Understanding Poverty

At the recommendation of a teacher-friend, I have just finished reading Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Dr. Payne is the leading U.S. expert on the mindsets of poverty, middle class, and wealth, and she does a stand-up job relating to her audience the extreme differences in the mindsets of each group. If you are teaching even one child from poverty, you should read this book.

Let’s be honest: most of us are middle class Americans. We may not be satisified with our financial situations or other aspects of our lives, but the standards we value and the values we hold come from the middle class group of society. We know the many “hidden rules” one must know in order to survive in our class (read the book to see how hidden rules vary by class — it’s fascinating). On the other hand, we most likely do not know how to survive in poverty, and we are ignorant to the “hidden rules” of poverty. If we do not naturally know how to survive in another class, there is no way we can expect students from poverty to know how to survive in middle class. We have to teach them the appropriate behaviors. Just that realization alone will save many teachers frustration and a little classroom drama.  

I think the underlying theme of Understanding Poverty and the classroom management workshop I attended last week is the importance of teachers making the effort to establish positive relationships with their students. By getting to know our students and understanding where they come from (and being willing to meet them where they are and not expecting them to be just like us), we can eliminate a vast amount of classroom problems teachers encounter today.

If you haven’t already, you really should read this book. Here are a few quotes that I found the most interesting:

“One of the mistakes educators make is to misunderstand the role of punishment in generational poverty. As stated, punishment is not about change, it’s about penance and forgiveness. Individuals in poverty usually have a strong belief in fate and destiny. Therefore, to expect changed behavior after a parent-teacher conference is, in most cases, a false hope.”  Dr. Payne later states, “The notion that discipline should be instructive and change behavior is not part of the culture in generational poverty. In matriarchal, generational poverty, the mother has the most powerful position and is, in some ways, ‘keeper of the soul.’ So, she dispenses the judgements, determines the amount and price of penance, and offers forgiveness. When forgiveness is granted, behaviors and activities return to the way they were before the incident.”

“The key to achievement for students from poverty is in creating relationships with them. Because poverty is about relationships as well as entertainment, the most significant motivator for these students is relationships … what, then, is meant by relationship? A successful relationship occurs when emotional deposits are made to the student, emotional withdrawals are avoided, and students are respected. Are there boundaries to the relationship? Absolutely – and that is what is meant by clarifying expectations. But to honor students as human beings worthy of respect and care is to establish a relationship that will provide for enhanced learning.”

“Gangs are a type of support system. They provide virtually all of the resources needed for survival. Fighting and physical violence are a part of poverty. People living in poverty need to be able to defend themselves physically, or they need someone to be their protector. Middle class uses space to deal with conflict and disagreement … they purchase enough land so they are not encroached upon; they live in neighborhoods where people know their distance. But in poverty, separation is not an option. The only way to defend turf is physically.”

“Values are important, but they don’t put food on the table — or bring relief from intense pressure.” 

Freestyle Friday, Y’all!

Today’s poem is called, “Totally, Like, Whatever,” by Taylor Mali. I’m sure you’ve seen one of his other videos (What Teachers Make), so you’re probably familiar with him. I think he’s, like, totally awesome.

When I present a spoken word performance to students, I always introduce it with a a few questions related to the content of the poem. Usually, these questions are a way to get the students to think about the topic and start to invest themselves in it. Students are more likely to understand content when they understand that it is relevant to them. Here are my questions for this poem:

1) Look at the picture to the right. What impression do you have of these girls? How do you imagine they speak?

2) Does the way a person speaks affect your opinion of him/her?

3) Why is important for us to be effective communicators?

Enjoy the poem!

 

Classroom Management Inservice, Day 1

Today was the first of a two-day inservice for teachers in my school. We are focusing on classroom management issues specific to our school and possible solutions. I begged to attend not to impart any brilliant advice I learned from my student teaching experience, but to meet some teachers and hear about how my new school runs. 2 of my APs ran the show and the director of the county’s office of student discipline and behavior intervention gave an informative presentation. Here are the highlights of the day:

1. Ms. History was there and was gracious enough to let me hang out with her. You can imagine my relief to see her — no one wants to be the newbie with no friends. Ms. History is very nice and about my age, so we have a lot in common. We exchanged email addresses today, and she told me to email her any time with any question I might have. I also met her friend, Ms. Giggles (a fellow 7th grade LA teacher). I think I will like Ms. Giggles a lot. Ms. Art sat at the table with us, and she was very encouraging, as was Mrs. Biker (a 6th grade math teacher).

2. I got to get to know 2 of my 7 APs (consequently, they are the ones with whom I will work the most — 7th grade AP and Language Arts AP), and they are incredibly supportive. 7th grade AP told me that he placed me in my room because his office is next door, and he wants me to use him whenever I need him. I thought that was really nice of him. Over the course of the morning, I got the feeling that my administration is strong, organized, and supportive. They seem to be on the same page as the teachers, and the teachers seem to have great relationships with them. I like that.

3. There were 28 of us at the in-service (over 200 teachers total at the school), and everyone was supportive of each other and had positive attitudes. Every teacher I met offered help or advice or just nice words. Even if the other 172 teachers turn out to be huge prunefaces, I know of 28 to whom I can turn throughout the year.

4. My school is the oldest middle school in the county, but it is squeaky clean. It was squeaky clean in May while school was in session, too. I really like that it is well-kept. There is a feeling of school pride in the building. I like that, too.

5. Director of Student Discipline and Behavior Intervention gave me some statistics of the students in our county. According to a survey taken by middle school students in my county this month:

21% of middle school students have used alcohol this month

9% have used marijuana this month

3% have used cocaine this month

3% have used methamphetamines this month

16% have engaged in sexual activity this month (33% of those students say they had their first experience by the end of 6th grade)

8% have had sexual intercourse this month

20.3% have stolen from a store this month

6.6% have sold or given drugs or alcohol this month

While these statistics are pretty horrific, they help remind me that the students who enter my classroom in August need an adult to care about them and hold them accountable for the things they do. These stats will also help me understand the lives some of my students live a little better. Our lives are totally different.

6. We talked about how there are 3 main components of classroom management: a caring and respectful enviornment that supports learning, established routines and procedures, and meaningful instruction that actively engages students from bell to bell. The #1 rule for effective classroom management is to build relationships and establish rapport with your students.

Today was mostly about classroom management issues throughout the county, and tomorrow we are supposed to discuss teacher concerns that are specific to our school. I will report more tomorrow!

Freestyle Friday

I hope you are loving poetry as much as I am — and realizing that poetry is not just confined to anthologies and stuffy libraries. Poetry can be fun and alive and very exciting. It can entertain you and challenge you. Today’s poem will speak to every teacher out there. It’s called, “I Can’t Read,” by Lamont Carey. I’ve done some reasearch on Mr. Carey, and I believe this poem is autobiographical. What a lesson for everyone!

When I present a spoken word performance to students, I always introduce it with a a few questions related to the content of the poem. Usually, these questions are a way to get the students to think about the topic and start to invest themselves in it. Students are more likely to understand content when they understand that it is relevant to them. Here are my questions for this poem:

1)What are your goals for your life?

2)Do you need an education to achieve your goals?

3)Has there ever been a time in your life when you were afraid to ask for help in school? Were you afraid your friends would make fun of you? Why?

Enjoy the poem!

An Open Letter to Ms. Horrible

Dear Ms. Horrible,

When I saw you approach the Education and Parenting section of our local Barnes and Noble juggling your Starbucks cup and oversized Coach bag while simultaneously chirping into your cell phone, I had a gut feeling that I wouldn’t like you. While I studied educational materials for the upcoming year, you continued to yap away as you fingered various self-help books and annoyed the patrons around you. You were probably oblivious to the nasty looks being thrown at you, so I doubt you ended your phone conversation for the sake of the other customers in the store, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for finally shutting up.

Do you remember me? I was the young woman browsing through a new teacher’s survival guide. I felt you watching me, so I looked up and smiled politely at you. You asked me if I was a teacher, and I told you that I was starting my first year in the fall. You seemed geniunely excited for me as you squealed, “Congratulations! Where are you teaching?” (thereby receiving more dirty looks from those nearby).

I will never forget the look of absolute horror and disgust that overtook your face as I told you I would be teaching at Diverse Middle School, because, you see, I have seen that look before. “Oh,” you stammered, “Oh, I don’t know how you teachers do it! Those kids are horrible! All those black and Mexican families have really brought our community down. Diverse district used to be such a nice area, too! This entire county is going downhill fast, if you ask me. And I know it’s not your fault — I’m sure you do the best with what you have. It seems the only way to provide our kids with any semblance of an education is to homeschool them or enroll them in private school. At least then you know they are safe. I have homeschooled my son for the past two years. Are you going to try to transfer to Wealthy district next year?”

You might recall the forced smile that crept over my face as I turned and walked out of the store. You see, I was fighting the urge (which grew stronger and stronger by the second) to pour your Tall Frappuccino down the front of your crisp white blouse. But that would have been rude. I was also fighting the urge to royally tell you off even though I have never been one to initiate conflict or invite drama. Instead, I walked away, allowing your comments to slowly eat away at me until I can no longer take it. You, Ms. Horrible, need a little dose of reality.

I have been involved in education in some form or fashion for the past three years. I have worked with students from all backgrounds: minorities, white, poor, middle class, and extremely wealthy. I have overheard Louis Vuitton toting sixth graders complain about their olders sister not driving them to the mall, and I have comforted panicked students who feared they would be evicted from their homes because their mothers’ boyfriends walked out on them. I have been threatened a lawsuit for assigning a chatty little girl silent lunch, and I have been cussed out for guiding kids through the hall. I cried when I learned that one of my students was going into another foster home — his 3rd that year. I cried when a student’s apartment caught on fire, and he was forced to wear the same clothes for a week. I was invovled in a lockdown when a 19 year old man came into the school and beat up the 7th grader who had been picking on his younger sister. As a student teacher, I was called “scum” by a parent. I broke up a fight. I attempted to calm and corral my students while other students fought in the cafeteria (many times). I taught 2 below-level writing classes how to write an A-worthy short story. I helped all but 1 student pass the Language Arts CRCT. I cried with all my “horrible black and Mexican” students on my last day with them. I still have the giant card signed by all 106 thanking me for being their teacher and making a difference in their lives. I have a card from another “horrible Mexican” student thanking me for helping her become a better student. I have turned down a job offer from Wealthy district so I could teach at Diverse Middle School. And I haven’t even started being a real teacher yet.

I love the demographic I teach. They are real, and they require anyone teaching them to be real, too. They are good kids who need strong adults in their lives. They are smart and many are wise beyond their years. They are kids, and they deserve to be taught by good teachers who won’t give up on them. In the past three years, those horrible students you speak of have not murdered me, shot at me, propositioned me for drugs, gang raped me, or given me any kind of horrible disease. They have, however, supplied me with laughs and smiles, challenged me to be a better person and teacher, and taught me to see beyond color and economic circumstance. I guess you haven’t learned that lesson yet, but if you came into my classroom, I’m sure my students would be happy to teach you, too.

So to answer your question: No, I will not try to transfer to Wealthy district next year. I am happy where I am.

Good luck with homeschooling your son. I hope you teach him to be a decent and contributing member of our society.

StrangeNewTeacher

Freestyle Friday

It’s that time of the week. Yay! Today’s poem is called, “I Want To Hear a Poem,” By Steve Coleman. He’s a pretty nerdy white boy, but he’s a good slam poet, nonetheless.

When I present a spoken word performance to students, I always introduce it with a a few questions related to the content of the poem. Usually, these questions are a way to get the students to think about the topic and start to invest themselves in it. Students are more likely to understand content when they understand that it is relevant to them. Here are my questions for this poem:

1)We have learned that poetry is an outlet of expression for poets. What do poets write about?

2)Why is poetry such a strong form of expression? When you hear or read a good poem, how does it make you feel?

3)Is there an issue important to you that you haven’t read a poem about? What should you do about it?

Enjoy!

 

Interview Questions

In the spirit of Job Search Season, I decided to post a few interview questions from my interviews and from a discussion board I frequent. If you have a great answer to any question, please feel free to share!

What kinds of students do you like to work with? I believe this question was designed to kick your butt. Here’s the way I want to answer: “I like students who are well behaved and cause little stress. If I could choose, I’d pick students who listen to instruction well and are able to complete assignments independently. Well-mannered students are also pleasant to work with.” Quite honestly, though, who would hire me with an answer like that? “I like working with all types of students. I find that the students who challenge me keep me on my toes and prevent me from becoming complacent. Of course, the “easy” students are always welcomed in my class, because they contribute to the harmony in my classroom. I like to make them leaders in my classroom, and I have found that they can be great sources of positive peer pressure to other students who are less willing to participate in my class.”

How would you communicate with parents of the students in your class? “C’mon, let’s be real here. I know most parents in this community don’t care about communicating with me.  What’s the point in attempting to communicate with parents who will ignore every attempt?” Yea, I guess that won’t get me too far. “I believe parent communication is very important, even with parents who might not care to communicate with me. For this reason, I like to sign my students’ agendas every day, signifying that I have approved the day’s assignment they have written down. I make sure to answer any note a parent writes in agendas, and I respond to parent emails the day I receive them. When I notice problems with students’ behavior, I make sure to contact (via email or telephone) the parents early to discuss possible solutions. I also invite parents to my room before or after class any day they feel they need to conference with me.  I do everything I can to make sure parents at least know what’s going on with their students in my classroom.”

Name three reasons you became a teacher. “Winter break, spring break, and summer vacation.” Wait, that’s not a good answer? How about this one? “1. I spent a few years in college feeling out different careers, and I can honestly say there is nothing more fulfilling or important as being a teacher. When I realized what an amazing responsibility teachers have, I just had to get in on it, too! 2. The best moments of my professional life are seeing a student struggle with a concept only to master it with my help. Through teaching students, I have the opportunity to learn so much more than I’ve ever imagined. Being a teacher makes me a lifelong learner. 3. Some people say I’m crazy, but I love working with middle school students. They can be tough cookies, but when they realize you are there for them and truly care about them, they are your’s for life. They have great senses of humor and are full of loyalty. Being a teacher lets me work with these kids and make a living! What could be better?!”

Why do you want to teach at our school? “Have you seen the schools around here? This is the only place I could work without fear of being involved in a drive-by shooting or having to deal with drug raids on a daily basis. Plus, I’ve seen the salary schedule — compared to the surrounding districts, this district will pay me the most.” You just grimaced, didn’t you? “I have reviewed your school’s website, and I have read the mission statement and values of the school. I feel that this school is a place in which I will fit well and contribute the most. Plus, I have experience with this demographic, so I am confident that I can do my absolute best in this enviornment.”

How do you incorporate technology into your lessons? “You mean like the overhead projector? I use that all the time to project notes I want students to copy!” That’ll make a progressive school cringe! “I believe integrating technology in the classroom is extremely important. Teachers today are competing against iPods and cell phones and video games daily, so daily lectures aren’t going to cut it anymore. I like using the internet to find all different kinds of resources to use in my lessons — videos and webquests and educational sites. I love to review concepts with computer games like Jeopardy, and I find the students embrace these review sessions. I have created my own class webpage so students and parents can stay up-to-date in my class, and I am currently studying the benefits of having my students use blogs in the classroom.”

How do you assess student learning? “I present information and give a big test every couple of weeks. I then base the grades off of a bell curve, so my tests are pretty balanced: few students excell, many pass, and few fail. It’s worked for me for years.” Excuse me while I relive my middle and high school years. “I use many different types of assessment throughout the week: both formal and informal. With every new concept I introduce, I always assess student understanding informally. I really like to ask students to verbally answer questions in class, and I find a ticket out the door works well, too. Before students are allowed to leave my class, they have to answer a question based on the day’s lesson. I like to use Post-its and have students stick them to the walls. After school, I review the tickets to gage understanding. The next day, I teach based on what I’ve learned from the tickets. I also like to give quizzes each week as a form of formal assessment (physical evidence of student understanding). I like to assign projects for each writing unit so students are able to put what they’ve learned to practice. So for the narrative writing unit, I would make students responsible for writing their own short story including the elements we discussed in class.”

Freestyle Friday

Today’s poem is one of the best spoken word performances I’ve ever seen. It’s called,”The Ball, the Rim, and Him,” by Al Letson. Enjoy!

Learning From The Experts

I just read an interesting article titled, “Are They Ready to Move Up?” by Caralee Adams. In it, Adams explores the transition middle schoolers experience as they leave the safety of elementary school and enter a much bigger and scarier world. My favorite part of the article is where Adams interviewed 40 middle school students about their experiences in middle school and their suggestions to teachers. I figure college prepared me pretty well to teach the content, but who better than students themselves to teach us how to be good teachers? Here are a few of the suggestions:

1. “I would really, really like it if my teacher would call home for a good thing that I do. My dad never seems to realize any good thing that I do; it’s like he’s blind. So if my teacher, instead of calling home whenever I do a bad thing, she would sometimes call home and let my dad know that I actually try hard, then I would do better.” —Amelia 

I’ve heard other teachers says they should call home when students do things well, but they never do. And that’s totally understandable — teachers are always very busy. There may not seem like enough time in the day to make an extra, unnecessary parent phone call, but I think it’s extremely important in keeping the classroom morale up. I would have loved for my parents to hear from my teachers that I was doing well (I would like that even now!).

2. “There’s not an ideal, perfect teacher. So teachers should maybe take a survey, like a quarter of the way through the semester. ‘How’s my class going? Should I explain things more clearly? How can I make you a better student, or how can I help you learn better?’ Just so students can tell them what to improve on and what was good.” —Gabe

I actually did this in my Student Teaching and plan to do it every year. Students wrote a teacher report card with 3 components: my overall grade, how I was a good teacher, and how I could improve. I was amazed at the reflection that took place as students graded me, and not one was inappropriate!  I only wish I had done it sooner — I got some valuable information!

3. “Sometimes we come to school upset about something, just not in the mood, and it does affect a lot of things. Teachers do not even ask to see what’s wrong; they just ignore it completely. Then they wonder, ‘Why are you guys not paying attention?’” —Alma

Guilty. In an attempt to maintain absolute professionalism, I would do all I could to stay away from the drama during my student teaching. I could be a little more sensitive to the issues in my students’ lives.

4. “Many times, the kids who behave good in school, teachers don’t know them that much. You have to do something bad so the teachers will know your name, so the teachers will think you’re somebody.” —Amelia

I think Amelia is a good kid who gets overlooked. Just as in #1, it’s easy to overlook the good kids because they’re not a threat to your classroom management. When kids do well, we should take a second to acknowledge their hard work.

5. “I had a math teacher and she wouldn’t sugarcoat it for people. She would actually sit you down to look at all your grades, and show you what would happen. She would bring you down to reality; give you the straightforward of what would be the end result. But the way she would speak about it, you wouldn’t be hurt or offended; you’d have a good mindset.” —Geoffrey

I did this to one student during my Student Teaching, and I found it very valuable. One student came to our class in mid-September and failed to complete any assignment. By mid-October, she had a 42% in our class. I called her to the computer to show her her grade and explained (not lecture — I acted like a concerned adult)  that all the missing assignments were the cause of her failing grade. Her face dropped. She didn’t realize that assignments really did matter that much. She worked very hard after that, and by the time I left in December, she was passing the class. I think the key for this to work is to not lecture the kids or let them think there’s no hope. Act very concerned and reassure the student that hard work will help them improve. Kids like to know that we care, but nobody likes to be talked down to.