Sunday, July 18, 2010
Social Context of Schooling Post II (SUMMER SESSION)
Myth: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.
Myth: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education.
Myth: Poor people are linguistically deficient.
Myth: Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol
Instead of accepting myths that harm low-income students, we need to eradicate the system wide inequities that stand in their way (Gorshki, 2008).
Reference:
Gorski, P. (2008). The myth of the “culture of poverty”.
Educational Leadership, 4, 32-36.
Reflect on the myths presented by (Gorshki, 2008). Do you agree/disagree with any of these myths? Why? How can we as teachers begin to defuse these myths in our schools? You can discuss some of Gorski’s recommendations to this issue.
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I don't agree with any of these statements. Much of what we have learnt in this class leads us the fact that each person holds their life in their hand. As long as an individual has the drive the can be at the same level of the middle and upper classes. We have many examples of people in our society who were once rich and are now poor. These are educated individuals, individuals who had all the resources at their hands, because of wrong judgement calls they lost everything, became drug addicts. For example, the late Ray Lightburn he had everything and because of drugs lost everyhting, even his family. So to say that the above are sickness of the poor is totally untrue.
ReplyDeleteTaking this course allows me to fully agree with these myth about poor people. As a matter of face most of the time as teacher we are well aware of the fact that poor people rely on their finical situation for excuse, especially when it comes to taking the responsibility for meeting their child educational needs. Also this is an eye opener for me as s teacher because as i taught about these myth it allows me to thing of how I need to stay tune with the different factors that causes people to stray such as drugs and the effect it can have on an individual.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I fully agree with Julia's statement and do believe that we as individuals holds our life in our very own hands.There for the choices we make will determine the life we chooses for ourselves. Hence when we make positive decision we are securing a future not only for ourselves but also for the future of our children. There for we must always remember that as long as we have the drive as she mention we can determine if we want to live in the high class, middle class or stay at the bottom with the lower class. So at the end of the day the final decision is ours to make.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the first myth, I think that people are motivated to strive for a better life but circumstances arise that blocks their dreams to become reality. Parents from low income homes are the ones who mostly motivate their children because they want them to have more than they had because they know they are worth more. If they did not receive the education it does not mean that they do not value it to be important for their children.
ReplyDeletePerhaps some parents speak as what the article refers to as 'Black English', but it does not mean that they are not capable to carry on a conversation. People learn through experiences and can handle themselves in conversations because they know what they are talking about. That's why it is important for teachers to use these linguistics as example in class because students relate to certain 'Black English' terms as oppossed to the Standard English words. With regards to Alcohol and Drugs, I agree with the article, where Chen,
Sheth, Krejci, and Wallace (2003) found
that alcohol consumption is sigtiificantly
higher among upper middle class white
high school students than among poor
black high school students. This can be seen around our communities, the persons you see in Top Class Restaurants would be the middle class persons and even students who will be drinking and abusing the alcohol and try drugs because they can afford to buy it and because of the perception that doing drugs is 'cool'. Normally the low income families, which the article refers to as 'poor' cannot afford to purchase them therefore they cannot abuse them and occassionally drink when socializing but it is because it was given to them by others who can afford it.
As teachers we need to raise awareness in our classrooms to elimiate classism and teach our student to treat one another with respect for who they are and not what they have. I agree with the statement, 'there is no such thing as a culture of poverty'; therefore, we should think positive and instill values in our classroom that will aid our students to be self-motivated and know that they can accomplish their goals honorably and show them that we believe in them even when others turn their back on them we - the teachers should not.
The suppose link between poverty and work ethics is unfounded. Work ethics is base more on one’s moral values and priorities than financial status. Some rich folks have only a primitive understanding of work ethics. They simply hire a poorer person to do all their menial or undesirable job. Many poor people, however have to work longer and harder for far less than their richer counterparts.
ReplyDeletePoor parents value education as much as parents of middle and upper class does. However, poor parents have many obstacles that limit’s the nature and extent of their involvement in their children’s education. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the need for food, shelter and clothing will naturally take precedence over things like education. Parents of poor children are busy making a living to provide their children with basic necessities. They often have to work long hours, and several jobs to make ends meet compared to rich parents who are more likely to have more time to address the educational needs of their children. Hence, a poor parent may truly value education but basic survival takes precedence.
The notion that poor people are linguistically deficient is totally groundless. People from the upper classes tend to have more years of schooling and thus may have a greater command of the ‘standard’ English/official language. Nevertheless, the dialect spoken by many of the poorer folks can be just as complex if not more so than the standard version of the language spoken. For instance, in Belize, the Creole dialect/language spoken by many of the poor masses is arguably more complex than the standard English of the elites.
The fourth myth is that poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol. Nothing can be further from the truth. Statistics doesn’t support a correlation between economic status and drug and alcohol abuse. Wealthier people are just as likely if not more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Though the reason and type of drug may vary between the poor and the affluent the tendency is unrelated to their economic status. Drug abuse is endemic in wealthy subgroups such as Hollywood. In fact, many of the “well - to - does” have died from drug overdose.
Many strategies can be use to diffuse these myths. Gorski ( ) provided some useful suggestions that may be valuable in alleviating these stereotypes in his work entitled : “The Myth of the Culture of Poverty.” His first suggestion is obvious; “Educate ourselves about class and poverty.” Education is always the starting point in changing wrong ideas or perspectives. According to Cuthrell, Stapleton & Ledford (2010), many teachers do not think that the economic condition of their students should affect the way they teach. A second suggestion was that teachers should not use material that reinforce the stereotyping of poor students. Such practices may cause offence to poor children and make the learning environment hostile and non-conducive to learning. A third suggestion was that teachers should not assume that all students have equal access to resources. For instance, teachers should not assign work that requires use of the internet or which requires purchasing materials and then punish poor children for not completing the work they were not able to do. This equates to economic discrimination. A fourth recommendation was to “ensure that school meal programs offer healthy options.” Generally, middle and upper class students have greater access to healthy food. Physical health translates into mental and intellectual health. Providing poor children with healthy meals will reduce to some degree the unfair advantage that the more well to do students have.
Jaclyn Swasey:
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a misconception most have about those of lower income class. People tend to label them as ‘poor and uneducated’. People of lower income class do have more challenges because of unproportionately limited resources, but they are definitely not lazy. They are highly motivated, work twice harder than the average man, and will do any humiliating jobs that no one else would do. They place more emphasis on education because they see it as an avenue of stepping up the ladder of social class. They are constantly faced with prejudices and limitations, especially placed in schools that society thinks they ought to be in. I totally disagree about the lower income class abusing drugs. Drugs are for those who can afford it. A lower income man will think twice about throwing his money away on unhealthy vices he cannot afford. His priorities are more stringent than the elites who spend lavishly on over-the-counter drugs. Also, the lower income person will hesitate to engage in any illegal activities because they won’t be able to hire a lawyer like the elites who can get off free by means of bribery. The lower income person tends to have more principles and moral values because they will be afraid of loosing their jobs. They are very humble and respectable people in society. I think most of us are confused with the few who choose to live an unproductive life in society.
Jaclyn Swasey:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Calbert. Stereotyping does have an affect on students and as teachers we need to be mindful of students when we address issues of poverty. Students can become resentful and discouraged. Lower income persons do have a great disadvantage especially in health issues. Children coming to school hungry and ill equip with the tools of learning does put the child at a disadvantage. It is up to us to equate this wealth of knowledge since we cannot equate resources. To be a teacher is definitely a powerful attribute.
I do not believe in the myth that poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics. I believe that we are all unique individuals and there are certian factors in life that causes us to go the extra mile or not. Yes we might all see in the classrooms that some of the underpreviledge kids sit around and don't care whether or not they fail; but, this is where we come in as teachers and try to help them see the world differently. Laziness might be a contributing factor but it is not the only reason people are poor. Many kids never end up being somebody because no one told them they could. There are those who do come from the poorest areas and against all odds become successful pg 35 of the reading says - The socio economic opportunity gap can be eliminated only when we stop trying to "fix" poor students and start addressing the ways in which our schools perpetuate classism. This includes destroying the inequities listed above as well as abolishing such practices as tracking and ability grouping,segregational redistricting, and the privatization of public schools. pg 36 goes on to say- Most important, we must consider
ReplyDeletehow our own class biases affect our interactions with and expectations of our students. And then we must ask ourselves, Where, in reality, does the deficit lie?
This is something that must be taken seriously because we must take a closer look at the system that governs us and see where the system fails. There are some poor people that work much harder than those who have money. But most times there are alot of barriers that try to keep the poor in suppression. Instead of trying to motivate them the systems that are in place try to keep them in the same environment. We need to surround them with good influences and motivate them to do the right things and strive for better.
To Julia:
ReplyDeleteI fully are with you that Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol is a myth because people who abuse drugs comes from all walks of life, Rich or Poor.
Social nurture can contribute to drug abuse but financial status will not affect if they abuse drugs or not. Rich lawyers will abuse drugs, ministers, pop stars, royalty and children who have been through abuse. There are so many causes. Money just tends to determine what kind of drug they buy in most cases.
To Jaclyn:
ReplyDeleteIn reference to your post that "It is truly a misconception most have about those of lower income class. People tend to label them as ‘poor and uneducated’. People of lower income class do have more challenges because of unproportionately limited resources"
I stongly believe in your view that the poor have limited resources in trying to uplift themselves. If the poor is given equal oportunity as the so call rich, then we would be giving them a chance at making life better. I also believe that because of the limited opportunity to good education and lack of self incentive for good education causes the poor to remain poor.
I agree with Jaclyn, low income individuals are focused on other factors and prefer to work harder than others do because they try to provide their families with basic needs. Everyone sees America as the land of opportunity, for some it is but others may find themselves working 2 or more jobs so they can pay the rent and send some money back home and what families in their home countries do not realize is that their families in America are not living the high life as they think.
ReplyDeleteJackie you hit the nail right on the head when you say that drugs are for those persons with money. If you are to go into the home of middle or upper class family more than likely you will find a quart of alcohol. Don't get me wrong I am not saying this is all middle and upper class families. Think about the customs officers/immigration officers, doctors, lawyers, politicians drinking is what they do in their past time when most lower class only drink on weekend. So it is truthful to say that drugs are more for those that can afford it.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Ardeth's position about these myths.Ardeth believe that these myths are reality while I believe that these myths are not correlated with economic status.For instance, the myth that poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol is not substantiated by evidence.The major difference in drug use prevalence between poor people and middle and upper class people is the type of drug they can afford.A poor person may drink a common beer while a rich person by drink black label. A poor person may smoke a common cigarette and low grade marijuana while a rich folk may take in addition to these, an expensive tobacco and heroine
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with any of the myths presented by (Gorshki, 2008). Poor people are hard working. Many of them work two, three or more tedious low paying jobs in order to sustain their families. Thus, they spend more hours of their life working than the middle and upper class. In addition, poor people work even when they are ill, since they cannot afford access to medical services and neither can they absent themselves from work. Many poor people are highly motivated and have strong work ethics.
ReplyDeletePoor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning because they lack essential resources that would allow them free time to get involved in their children’s learning. They must work long hours at multiple jobs, they have bosses that do not allow them to be absent from work, they have other children they must care for at home when they return home from work, they cannot afford childcare after work, they live far away from school and cannot afford transportation to attend school functions. Poor parents do care about their children’s education. The problem is that schools are not sensitive to the needs of poor parents. Thus, schools do not value the participation of poor families in their children’s education.
Poor people are not linguistically deficient. They may not speak Standard English but whatever language they speak is as complex as any language spoken. The poor are not mute. Like everyone else, they are free to express themselves in which ever language they choose.
Wealthy people are more prone to have substance abuse issues than poor people because they have easy access to money with which to purchase alcohol and drugs. Additionally, wealthy people are less likely to be disciplined for consuming drugs because of their status in society. As a result, they will continue to engage in substance abuse. On the other hand, poor people are more likely to be penalized for using drugs the moment they are caught.
In “The Myth of the Culture of poverty”, Paul Gorski takes the view that people living in poverty share a consistent and observable “culture”. The people who live and believe that are living in the culture of poverty have been seen as lack of basic skills with associated myths. According to Oscar Lewis an American Anthropologist came up with the same or almost the same lines of definition as Gorski did. Lewis (2000) expressed the definition as ,“The culture of poverty constitutes a "design for living" that is passed on from generation to the next. Individuals feel marginalized, helpless and inferior, and adopt an attitude of living for the present. This is where the rich and other unprivileged people stigmatized their own culture. Gorski and Lewis see a culture common with marginalized society members. This culture is not a negative one, but something that gives them compassion, hope, and simple life style. Unfortunately, this life style is stereotyped by the middle class, by assuming, labeling as alcoholics, no ethics, uneducated and so on. It is a myth that the poor are alcoholics, and this not so because they have less income and will spend less on alcohol. Nevertheless, according to the black well-synergies(2005) found that “ Earlier studies have found that more educated people and those with higher income drink more on average”. Even though, the poor drink less, but more on any given time, the rich on the other hand consumes far more alcohol than the poor. Another myth, the poor are no less ethical than the rich. In fact, they will be shaped by their own philosophy and are more loyal to their belief than the rich. They will create their own reference groups to keep up their faith, while the rich on the other hand, will be utilizing the poor and taking advantage for their own benefit and interest. Furthermore, the fact that parents are not involved in their children learning does not make them a bad parents or are not interested in their children education. Those parents have two to three jobs, so they can at least send their student to school but on the other hand imperatively neglecting their children. Sociologists view this neglecting as lacking social capital on the family, and not intentionally neglecting in the participation of their children at school. Now, I can affirm my idea with the idea of Nakzelnick (1989) “However, for those living in poverty, it is difficult to fit in. When every moment of every day is devoted to finding ways to survive, school can be seen as one more thing keeping you from doing what you need to do to survive. If a single parent is desperately trying to make sure there is food on the table for dinner, money to pay rent, and working to keep the electricity from being turned off, this doesn’t mean the parent doesn’t support their child’s education. It simply means that making ends meet (or close enough to meeting as possible) takes the priority over making sure the child completes homework” . In conclusion, I agree with Gorski (2008) idea of attacking this whole myth about poverty. We must educate ourselves in order for us to understand it better and make more essential and wiser recommendations. However, unfortunately, the poor are a hard working class, but the system deprives them from breaking the cycle of their culture and poverty. The barriers of poverty must be broken in order for the poor to continue of with their education and lives.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Nakzelnick, S. (1989) Myth & sterotypes about poverty in the U.S
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01299.x
American anthropologist, Oscar Lewis, the theory of poverty Blacks academy 2002
Gorski, P. (2008). The myth of the “culture of poverty”.
Educational Leadership, 4, 32-36.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteshaunna said
ReplyDeleteShaunna said
Myth #1: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics. I do not totally agree with this myth because poor people are very hard working because they want to take themselves out of this situation. They cannot provide the basics their families so they work two three jobs.
Myth: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education.
I totally disagree with this myth for me the poor parents pay more attention to the development of their children through education. Poor people are always involve in their children work, they try to get all their needs. At our most recent graduation a single parent mom ran up in the aisle when her son got his diploma made a lot of noise she was always at school checking on her child even when she had three janitor jobs.
Myth: Poor people are linguistically deficient.
I disagree majority of our poor people get the extra help so they can be productive citizens. In the villages they have programs to teach the poor people English, reading, writing and mathematics.
Myth: Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol
I do not totally agree with this myth because only when poor people get drugs and alcohol they can abuse it. Look at the upper-class, a lot of them do drugs behind their palace doors. They have all the money to do drugs and alcohol.
What we can do as teachers are to motivate our students and build up their self esteem. Go to more self development workshops to get more information on how to assist our students. Educate ourselves on class and poverty. Respond when colleagues stereotype
Poor students or parents. Make school involvement accessible to all families.
shaunna said
ReplyDeleteHi julia
I do not agree with your disagreement on the myths because i believe that each individual has the potential to excel in whatever they want to do. Once a person have the correct guidance, resources, determination and ambition they can accomplish any goal. I see poor people getting rich rich people getting poor.
Life is what we make of it and if we get the correct guidance we can move mountains. Once you have the goal you outline your objectives and try to accomplish the goals.
I disagree with all the myths mentioned in the article The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty”. I am quite familiar with all such myths and I have always found them to be remarks of ‘ignorant’ people. Some people seemed to find it necessary to make ‘excuses’ or come up with their version of the ‘truth’ for things they don’t quite understand or they don’t try to understand. Take for example the first two myths mentioned on page 33; those two to me seemed to be the most common among people of my community. And to me that’s the furthest from the true as it could possible get. Poor people are hard working individuals and are indeed very much interested in their children education as any other individuals like the article mentioned. However, just because things are much more challenging for the poor, it may seem as if though they are not interested; but we as individuals cannot make such assumption. Not because people are poor and cannot get involved in things the way they should, or would want to, means that’s the way they truly want things to be.
ReplyDeleteIt is my belief that teachers are the key player in defusing such myths. As a teacher I belief that it is up to us to expect the very best from all students regardless of whatever. Like the article mentioned on page 34 we should stop worrying about ‘‘fixing’ the mythical culture of poor’, but focus more on the things they are being short change from as a result of being poor. As teachers we can aid in this process by not dwelling on the fact that they are poor but focus on all the additional qualities of the individual. We can also play an active role of educating others who may hold on to negative stereotypes about poor people. On page 35 of the same article, outlines sever things that I belief could be of great assistance for teachers to follow when it comes to helping curving the issues of misconceptions of the poor.
I have to support Jaclyn's points in terms of the use of drugs by low income families (poor people). A poor person who is looking out for the best interest of his family would think twice before squandering his money on something that would be of no benefit to him or his family in the longer run. It's my belief that poor people have to work too hard for the little they earn and simply turn around and spend it foolishly. They see the investment in education for their children as a means to an end for them; once the child becomes educated he/she can then turn around and be of great assistance to the family and help break the cycle of poverty. I trully have to support Jacy when she mentioned that the lower class tends to have more principles, and the fact that they are more humble and respectful. Indeed, they are faced with a great deal of challenges but at the sametime, I do not think they make excuse for themselves, they keep trying in spite of these hardships. To my knowledge it's only a few people from the lower class in society use their poverty situation as an excuse for 'everything'; then the majority get labelled as being lazy, unmotivated, ignorant, etc. which is totally unfair to these people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Calbert about what can be done to break all these myths about poverty. He mentioned that education is one way. Well, I believe education is the most important one, because through self development, we would reach to an understanding of the other classes, and then respect their life style. The middle class jump into conclusion on the basis of their unsystematic observation. They merely understand the problem underlying within the working class; For example, jumping into conclusion because working class parents don’t attend Parent Teacher- Association (PTA) meetings and don’t participate on school activities. Those people, who are stereotyping these other people, must at least be rational before they say such things. By stereotyping and labeling people, they are themselves unethical for not showing respect to the other class. Nevertheless, Calbert mention that poverty has a great impact on learning for students due to several factors including both mental and physical health. I agree with his view, those obstacles become overwhelming, consequently disillusioning students and future opportunities that they may hope for. I repeat again, until we, the human race become and believe in our people and become one people, equality will prevail; Therefore, no more labeling, stereotyping and myths about the poor.
ReplyDelete"They're smart. I know they're smart, but. . ."And then the deficit floodgates open: 'They don't care about school. They're unmotivated. And their parents—I'm lucky if two or three of them show up for conferences”(Paul Gorski). I agree with Paul that yes these children are smart but some have no interest in their school work. But we cannot blame it all on the parents. Parents that do not attend these conferences may not be that they just do not want to but because they really cannot. These needy parents cannot just leave work and attend these conferences. Yes, I agree that these parents need to try to make a little effort to attend and show interest in their child’s school work. We need to remember that they need to get paid and if they do not work they will not get paid. Some teachers have certain beliefs that poor children are not smart, that poor parents do not value education, that poor people have poor working ethics and other myths which some teachers do believe in. As teachers we need to be the best teachers we can be for all students, we need to challenge these myths and reach a deeper understanding of class and poverty(Paul Gorski).
ReplyDeleteThe myth that poor parents have poor working ethics is wrong since according to the Economic Policy Institute (2002) these poor working parents spend most of their time working than these wealthy people. Some poor people have to work double jobs. Some have to struggle, work harder and longer for a checque that is still less than the wealthy people. Therefore, we should not say that poor people have poor working ethics.
As teachers we should not believe the myth that poor parents are not involved and do not value education. We should put in consideration the fact that these parents are trying and as parents they believe that by working they are providing the best that they can to their children. These parents do value education since it is a way of climbing the ladder and getting out of poverty. Everyone want the best for their children, even the poor people want their children to gain the best and most education possible to lead them out of poverty.
According to Janet “They don’t care about school”. The question I ask now is, Who are we to blame if a child do not care about school? The teachers, the parents, or the child?
I must start off by saying that my opinions on the myths would be mixed. As I agree with some while I disagree with others, e.g. I agree with the statement that says if someone lacks a shelter that is poverty; I believe this is so according to the definition given in the video where it defines poverty as being in “want, scarcity or lack”. On the other hand, I do not agree with the myth that says “not being able to read or go to school” is poverty. I believe that it may lead to poverty. If you cannot read or go to school, this does not necessarily mean that you have a lack or scarcity in knowledge. It just means you do not know how so you can learn. If you really think about it, poverty does not mean “not having the choices we take for granted”, when I read this I especially think of those in Cuba. They do not have the choices that we have but they are not in poverty; even though some afford to make the simple choices we make like deciding what type of food to eat that still cannot be considered poverty. Again, I do not believe that if someone is powerless that places them in the bracket of poverty. In actuality I do not believe that individuals are powerless. They must have some sort of power, the word just sounds so absolute. I believe that I cannot subscribe to broad statements like “being sick and not being able to see a doctor” is poverty. That statement is too broad as many things can lead to a person to not be able to see a doctor. It may be financial yes which could be considered financial poverty. I believe that there are those who face financial poverty but excel in other areas. E.g. someone might not be able to go to see a private doctor, but they are spiritually strong or satisfied; and I believe that in Belize individuals may not be able to go to see a private doctor but they can definitely go to see a public doctor that will not be of any cost to them.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion I believe that poverty is not only lacking of tangible things but also the intangible. I believe that individuals must be looked at holistically, meaning that we must look at the spiritual, emotional, financial etc. before we can class individuals as being in poverty or not.
parents who are in poverty situation are the one who usually encourage there children to do better. they are the one who want to see better for their kids. this is my findings and i strongly believe it. we are the one who influence them to do better in life. not because you are poor does not mean that you should not help your children.
ReplyDeletei will agree to the fact that we cannot just blame everything on poverty. poverty is not the issue. so like what Jackie said we all can improve the situation. people who are poor face challengies but that does not mean that they are not able to help their child. they are the ones who really want to help them.
ReplyDeleteResponse to julia
ReplyDeleteI disagree with her comments to some extent; in that some of the myths looked at can be proven to be true whiles others false. Even though individuals have the drive to move from one social class to the next or to succeed in life and move from poverty. We cannot hide the fact that there is some who live in absolute poverty, meaning that they are in a cycle of poverty that goes on and on. This is so as they may not have finance and this leads to the problem of other social problems like teenage pregnancy and prostitution. Even though we have many people who came from what is considered a poor background and succeed, it is the same way we have examples of those who did not. What made the difference for these people is that they probably had other factors apart from finance that motivated them. Hence, the reason why I said that poverty cannot be looked at in just a financial aspect. We also need to look at the social, psychological, spiritual etc. aspect of an individual.
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ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the myth that Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics. It’s just unfortunate that poorer class parents have to work two or three jobs to put a roof over their children’s head and food on the table and pay the fees. Poor parents are determined to work hard so their kids can have a better life and they don’t have to go through that cycle. Bottom line is some poor people are motivated to make life much better for their kids but because of certain situation it’s harder for them.
ReplyDeleteI believe as teachers we can resolve these myths by not having the preconception of because people are poor we have less expectations from them, but rather try teach our children that we must respect each other regardless of our background. We also need to try our best to motivate or students to do & be the best they can be.
I strongly agree with Shaunna in saying we need to motivate our students and build up their self esteem. Go to more self development workshops to get more information on how to assist our students. Educate ourselves on class and poverty. Respond when colleagues stereotype poor students or parents. Make school involvement accessible to all families. I believe by doing this its going to be much easier for us to help the poor students & their parents.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlicia Bent
ReplyDeletePaul Gorski presents an intriguing argument in the article, The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty” by challenging well known perspectives on poverty such as Oscar Lewis, who coined the term the culture of poverty. Gorski outright denounced the concept of the culture of poverty based on empirical and analytical evidences, which she highlighted in her claim. While I disagree with most of the statements that are presented as myths, I also have some disagreements with some of the arguments presented by Gorski. After reading the document, I certainly see the merit in some aspects of her presentation; but there are clearly some areas of distortion, generalization and bias as well.
Myth #1:
Gorski strongly argue that the idea of poor people being unmotivated with weak work ethics is a myth. I find some disparity in the statistics that she presented to support this argument. For instance, the figure of 83% of poor children having a parent working is very misleading since there is no clarification or classification of the term “work”. However, she cleverly presented the fact that almost 60%
(50 something) have a parent working full time. This can also be interpreted to mean that more than 40% (almost 50%) do not having a parent working – full time. Does this figure in any way represent those who are on the welfare system and are not making any effort to gain marketable skills? How else can you describe someone who is satisfied with living on the margin of human existence other than being unmotivated and lazy?
Myth #2:
I totally disagree with this myth that poor parents are not interested in their children’s education, and Gorski supports her argument well. Indeed, low income parents are too busy trying to survive from day to day and this is a factor that may prevent them from getting involved in school activities.
Myth #3:
I also disagree with this myth but do not think that her argument is fully substantiated. From a cultural standpoint, it is okay for students to speak their lingua franca, but the stalk reality is that English is the formal language of education and business. Therefore, if we are preparing poor students to survive in a competitive world, then we must ensure that they acquire all the necessary skills, attitude and knowledge for success.
Myth #4:
I totally disagree with this myth, which denigrates poor people as alcoholic and drug addicts. For the most part, Gorski presented a balance argument because rich people and white colour workers may be able to hide their drug addiction behind closed doors. However, her statement about wealthy people being more likely than poor people to be addicts is unfounded.
Enrolling in the Diploma in Education course has been a very enlightening experience for me as a teacher. I have had my moments of epiphany and gain a better understanding of how to guide my students towards achieving their academic and social goals.
These courses helped us to accept each child as they are – rich or poor – and to believe that each child is capable of learning. We also need to make an effort to understand our students’ social circumstances in an effort to help them bridge the gap between their social norms and that of school and society. We need to turn our classroom into ‘functional homes’ so that our students feel a sense of belonging and that others care about them. We need to build trusting relationships with our students so that they will feel confident and comfortable in the school environment. Most of all, as professionals we need to show empathy and fairness to all our students.
Like Calbert, I disagree with Ardeth’s position on the myths stated in the article. Reiterating Calbert’s comment on her blog, Ardeth’s position is total acceptance of all the myths as reality without much deliberation as to their soundness as absolute reality.
ReplyDeleteDrug and alcoholic addictions are diseases that do not have any social or class barriers. Therefore, I would like to add to what Calbert mentioned by saying that we cannot make general assumptions about drug addiction for either poor or wealthy people.
I definitely agree that instead of accepting myths such as the ones discussed in the article, we should help in eradicating the system of wide inequities that stand in the way. I totally disagree with these myths since the majority of poor people strive to do the best they can to overcome poverty through educating their children. As stated in the article, although poor people are often stereotyped as lazy, 83 percent of children from low income families have at least one employed parent; close to 60 percent have at least one parent who works full-time and year-round (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2004). Furthermore, poor people at our school are the ones that are more involved in school activities than wealthy. The rich only prefer to send money than be there for their children. Poor people do not have money to spare but are the first to pay for school fees as opposed to the rich. If no money is there they would offer their annual labor for fundraising activities. Some might not be present because they have more than one job to do. All people are able to communicate even if it takes gestures and signs to do it. The poor are not linguistically deficient nor do they tend to abuse drugs. Man well-known and wealthy figures have been caught in their rampage as a direct result of abusing drugs and alcohol. Some have even ended doing time in jail.
ReplyDeleteTeachers need to avoid being engulfed in this idea of “culture of poverty.” It is not the economic status that defines your abilities, but the things that you can do. Some poor children do not have enough resources but can perform better given the chance to succeed. As teachers we should educate ourselves so that we do not fall in these senile ideas about poor people. The article lists several tips to follow so that we treat children equitable and provide equal opportunities for all without stereotyping. One that stood out for me is to continue reaching to income families even when they appear unresponsive and without assuming, if they are unresponsive, that we know why.
I have to disagree with Ardeth's comments on the myths of poverty. There might some isolated cases of it, but definitely I disagree with her comments. People who are poor try to be as much as possible in volved in their children's education because it is a means to overcome poverty. We teachers should not see it as that but try to understand some of the families who are not involved. It is rich people who never have the time to visit the school. They think that providing money it is enough.
ReplyDeleteSocial contexts have a significant impact on the development of children. The social world of school operates by different rules or norms than the social world these children live in. Researchers around the world tested the culture of poverty concept empirically (Billings 1974).There is no such thing as a culture of poverty. Differences in values and behaviors among poor people are just as great as those between poor and wealthy people.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the article, “The Myth of the Culture of Poverty,” written by Paul Gorshki,
I believe the myth of the culture of poverty is very true. The myth of a culture poverty distract us from a dangerous culture that does exist – “ The culture of classism” .There are many people, who do believe that children, who are raised in ghettos where violence, gangs, and drug abuse is common, shouldn’t be given a nice school, highly qualified teachers, and a chance to get a good education. I consider people feel this way because they think that the children are so used to poverty, that the children themselves don’t believe they’ll ever be able to “get out.” While this may be true for a select few, I suppose that most students raised in poverty are crying to “get out.” I personally never believed that all poor people were lazy, drug users in gangs. I feel that many people, who live in poverty, were normal, middle class. Somewhere they came across hard times or hardships and were unfortunately unable to pull themselves out of it. I agree with Mr. Gorshki that all people should educate themselves about class and poverty, reject the deficit theory and never assume that all people have the technology such as computers, and Internet.
I disagree to the myth that poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education. The reality is that low income parents are less likely to attend school functions or volunteer in their children classrooms not because they careless about education, but because they have less access to school involvement than their wealthier peers. It might be said more accurately that schools fail to sake these considerations into account do not value the involvement of poor families as much as they value the involvement of other families. In an effort to improve the opportunity for children from a disadvantaged background, several programs need to be implemented or changed. First, affirmative action programs must be changed and strengthened.
As teachers we can prepare ourselves for the bigger changes to suppress the ‘culture of poverty’. We must educate our selves about class and poverty, reject the deficit theory and help students and colleagues unlearn misconceptions about poverty, continue reaching out to low income families even when they appear unresponsive, respond to when colleagues stereo type poor students or parents., make curriculum relevant to poor students, drawing on and validating their experiences and intelligences and finally as teachers we must fight to ensure that school meal programs offer healthy options.
“The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich" (Pope J. Paul II, 1984).
I agree with Silverio statement, “Many poor people are highly motivated and have strong work ethics”. I see this happen all the time. For instance the S.E.L workers, they smile in the boiling heat of the sun while cleaning the smelly, polluted drains. I believe these poor people do this to create a name, standard and to prove themselves to others that they are worth working and most highly motivated. On the contrary, the rich and educated already earn a name and degree and do not have to prove anything to anyone. So they tend to slacken on their ethical values, sulk their faces in Air conditioned office as if the world is on their shoulders.
ReplyDeleteDue to this new society and the way the economy is going,the environment and changes that occur daily globally.And the way the government is running the country even though the government ca not be blame for every thing that happens in society.But these factors contributes to the kind of life poor people live in and most of these poor people are ignorant to their surrounding or what happens or even the future.If a child comes from a poor family not all of them will grow up or live in poverty for life.For example some of them are fortunate enough to be adopted by a good family who can afford to raise them in a healthy environment and provide them with an education to become successful in the future.And for those who are unable to escape the misery poverty causes at times end up doing drugs criminals and would abuse their families.Living a hard life would be some of nor to them even though its painful.we as humans have feeling so our hearts will bleed for them but what can we do?a little food for the day is good clothes too but what about their feelings inside can we heal all their pain can we bring them happiness? some not all there is little some of us can do.
ReplyDeleteIn my heart I think if they had provided schools for free or technicall training,free medical assistance especially for the poor villages in our country and provided family planning for low income families in extreme poverty.I believe with some of these actions in place would help the poor people and the rate of poverty will decrease as well as school drop outs.And even less criminal on the streets...
In general some of what i had mention in the above should answer almost all the question above about the poor or why they are the way they are,because they nee extreme help.
I agree with Tiffany about what Myth said about poor people and motivation.It goes right back to what I wrote in my blog some of these poor people do take time for their families make sacrifices to make ends meet and support in all they can.With this it will motivate the children of that family or home that in life there is a way out in everything especially poverty.Some are fortunate because they fight it to be successful but some don't or don't get the privilege to due to situations or condition or mental or physical dis ability.
ReplyDeleteIn order to bring out a true assessment of these myths, I want to tackle them one at a time.
ReplyDeleteMyth: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.
It is so unfortunate that we as a people tend to look at a couple or few and make generalization. For example; all man dah dog or all black people thief! I can I agree that some poor people are unmotivated but that does not mean that they have poor work ethics. I like to use myself as examples because I can speak to what and about what my experiences have been. There were five boys in my family and although I don’t know my dad, my mom made sure that when we were given tasks that we performed them to our best. Not only did she tell us what to do but showed us and corrected us and up today if I cannot do put my all into a task I rather put it off for a later date or give way for others to do it. I can proudly say that I have never been fired for weak ethics and I am slowly by surely educating myself and able to provide for my family. So, I strongly disagree.
Myth: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education.
Again from my experience, as a home room teacher, it is just a few who seem to not be involved in their children’s learning but this can be attributed to many factors. Many of them are single parents and have to work several jogs to be able to provide for their children, some cannot be contributing towards the fundraising drives and want to avoid the embarrassment of being asked, so they don’t come around. And many cannot cope with getting bad news all the time and it is unfortunate but many of them have given up on their children. I believe that regardless of their educational background they value education and want it for their children but the environment in which many of these kids live today seem to be embracing some else other than an education. I also disagree on this point.
Myth: Poor people are linguistically deficient.
I will disagree with this myth as well. We find that immigrants that enter our schools system are challenged linguistically at the beginning but end up doing better, in some instances, in comparison with the born and raised here.
Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol
I will also have to disagree here. Poor people tend to be the bold ones, the ones that show off but over the years we have suspended and expelled students that come from well off families for their involvement with alcohol and other drugs. It is because of this same myth that they sometimes go unnoticed but they are kids and at the end of they are all faced with peer pressure, it sometimes depends on the way you were brought up or what you see around you that will define the things that you will get yourself involved with. As a matter of fact they are sometimes exposed to heavier drugs than what poor kids are exposed to.
We as teachers need to become informed of our society and the issue that are youth are faced with so as to be able to intervene if possible or have the professional look into it. We need to speak out against stereotypes and these myths. Tackle issues affecting our children holistically. No man is an island. But far most import, we need to love all children and treat them as equal regardless of their background.
Peace out everyone
It was nice discussing these issue with you all
Your boy
Alex
In order to bring out a true assessment of these myths, I want to tackle them one at a time.
ReplyDeleteMyth: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.
It is so unfortunate that we as a people tend to look at a couple or few and make generalization. For example; all man dah dog or all black people thief! I can I agree that some poor people are unmotivated but that does not mean that they have poor work ethics. I like to use myself as examples because I can speak to what and about what my experiences have been. There were five boys in my family and although I don’t know my dad, my mom made sure that when we were given tasks that we performed them to our best. Not only did she tell us what to do but showed us and corrected us and up today if I cannot do put my all into a task I rather put it off for a later date or give way for others to do it. I can proudly say that I have never been fired for weak ethics and I am slowly by surely educating myself and able to provide for my family. So, I strongly disagree.
Myth: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education.
Again from my experience, as a home room teacher, it is just a few who seem to not be involved in their children’s learning but this can be attributed to many factors. Many of them are single parents and have to work several jogs to be able to provide for their children, some cannot be contributing towards the fundraising drives and want to avoid the embarrassment of being asked, so they don’t come around. And many cannot cope with getting bad news all the time and it is unfortunate but many of them have given up on their children. I believe that regardless of their educational background they value education and want it for their children but the environment in which many of these kids live today seem to be embracing some else other than an education. I also disagree on this point.
Myth: Poor people are linguistically deficient.
ReplyDeleteI will disagree with this myth as well. We find that immigrants that enter our schools system are challenged linguistically at the beginning but end up doing better, in some instances, in comparison with the born and raised here.
Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol
I will also have to disagree here. Poor people tend to be the bold ones, the ones that show off but over the years we have suspended and expelled students that come from well off families for their involvement with alcohol and other drugs. It is because of this same myth that they sometimes go unnoticed but they are kids and at the end of they are all faced with peer pressure, it sometimes depends on the way you were brought up or what you see around you that will define the things that you will get yourself involved with. As a matter of fact they are sometimes exposed to heavier drugs than what poor kids are exposed to.
We as teachers need to become informed of our society and the issue that are youth are faced with so as to be able to intervene if possible or have the professional look into it. We need to speak out against stereotypes and these myths. Tackle issues affecting our children holistically. No man is an island. But far most import, we need to love all children and treat them as equal regardless of their background.
It was nice sharing and discussing with you all
peace out.
Your boy,
Alex
I must agree with Cordelia. If we had a level playing field and equally distribution of wealth, I believe that things would be different in our country. I like to make reference to Cuba. Yes there are people that want to leave but why are there million who choose to stay on the island. I had a student for 2 years who is moving back. I sat down to talk to her and I got the feeling that people are happy. There is equally opportunity but there is no difference no class. All are one. Maybe we can adopt some of their ideals and things would be better.
ReplyDeleteDenise
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with one of the four myths. The one I agree with is that poor people are linguistically deficient. The only reason I say that is because they have no early experiences that promote literacy and reading readiness. They are not exposed to books and other materials that would help them build their language.
I disagree with the other three because: 1. Not only poor people use drugs, people of a wealthier background do so too; only because; they are not seen I public as with the poorer class of people; 2. It is not that the poorer class of people are not interested in their children’s learning, but how can they when some of them have to work three or four jobs to make ends meet. What time would they have when some of them come home in the evening or even late at night? 3. If they have weak work ethics why would most of the poorer class of people work so may job at a time to provide for the family?
As teachers we can do a lot help children that comes from impoverish home. One of the most powerful actions that a teacher cam implement is to create a positive classroom environment where children where children will feel that they are loved and they are valuable (eliminate the sense of self-esteem). Teachers can also create a relationship with family and communicate, need to know each of her children and help them to understand the hidden rules of schools, plan appropriate ad meaningful, help them to develop a base of knowledge/ experiences for themselves, sell high expectations, and use positive reinforcement
I agree with Julia that an individual can make something of themselves if they have the will power to achieve just as those of the middle and upper classes. They do not have to remain from where they came. They should want to change that situation and make their future brighter instead of grimmer.
I strongly agree with Tiffany. We are powerful instruments for our students. We can either make them or break them. We can create a positive classroom climate where students feel a sense of belong, where they can build their self esteem, have equal rights just as the other students, and knowing that their motto is Yes I Can and I will.
Denise I agree with some of your statement but I think that we all have to stop making excuses for our actions. Some of us learn from one mistake while others head seems to be hard, our aim should be no matter where we are from we have to make our selves into a productive citizen in order to a productive citizen for our country Belize.
ReplyDelete