Poverty

Each day, children come to school with their own challenges. A major challenge facing our country and school systems is poverty. According to the National Association of Secondary Schools Principals, nearly one-fifth of all students nationwide are either living in poverty or attending a high-poverty school. Research has consistently shown higher percentages of Hispanic, African American, American Indian, and Pacific Islander children in poverty-stricken schools compared to White children. Children who are living in poverty possess many more challenges than their peers who do not. Poverty factors can include a non-nutritional diet, homelessness, a lack of food, the inability to receive medical treatment, and the concurrent absence of family members if they are having to work extreme hours. This topic is extremely important within the educational field. How are children going to focus on their education and school work if they are lacking basic necessities? Poverty affects school readiness and educational attainment. Furthermore, children who live in poverty may also lack home resources to complete homework or engage in other activities. 

I believe poverty is one of the most challenging topics to address within school systems. It is mind-blowing to see the difference between two schools in the same city, 20 minutes away. I have quite a bit of experience working in low-income, inner-city schools. For us as outsiders, we may view these lower-income schools as unequipped, old, and not functional. However, for the children in these schools, this is all they know. 

A group of children is eating lunch
that was provided for them by 
the school they attend.

Children some days may come to school without appropriate clothing, fed, or well-groomed. However, as educators, it is our job to meet their needs within the school environment. An initiative taken within multiple districts was by beginning lower-income areas school days earlier. Children now get to school earlier and are provided free breakfast to begin their morning. They also are provided free lunch and an afternoon snack. When school is not in session, there are drive-up events where each child is provided a bag of food to take home. Additionally, during the beginning of the pandemic, lower-income children were provided free internet services within their homes to aid with virtual schooling. With accurate support, children living in poverty can be given equal opportunities as their peers.

English Language Learners

English Language Learners or also referred to as ELL, are students who come from non-English speaking homes and who are learning English. While in most cases these students have mastered basic communication, they still need assistance to develop academic language. The topic of English Language Learners is an extremely important topic within education as the number of ELL students across the United States is growing rapidly. As stated by NPR, no matter where these students go to school, they are struggling because they are not receiving instruction tailored to their needs. It is important that teachers are able to scaffold instruction for English Language Learners and develop a curriculum that fosters academic, social, and emotional growth. Teachers and other employees within the educational field should also be aware of the ways to support English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. Teachers can support these students through making information visual, building in more time for group work, allowing scaffolding with their native language, respecting "silent time", and learning more about the cultural background of their students.

Teacher assisting a class of
English Language Learners 
through technology tablets.

I believe understanding how to support English Language Learners as a future educator is essential. Most likely whichever school teachers are placed in, there will be English Language Learners with a variety of languages. It is our job as teachers to promote an equitable classroom and learning environment, where every child feels valued and supported. Through my experiences at an inner-city school, 12 out of our 18 students are English Language Learners. They are pulled for intervention twice daily, where they practice academic vocabulary, specifically focusing on written language. In the classroom, it is our responsibility to cater tasks, roles, and responsibilities for every child. Within this experience, I have learned a lot about how to differentiate my teaching style for English Language Learners and also about various cultures. Various cultures and languages create a diverse classroom that benefits everyone. 

Family Factors & Home Environments

Family factors and home environments leave an everlasting impact on a child and their career as a student. As teachers, we have to face the reality that we do not know every child's family situation or home environment. However, we must examine these factors in order to know how they play a role for the child during the school day. As stated by the National Literacy Trust family factors and home environments impact children academically, socially, and emotionally. There is a large range of family factors and home environments that could be influencing the child within the classroom. Parental involvement, trends in family life, income, demographics, and other topics play a large role. These factors influence literacy and language development as well as educational achievement.  This topic is extremely important in the educational field because, in order to support the child academically, we must first understand their background and personal experiences. Understanding these aspects of children within the classroom can help foster strong relationships and developmentally appropriate actions.

A mother and father working with
their three children to create objects
with colorful blocks.

I believe understanding students' family factors and home environments is one of the most important things a teacher can do within the classroom. Without first knowing and understanding the children in your classroom, how can you effectively relate and determine where they are socially, emotionally, and academically? As teachers, we must figure out where the child is developmentally, and meet them where they are. Personally, I have had experience with family factors and home environments affecting children at school. For example, at one Knoxville inner-city school, one of our students came into the classroom every day asleep, and not willing to get involved with the morning meeting. At first, looking at this situation without examining family factors or the student's home environment, one may think the child is just bored or disengaged within the classroom. However, when learning more about his home environment and family factors, it began to make more sense why this student was exhausted in the mornings. At night, this student shares a room with an infant sibling which keeps him up throughout the night. Furthermore, before school starts in the mornings at 7:30 am, they have to drop his sibling off at daycare which is thirty minutes away from their home. The student is exhausted when he gets to school in the mornings after not a full night's sleep the night before and having to leave extremely early. Background knowledge of students' family factors and home environment is crucial in understanding the behaviors and actions of students within the classroom.