Blogactionday: Educating the poor to help themselves

Good video on how it is important to teach poor countries to be self-sufficient through rural economy.  Giving the necessary resources to people in poor countries so they can help themselves is the key to ending poverty.  Many third world countries who have been given loans to start businesses have proven to be successful.  The best way to end poverty is through education.  This video is inspiring.

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Blogactionday: Educating the poor

Many a times I hear people joke, ” I’m so poor I can’t pay attention!”  Today, on this international blogactionday against poverty… that joke, that simple statement has taken a profoundly different meaning. For some kids, that statement is just a joke, but for many kids that is the truth.  Kids living in poverty do have a difficult time paying attention in class.  Statistically, it has been proven that poor kids struggle in school more than the higher income kids who do not have to worry about their basic needs of food and shelter. The socio-economic status of a student is one of the most important factors in student success or failure in the classroom. In a recent article,Class matters- In and out of school: Closing gaps and requires attention to issues of race and poverty, Boyd-Zaharias & Pate-Bain wrote,”Low achievement and dropping out are problems rooted in social and economic inequality- a force more powerful than curricula, teaching practices, standardized tests or other school-related policies”.  What this means is that  in order for students to be successful their basic needs has to be met first.  It is very difficult to engage students in the classroom when they are worried about where they are going to sleep or what they are going to eat once the bell rings. The two meals a day at school is more than some of the kids would get if they were home. In some cases, the school is a sanctuary for kids who are abused, neglected and abandoned by parents who leave them to fend for themselves. Some kids are even forced to fight for their own basic needs when their parents feel that they are old enough to contribute.  Some of these kids end up working under the table to buy food and help pay for bills.

A couple of years ago I had a kid who moved from California to Arizona because he got in trouble with the law there.  He moved in with his dad who was a construction worker. Joe would miss school a lot and at first I would get on him about his absences and preached to him about the importance of education because I didn’t know about his home situation.  He did not tell me why he was frequently absent until a day after his fifteenth birthday.  On his birthday, he didn’t come to school because he was working under the table with his dad to make money.  When he came back I told him to stop ditching school.  I remember him looking at me and said, ” Ms. A yesterday was my birthday… nobody cared, not even my dad, his girlfriend… nobody did anything for me or say anything to me.”  I don’t know who was more shocked, me for discovering the truth or him for letting me know his secret. I couldn’t say anything… my mind went blank.  What do you say to a kid who looks at you in despair, in frustration?  Do your homework? Pay attention?  No, I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t tell Joe to stop missing school. I couldn’t tell him to write his essays.  Instead I told him to take care of himself and if he needed help I was there for him.

As a teacher I see all types of kids come through my classroom and I am not talking about good kids or bad kids; I’m talking about kids from high, middle , and low income. At the school I teach at, over 62% of our students are on free or reduce lunches.  They are identified as the economically disadvantage.  Some of these kids are migrant  where their parents move around the agricultural region because of the field jobs.  Some of these kids come from a single parent home in which the majority of the time the mothers are the head of the household… the father no longer in their lives emotionally or financially.  It is amazing that against all odd many are successful because they believe that education is their way  out.  They are  right.  Education is the key to end poverty… to break the poor  soci-economic cycle.  If these kids want a better life, they have to get their education and fight against cultural norms and break free from the economic barrier they grew up in.  As an educator I think it is vital to remember what Eli Broad says, “Public education is the key civil rights issue of the 21st century. Our nation’s knowledge-based economy demands that we provide young people from all backgrounds and circumstances with the education and skills necessary to become knowledge workers. If we don’t, we run the risk of creating an even larger gap between the middle class and the poor. This gap threatens our democracy, our society and the economic future of America.”

Blogactionday: Stand up and fight poverty

 

Blogactionday.org is encouraging the international community to discuss, look at,and find solutions to end poverty around the world.  Let us be a part of this movement to end poverty through education, action, and movement.  Do your part now by voicing your opinion, share your story, and give your ideas about poverty.

According to Poverty.com, “About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes. Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families.”

Realistically, it would be a challenge to completely end hunger everywhere.  However, what we can do is to help decrease the amount of people who are living in poverty.  I think it would be easier to do this in America instead of a third world country.  In America, we already have governmental agencies in place to help people who are struggling financially and who can not afford health care or grocery.  We have mediacare and medicaid for people in need.  We have foodstamps, HUD, and WIC to help low income people.  Of course, these systems are not without flaws, but at least we have it available for people.  In contrast, many third world countries do not have these governmental agencies where their people can turn to for help. To decrease the percentage of people living in poverty in these country requires assistance from the more industrialized nation to send help or aid. 

What is the answer to poverty?  This is a difficult question because every situation and place is unique.  However, the most important thing to remember is that we all have to do something however big or small.  Sending donations of clothing, food, or money is helpful if it goes straight to the people instead of to corrupt agencies or government where the people who are suffering are not getting what they need.

To end poverty, it is going to take more people to stand up and fight for those who can not do it themselves. Through activism, education, and awareness we can do something about it. If we all sit back and think only about our comfort and welfare without further regard for the needs of others then we will never end poverty.  We can all start all in our own community and identify the areas of need whether it is in our neighborhood, church, or school.  Being aware of those around us, can help us see who needs help.  Even if we can help one person a day or week or month, that is one less person living in poverty.  If all of us will commit to helping one person then pretty soon that can turn into a large number. 

To end poverty we have to all work together as a community, nation and world.

What am I doing to help fight poverty?  What have I done to help fight poverty? 

1.  Taken my club kids to the homeless shelter to volunteer to serve food.  We have made a long time commitment to the shelter for the rest of the year.  While we were there we notice they needed to stock up on can foods so we are going to have a can food, clothing drive, and blanket drive to donateto the shelter.

2. October 18th my club kids and I are going to prep low income houses and get it ready to paint on October 25 the which is the National Make a Difference Day.

3.  My students and I have collected school supplies for kids in the poor neighborhoods of Iraq. We have former students from our school who are serving in the army and they are stationed in Iraq.  They wrote home and told us about the needs of the community they patrol so we are doing our part.

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