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.”
