Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 in Dr. Jensen’s book Teaching with poverty in mind: What being poor does to kids brains and what schools can do about it.
Reflect on and answer the following questions:
1) What is the focus of the book, according to Dr. Jensen?
2) What three claims does he make?
3) Define poverty, in your own words.
4) Dr. Jensen writes, and I quote, “Poverty involves a complex array of risk factors that adversely affect the population in a multitude of ways.” [end quote, page 7]
Explain and reflect on how inferior resources both at home and at school place children of poverty at risk for low academic success and high risk of becoming a school drop-out.
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12 comments:
1.) According to Dr. Jensen, the focus of the book is on the relationship between academic achievement and low socioeconomic status.
2.)
1. Chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner.
2. Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. In other words, poor children can experience emotional, social, and academic success.
3. Although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.
3.) To me, poverty is defined as an individual who’s stuck in an area with no benefits, no job, barely getting a meal and barely getting their child the education that he/she needs.
4.) Inferior resources both at home and at school place children of poverty at risk for low academic success and high risk of becoming a school drop-out in numerous of ways. Children of poverty at home have little books at home, don’t really get to visit the library that much and spend more time watching TV than their middle income counterparts do. With this being said low income children don’t get the resources that need to be successful in school. Because of the depression that occur in low income families, it causes a drive in that child’s academic performance, self-esteem, behavioral problems, and causes the child to want to drop out of school. When a child like this wants to make the decision to drop out of school, that means that they are not feeling loved, appreciated in what they do, and feel like they don’t deserve the lifestyle they are living. Poverty at school for a student to drop out of school means that the student is having trouble getting back and forth to school. Because the student has so many complications it leads to excessive tardiness and absentees.
According to Dr.Jenson, the main focus on this book is the relationship between academic achievement and low socioeconomic status (SES).
The three claims Dr.Jenson makes is excessive exposure to poverty may lead the brain to physically change in a damaging manner, the brain is designed to adapt from experience but it can also change for the better, and many factors affect educational success but there are specific ones that effect the reversal of students raised in poverty.
To me, poverty means that the family the child is being raised by can’t afford to provide sufficiently to their child which maybe from a money stand point or it hasn’t been changed and the family raising the child doesn’t know how to reverse it.
Poverty at home and school can affect low academic success and make the child be of higher risk of high school dropout because their homes can be crowded and noisy when it comes time to sit down to study or do homework. The child doesn’t have the ample time to explore the world they are living in because of the high crime rates in poverty related neighborhoods. The parents of the child doesn’t offer the support and help the child needs while doing homework and the homes may not have enough books for the child to read to increase motivation to work harder in school. Also the child’s parents aren’t involved in school activities, parent-teacher conferences or assignments because that is leading the child to believe no one cares about how well they do academically. Lastly, the child’s teacher may be less qualified because of the school they are teaching at because all of the better teachers go to higher income schools.
1. According to Dr. Jensen, the book focuses on the relationship between academic achievement and low socioeconomic status (SES).
2. The three claims that Dr. Jensen makes are:
~ Chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner.
~ Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. In other words, poor children can experience emotional, social, and academic success.
~ Although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.
3. My definition of poverty is not having enough resources to be able to supply everyday needs for yourself and/or your family.
4. The lack of resources children of poverty have at home and at school have a low chance of academic success because they are not able to use the same resources as those children that are at a better funded school or in a middle class household that are able to afford a computer or a car to get to the library. These kids often develop an attitude of no one cares why should I and that leads to them dropping out of school when they get older or simply not being able to get to school because they do not have a ride because mom goes to work at 5 AM and dad does not get off of work until 9 AM. These factors are just a few things that can contribute to low income children not having a high academic success rate and a low dropout rate.
Questions of the Day
1) The focus of this book is to help teachers understand what poverty is so that they can be able to teach a student that may be in this situation. It also helps teachers see the affect it has on students and what they can do motivate and change their outcome.
2) The three claims Jensen makes are:
• “Chronic exposer to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner.
• Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. In other words, poor children can experience emotional, social, and academic success.
• Although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.” [page 2]
3) Poverty is when you are considered poor, meaning you have little or no money, food, clothing, or any kind of support.
4) Children in poverty don’t have all the resources as well of students have to be prepared for school. When they live in poor neighborhoods they are introduced to a whole lot of negative habits and behaviors. Then most of the time they come from single parent families and don’t have the parental support they need. They may have parents that really don’t like school because they had a negative experience. This hurts the student because by them not going to school it stops them from getting the education they need to be successful in life. Then sometime they go to school looking for the support they need and can’t get it if they go to a school that is low-achieving and has less qualified teacher. If the teachers are less qualified than they may not really know how to help the children to their full advantage. Then if it is a low-achieving school they feel that no one cares and therefore stop caring and just drop out. This is usually what happens in high school and it also rules them out for going to college. So being in poverty can be detrimental to a child’s education unless they have the right support they need from home and their teachers.
Dr. Jenson’s focus of the book is on how “academic achievement and low socioeconomic status” are interrelated. Throughout the book he says he will be making three claims about SES children. The first claims being that experiencing long-term poverty will actually a cause a child’s brain to change in a very negative way. He also wants to prove that just because a child comes from a poverty stricken family that it is possible for that child to have “emotional, social, and academic success.” The last claim that he makes is that there are certain factors that can help students from poverty succeed.
Poverty is a very broad term and to put in to specific terms is almost impossible. However, I would define poverty as not being able to provide the essential items need to survive. A family who is suffering for poverty would have to worry about how they are going to have food for the week, or how they are going to pay for their bills.
Many students who are raised in poverty stricken families or poor neighborhoods are surrounded by negative effects. Growing up they see violence first hand. Most parents are concerned with how they are going to feed their children, so they are less focused on helping that child to do their homework. From a young age, these children learn the stress and emotional baggage that goes along with being poor. Carrying such a heavy burden at a young age can cause many social, emotional and academic issues. Jenson notes that a major factor that correlates with children of poverty is that they are often absent from school. To learn the information necessary for success, the students need to be in class. In today’s schools missing a more than a day of school a week can be crucial. For optimal success the not only does the student need to be present, but the parents need to also be involved in the learning process. If the student’s parents would show that they care and want their child to succeed, then the child would most likely work harder to make their parents proud.
The focus of Dr. Jensen's book is how to change the cycle of poverty. His point of view used to be that people obviously do not choose to live impovrished, so why don't they lift themselves out of it through different values? This is of course an untrue staement because poverty is extremely complicated and nearly impossible to break. According to Dr. Jensen the main source of cyclical poverty is the constant exposure to negative life experiences. If one can expose at risk children to positive experiences then the culture of poverty can be reversed.
He goes on to make three main claims. The first is that the chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner. This physical change can be through simple factors such as malnourishment or through complicated factors which completely creates a different socioeconomic culture. His second claim is that because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. Children from any class can enjoy success, or suffer failure due to their life experiences. Therefore impovrished children can be given a good chance at changing their socioeconomic situation if exposed to more positive experiences than negative ones. His third claim is although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in truning around students raised in poverty. While all subjects in school are improtant, certain ones should be consentrated on more in order to reverse the cycle of poverty.
My definition of poverty is lacking resources. Resources, from whatever kind, makes the difference in the living situation of almost anyone and any place. Countries that lack monetary or natrual resources are generally among the poorest, and the same applies for people. However the lack of monetary resources generally creates a lack of other resources whether they be emotional, enviornmental, ect. That is not to say that money is the only factor in poverty, but it is the head of the snake.
Inferior resources that stem from a lack of money are among the most influential in the cycle of poverty. Lower income public schools have enviorments that are different from higher income public and private schools. They have unique problems that lack resources to find a solution. This enviornment makes it easier for faculty and staff to push for mediocrity instead of settling for nothing but the best. The home situation struggles from different problems but similiar outcomes. Parents in these homes may work two to three jobs and much of the time there is only one parent in the house. There unfortunetely becomes a little amount of time to provide children with resources they need to grow up properly. As these children grow up and suffer from a lack of monetary resources it becomes easier to get a job instead of going to school.
1) What is the focus of the book, according to Dr. Jensen?
1. The focus of this book according to Dr. Jensen is to show how academic achievement and low SES children are related. Dr. Jensen gives us information on how the two connect and what we can do as teachers and educators to help. He states,” If life experiences can change poor kids for the worse, can’t life experiences also change them for the better?”(2) He also wants to address the seriousness and importance of children living in poverty. He states towards the end of chapter one, “But there is hope.” Poverty is a rising problem and Dr. Jensen tells us as readers that poor students are succeeding all around the world and our future students poor or not can succeed as well. I think that the first chapter showed there are many types of poverty and they are all different. They affect all children differently. I agree with Dr. Jensen that there is hope, and we can begin helping students to show their full potential.
2) What three claims does he make?
2. The first claim is, “chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in detrimental manner.” The second claim is, “Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better, in other words, poor children can experience emotional, social, and academic success.” The third claim is, “Although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.” I think the three claims that Dr. Jensen is focusing on show that a child may live in poverty but this doesn’t mean that the child cannot achieve success or show his/her full potential. I think that all children are capable of succeeding but its working together as a team with the child, teacher, and parents to strive for success. Every child can learn and I fully believe that. I feel like even as adults we can learn something new every day and children are always willing to try new things and teachers can be the role model to show them that they can do anything!
3) Define poverty, in your own words.
3. Poverty in my own words would be a state or lack of resources to go about a daily lifestyle, such as food, running water, shelter, heat and clothing. I believe there are so many definitions for the word poverty and no word or words will ever fully explain/describe it just right. Poverty can contribute to so many factors but we have to have hope. I also believe that poverty is something that teachers and the community can help with.
4) Dr. Jensen writes, and I quote, “Poverty involves a complex array of risk factors that adversely affect the population in a multitude of ways.” [end quote, page 7.
4. Inferior resources both at home and school can affect both of these. The parents in the home may not be there to help or guide the child. There may be problems in the home such as abuse(physical, emotional, verbal, ect) that cause the child to not want to care about anything, not even school. The home atmosphere, in my opinion can affect the child in the school setting. Children carry everything from their childhood to adulthood, most of the time. I think that children are open to learning and experiencing new things everyday by striving for their best and we can reduce the number of high school drop outs because they will want to learn and will want to be at school. I know that I really didn’t start liking school until I was in the third grade. My teacher showed me that I could learn a lot more than I thought I could. She is the one person who believed in me and inspired me to become a teacher.
Dr. Jensen’s’ focus in this book is around children of poverty and ways we as teachers can help to turn them into successful scholars. He really wants to focus on the key factors that truly matter in a child’s life. The focus of this book is to also provide me with theories, research, and strategies that will make certain that I have success in my classroom and school. Dr. Jensen focuses on the relationship between scholastic achievement and low socioeconomic status.
The first claim that Dr. Jensen makes is that the amount of exposure one has to poverty causes his or her brain to physically change in a damaging way. The second claim that he has is that the brain is designed to adapt and adjust and that it can either change for better or worse and can determine the amount of success a poor child can have when exposed to better things. The third claim that he offers suggest that despite certain factors that affect a child’s academic success, there are certain key factors that play a role in trying to turn around a student who has been exposed to poverty.
Although Dr. Jensen recognizes six types of poverty I feel that poverty is the lacking of certain resources in the school, or in the home. Having out dated books in the school, or not having enough books for children to use demonstrates poverty in the schools. If students have hundreds of books that are out dated this does them no good because they are not learning current information that is import for them to know and grow as a student. If they have current books but not an adequate amount of books to go around they’re still missing out because sometimes all work cannot be completed in the classroom, so when homework is assigned it cannot be completed because not all students have books to do the homework. Children may encounter poverty in the home because it may lack emotional support or a positive role model to enforce the importance of going of school or give them the help they need and order to achieve greatness. Some inferior resources that a child may have in the home are fewer books and fewer trips to the public library and more hours spent in front of the television that may later affect their academic success as well as their chances of graduating high school. Some inferior resources in the school might be the lack of caring teachers and even the child’s lack of attendance. When these behaviors, such as, adequate resource and caring adult role models, are not instilled in a child’s life at an early age then they will see no need in completing school or continuing their education.
Dr. Jensen’s statement, “Poverty involves a complex array of risk factors that adversely affect the population in a multitude of ways”, leads up to his point, that despite the many risk factors children are faced with there are four primary risk factors that afflict children and their families who are living in poverty. These factors are emotional and social challenges, acute and chronic stressors, cognitive lags, and health and safety issues. All of these factors work together and affect the child in some type of way if they become too much for the child to bear
Overall, I see were Dr. Jensen makes very valid points when introducing his main focus and the things that we as teachers should be prepared to look at when teaching students of poverty. We have to understand our student’s background and family history to better assist them in their learning. Knowing key risk factors that affect them on a daily basis is truly important and understanding exactly what poverty is, are some of the key foundations in building solid relationships with your students. I understand that all of these things play a role in the success rate of a child completing high school and the risks and challenges that they face in order to reach greatness.
315 Burnett
1. The focus of the book, according to Dr. Jensen, is the relationship between academic achievement and low socioeconomic status.
2. The three claims are:
- Chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner
- Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. In other words, poor children can experience emotional, social, and academic success.
- Although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.
3. I think that poverty is being unable to provide for yourself and your family the basic needs that a human being needs to thrive and function, such as, water, food, and shelter.
4. Children of poverty do not have the same resources at home as children from wealthier families; for example, in a poverty stricken home, the parents are less likely to purchase books and other items to help a child strive educationally. All of the money the parents bring in goes towards paying the bills and buying food. Because these children don’t have the motivational tools that wealthier children have, they are less likely to succeed in school.
1) What is the focus of the book, according to Dr. Jensen?
According to Dr. Jensen, the book focuses on the relationship between academic achievement and low socioeconomic status (SES). In other words, the correlation between how well a Child of Poverty exceeds in school and their social class.
2) What three claims does he make?
Jensen Made three claims beginning with 1) chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in detrimental behavior. 2) Because the brain is designed to adapt from experience, it can also change for the better. Meaning, poor children can experience emotional, social, an academic success. And lastly 3) although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.
3) Define poverty, in your own words.
Poverty is not having all of our everyday’s necessities and hardly any of our wants if at all. Poverty is having to weigh your options when you go to the grocery store every month. “Will I be able to buy 3 packs of T-bone steak for my family of 4, or will I have to make ends meet again this week with a pack of chicken.” Poverty is not being able to afford the proper utensils to exceed in your classes this year. Poverty is looking through window during an Aeropostle’s winter sale and not having enough to afford the clearance. Poverty is bathing in a tub at age 13 with 3 other siblings to preserve the water bill. Poverty is going to lunch at school and receiving your only hot meal of the day.
4) Dr. Jensen writes, and I quote, “Poverty involves a complex array of risk factors that adversely affect the population in a multitude of ways.” [end quote, page 7]
Explain and reflect on how inferior resources both at home and at school place children of poverty at risk for low academic success and high risk of becoming a school drop-out.
They won’t be able to buy proper materials for class to succeed. Poor children have less help and support from family and society compared to their more affluent counterparts do; live in neighborhoods that are lower in social capital; and, as adolescents, are more likely to rely on peers than on adults for social and emotional support. Low-SES children also have fewer cognitive-enrichment opportunities. They have fewer books at home, visit the library less often, and spend way more time watching TV than a child in middle or upper class. They are more likely to be born to single parents or grandparents, who cannot provide them with the amount of help they deserve. They tend to have low attendance, low motivation. These lack of resources makes it harder for poor kids to suceed.
1. According to the book & what I've read, I see that according to Dr. Jensen the focus of the book is to show the relationship between academic achievement and socioeconomic status.
2. As I read I saw The three claims Dr. Jensen makes and they are: First, he says chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change in a detrimental manner. Secondly, he also says because the brain is designed to adaptfrom experience, it can also change for the better. Thirdly, although many factors affect academic success, certain key ones are especially effective in turning around students raised in poverty.
3. I believe poverty is a condition that reflects the issues of the poor. It is the visual of what life is like for individuals who barely have the necessities needed to survive from day to day. It is also a visual for struggling individuals just trying to provide for their families in harsh environments. These living conditions begin to affect the people living in them socially, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
4. Dr. Jensen writes and I quote "Poverty involves a complex array of risk factors that adversely affect the population in a multitude of ways." The four primary risk factors afflicting families living in poverty are: emotional and social challenges, acute and chronic stressors, cognitive lags, and health and safety issues.
5. As I read I saw how Dr. Jensen discussed about how children are affected in the home because they do not have the adequate resources and support they need so they live in unstable and chaotic households. As said in the book and I quote, " poor children have fewer and less supportive networks than their affluent counterparts." Most of these children come from "single parents households where the parent or guardian tends to be less emotionally responsive." This type of stuff correlates with poor school attendance, lower grades, and lower chances of attending college. Most single parent households are always hectic because you have person being the provider which leaves less time to assist the children. Poor children all feel as though they are not wanted. Then then begin to have behavioral problems which sometimes leads to other negative outcomes, such as, dropping out of school and drug abuse.
Also I read about how school can effect poverty as well. Students need to feel as there teachers care about them and are genuinely concern about their education because if not that would be a reason why they would not want to come to school. As stated by Dr. Jensen, and I quote " establish a school of caring, not if giving up." I believe If the students see the teachers giving up on them, then they will give up on themselves.
Jacobs 315
Question 1
Eric Jensen aims to give specific strategies and techniques to educators in Teaching with Poverty in Mind. He seeks to explain poverty and its effect on students. He claims the following: poverty is detrimental to cognitive development, but children can adapt and succeed if educators implement the strategies that have been found to be effective. To me, poverty is not having the money or resources needed to provide the basic needs and comforts for one’s family. Not having the basic necessities and resources greatly affects children and adults. For children, having inferior resources can hinder their growth and learning. One example is low income leading to malnutrition and the lack of health insurance and health care. When children do not have adequate food and nutrition, they are more susceptible to illnesses. When a child is sick, they are unable to consistently attend school and cannot function to the best of their ability when present. In addition, children living in poverty will have fewer toys, books, and educational materials than other children. They also do not have as many books read to them. Parents of poverty are more likely to have hectic work schedules and therefore difficulty providing structure in the home. This also negatively affects children’s development. Over time, these difficulties become more and more difficult to overcome, which often leads to school drop-out.
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