Poverty Information
In the last section of this training you will be able to see what the amount of poverty present at your specific site. I urge you to think about the information presented here when you are exploring more information about the school.
This next activity will help you to better understand what it may be like for a family who is living at or under the poverty line and still trying to get by. First, please make a list of all of the living expenses that you think a typical family might have to worry about. (You do not need to include the dollar amount, you will find that out soon enough). Expenses can include things such as food, running water, shelter, etc.
Now that you have a list that you believe to be comprehensive of what a typical family pays for, please visit this website and read about what it may be like to try to pay for all of these expenses with the money that a family living in poverty may have.
Journal Response #7
Please write a short paragraph explaining your reactions to this activity. What are your initial thoughts? How might living in poverty affect the students you will be working with?
Do not put your journal responses in the comments section below. Please use the Google document that we shared with you on Google Drive to respond.
For more information about working with students in poverty, take a look at some of these links: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/2597-what-you-can-do-for-students-living-in-poverty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IONOm1agCE0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EW0F7f4FY
Here is a synopsis of a book that many schools use to explain best practices for working with students in poverty: http://jasongianotti.wordpress.com/books-im-reading/what-im-reading/