Understanding Poverty

I write at the conclusion of the second day, which seems barely enough days to go through the content that we did. Nairn Walker presenting to us amazing stories, analogy, and some helpful strategies that we can take back to school. Strategies that we can use, but also support our colleagues to use as well.

As I sat there, I related almost everything she said to certain students in the school. This helped my understanding of what we are actually dealing with. If it was black and white, a straight line, that would be way too easy. Instead its a grey windy line, a web if you like. A crazy web intwined with factors that they never told us about in Uni! I wasn't told I would have to teach a student to say 'please' and 'thank-you' because that isn't the norm for them at home. I didn't know I would need to be having conversations with parents explaining why their son punching someone at lunch time is not OK. Numerous basics that I took for granted, the Hidden Rules.
As Nairn says, these students (and parents) backpacks are empty, or very light. They aren't filled with the resources needed to survive in middle class; school! Our school system is middle class, our language at school is mainly formal register, our dress is middle class, as are the mannerisms. When we have parents that enter, they may try to conform to middle class, they might dress nice, or try to speak well with big words, but they are still in poverty. They just know those standards. This poses challenges for us as educators, because of course they will come into the meeting or the parent-teacher-student conferences, on the back foot. And they know this. Add into the mix we begin talking about their child's misbehaviour. We are speaking ill of their 'everything.'