Eric Jensen Teaching With Poverty

In the United States more than sixteen million children live in families with income below the federal poverty level (NCCP, 2014). Parents working minimum wage jobs are often not aware of how this affects children’s academic performance and behavior. Children’s academic performance can be affected by their behavior, emotional and social challenges, and lack of parental support. Parents often lack support because they constantly have to work long hours and cannot keep up with their children’s education. It is important that we advocate parents into being more involve in their children’s education because it can make a difference. Loneliness, rejection and distance are emotions that can affect a child’s behavior and social skills in a school
Eric Jensen, the author of the book Teaching with Poverty states that, “Some teachers may interpret students’ emotional and social deficits as a lack of respect or manners, but it is more accurate and helpful to understand that the students come to school with a narrower range of appropriate emotional responses than we expect.” Sometimes as teachers, we do not know what a student goes through at home that affects their behavior and emotions. Because of the issues going on at home children are impacted emotionally and psychologically, which has prevented them from learning. The things they learn in school don’t stick with them because they are not focused on what is going on in the
The education department can fund aftercare programs in schools so that students can have more of a variety of interests. For students who are growing up in poverty do not have the privilege of experiencing a lot of new things, funded programs can open up new opportunities for them. The federal government should be open to the things that can possibly interest children in the modern world and not limit their resources. If the federal government were to create programs to help students in poverty do their homework, keep them interacting in different activities and exposing them to new experiences. These students will be encouraged to come to school and learn everyday despite of what is going on at home. It is beneficial for the parents because they will be able to work those extra hours at their jobs.
As a future teacher I suggest that workshops should be held in order to educate us on how to deal with students who live in poverty. A teacher must understand that a student who comes from a lower economic status have a lot of disadvantages. Teachers can build a stronger relationship with these students; have high expectations for them and understand that these children are more sensitive to deal with than others. Teachers should know how to deal with these students in order to take actions that will be effective. I know that the involvement of the people that can actually make a difference can impact the lives of these children. These children can continue