Wednesday, August 21, 2013

What You Can Do for Students Living in Poverty

You're just one person, right? 

You can hardly make a difference, right?

WRONG!

  • Listen to your disadvantaged students. They need a strong relationship with a trustworthy adult to succeed.
  • Work to boost the self-esteem of students who live in poverty by praising their school success instead of what they own.
  • Keep your expectations for poor students high. Poverty does not mean ignorance.
  • Make it clear that you value all of your students for their character and not their possessions.

These are just a few of the things that YOU can do to help a student living in poverty.

Check out those and other ideas here:

http://teaching.monster.com/counselors/articles/8164-what-you-can-do-for-students-living-in-poverty


3 comments:

  1. Becca,
    Have you read the book Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne? Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Framework-Understanding-Poverty-4th-Edition/dp/1929229488. I'm sure you're familiar with it but wanted to recommend it just in case. I have loved getting to know you this term and especially loved your presence on the debate team! Have a wonderful school year!

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  2. I am so glad to have this information. I am going to share it with our Angel Fund people so they can be more proactive in helping our students. I appreciate the points you brought out about boosting their self esteem and holding them to high standards. We sometimes want to coddle them because of their situation and that is not helpful at all. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. This is so true. Many of poverty stricken children are naturally smart and will thrive if they stick to it. It is our job to be that role model that they will always remember who loved them, listened to them, and told them they are special.

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