the support system to help them achieve academic success (Ruby, 1998). If a child’s parents are working two jobs, or are in and out of jail—they may not be able to get the help they need with assignments. In addition, many children in poverty are forced to take on adult responsibilities at a young age, and as a result have less time for schoolwork (Ruby, 1998). Or in some cases a parent may have difficulty reading, or struggle with high-level math or science, making it difficult for them to help with assignments. Flexibility is often needed in these situations, and many schools have started to implement a school-wide support system that helps children in many of these difficult situations (Ruby, 1998).
The list of difficulties that many children from poverty will face in school is a long list. We as educators need to be very intentional about our interactions with these children and their parents. I grew up in a middle class family; and I am confident that the majority of educators also grew up in middle class families. This means that we bring many middle class assumptions into our interactions with our students, and their parents from poverty. If we are not intentional about our actions, we will have difficulty helping these students have academic success; academic success that could possibly help them move from poverty to middle class.
References
Ruby, P. K. (1998). A framework for understanding poverty (Rev. ed.). Baytown, Texas: RFT Publishing Co.
Over the past several years I have had numerous conversations with friends, family members, and other individuals—about the topic of poverty and its impact on a person. I have always argued that poverty was not something that a person just decided they would throw off and move away from. It is not like an annoying friend that your mother forced you to play with when you were a child, and now that you are older you have decided to avoid. Many times during these discussions I have tried to articulate this point, but have not had the proper language or facts to back up my opinions. For this assignment, I wanted to look deeper into the topic of poverty and its impact on an individual. I chose to read the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Dr. Ruby K. Payne. In this book, she outlines how and why poverty has an incredible impact on a person’s education experience, and why poverty is not something we just walk away from.
The main argument I hear over and over again about people in poverty, is that they are impoverished because they have not tried hard enough to change their situation; they just make bad choices with their money, or they just don’t care. Basically, if they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, they would be able to pull themselves out of their impoverished state. When we talk about poverty this way we make the assumption that poverty is solely an economic state that can be resolved through working harder and getting a better job. Dr. Payne would argue that a person’s ability to move from poverty to the middle class, depends more on the other resources a person has (Ruby, 1998). She would define poverty differently; her definition does not revolve around a lack of financial resources, although that is included (Ruby, 1998). Payne would argue that poverty is a lack of a combination of the following resources: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationship/role models, and knowledge of hidden rules (Ruby, 1998). Some individuals may have a shortage in a few or all of these areas, which keeps them in poverty.
I feel this distinction is an important one for educators to make. For many educators and individuals who come from middle class families, we carry with us our cultural assumptions about poverty. I have briefly lived in what is defined as situational poverty; this type of poverty is defined as poverty that is caused by some sort of event (Ruby, 1998). For a time when I was a young child, my parents were struggling to make ends meet and were living off of government assistance. After a couple of years my father completed a night school program, which allowed him to improve his employment situation. After this my mother went back to school and finished her college degree, which also helped her improve her employment situation. My father came from a family that walked a fine line between the middle class and poverty, but would probably be considered middle class. My mother came from an upper middle class family. So although for a time they were struggling to support themselves, they had access to many of the resources needed to move out of poverty. They were able to utilize these resources so our time living under the poverty line was limited. I have never experienced what Payne would define as generational poverty—a family unit that has been in poverty for two or more generations (Ruby, 1998).
Even though my personal experience with poverty is limited, it has had a profound impact on my thoughts toward the subject. My parents would not have been able to change their economic state without utilizing the many other resources that they had available to them. Even before reading A Framework for Understanding Poverty, I understood that my parents were fortunate to have the resources to help them make this move; but after reading Dr. Payne’s work I had the words to articulate what had happened. I believe my parents’ experience highlights four of the resources needed to move from poverty to the middle class. The first two of these resources are emotional support, and a strong support system. My parents were able to support each other, and they had friends and family that lived nearby. These friends and family were able to help watch my sister and I, provide hand-me-downs, and encourage them as they made sacrifices to move forward. One of these sacrifices came in the form of personal relationships. My parents did not see each other a lot during those years my dad would come home and my mom was off to school. Dr. Payne makes the point numerous times that in order to move from poverty to the middle class, or from the middle class to the wealthy, an individual often has to sacrifice personal relationships (Ruby, 1998). In generational poverty relationships are highly valued, and this makes the move from poverty to middle class difficult (Ruby, 1998).
The other two resources my parents had are also closely tied together as well. First, my parents had knowledge of the hidden rules of the middle class. Secondly, they had role models and relationships within the middle class. An example of one of these hidden rules is that in the middle class we see money as something we manage; while in poverty money seen as something you spend (amongst the wealthy money is invested) (Ruby, 1998). Because my parents had both grown up in middle class families, they understood this concept and knew this rule. Now this alone did not make their transition possible, but it was to their advantage. If my parents had been in generational poverty, relationships with individuals in the middle class would have been vital for the acquisition of the hidden rules of the middle class (Ruby, 1998). Even though my parents knew the rules, they did need these middle class relationships as they supplied them with resources. There were a number of times where my mother’s parents helped my parents. Whether it was helping pay for groceries or helping fix the car—my parents had help. This resource in family members is probably not something someone in generational poverty will have available.
Poverty has a profound impact on the educational setting; and it is important for educators to be conscious of the difficulties children from poverty will face. One of the biggest barriers that many students from poverty face is language difficulties (Ruby, 1998). In an education and work setting we use formal register, while most individuals in generational poverty only use casual register (Ruby, 1998). Register can be described as the style in which language is used. When children from poverty use casual register in a school setting—their work is perceived as poor, and this impacts their grade. When children are unable to participate using the correct register, they have difficulty finding academic success (Ruby, 1998).
Reacting to discipline can be another area where children from poverty can struggle (Ruby, 1998). Dr. Payne describes a patter of discipline in which a child makes a mistake, is belittled by their parent and then is feed by that parent (Ruby, 1998). This leads to the child using the child voice where they become defensive and withdrawn (Ruby, 1998). The parent voice is authoritative and judgmental; it doesn’t give the child choices and presents a situation where the child must follow directions or face the consequences (Ruby, 1998). The adult voice is the key to disciplining children from poverty (Ruby, 1998). The adult voice gives a child choices, is non- judgmental, and avoids being negative (Ruby, 1998). Many children from poverty don’t even realize they have other options, and working with them using the adult voice allows them to discover other options and problem solve difficult social situations (Ruby, 1998).
Another reason children from poverty have trouble in a school setting is because they do not have the support system to help them achieve academic success (Ruby, 1998). If a child’s parents are working two jobs, or are in and out of jail—they may not be able to get the help they need with assignments. In addition, many children in poverty are forced to take on adult responsibilities at a young age, and as a result have less time for schoolwork (Ruby, 1998). Or in some cases a parent may have difficulty reading, or struggle with high-level math or science, making it difficult for them to help with assignments. Flexibility is often needed in these situations, and many schools have started to implement a school-wide support system that helps children in many of these difficult situations (Ruby, 1998).
The list of difficulties that many children from poverty will face in school is a long list. We as educators need to be very intentional about our interactions with these children and their parents. I grew up in a middle class family; and I am confident that the majority of educators also grew up in middle class families. This means that we bring many middle class assumptions into our interactions with our students, and their parents from poverty. If we are not intentional about our actions, we will have difficulty helping these students have academic success; academic success that could possibly help them move from poverty to middle class.
References
Ruby, P. K. (1998). A framework for understanding poverty (Rev. ed.). Baytown, Texas: RFT Publishing Co.
Labels: Books, Serious Stuff, Social Justice
posted by Caleb M. Saarela at 11:57 AM
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