Running head: EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

Effects of Poverty in the Classroom

Kennedy Werre 199906795
Medicine Hat College
EDTS 321
Sherry Woitte
April 7, 2016

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

Effects of Poverty in the Classroom

Poverty is defined as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means
of support, where people are unable to obtain basic needs of living such as, food, shelter,
clothing, and water. Everyday there are children throughout the world that are constantly fighting
and struggling to maintain the bare necessities of living. When people think of poverty, most will
typically picture a struggling third world country with children living in poor conditions. The
truth is the effects of poverty happen not only in these third world countries, but even places like
the United States and Canada. There are numerous effects on children of poverty, most of them
causing harm to their emotional, social and even behavioural aspects of themselves. Many of
these repercussions are caused by the low economic status of the families, where the parents of
the children may not be directly involved with their childs education or even life in general.
With all these factors pressuring the struggling students lives, their education and social well
being can be hindered. Fortunately, as teachers, there are a wide variety of things we can do to
support these students to help those who are faced with the outcomes of poverty. This paper will
look at the issue of poverty within the classroom, its relation to education, the impact related to
development theories, and what teachers can do to support these children. It is these four key
subject areas that need to be recognized by teachers to gain a better understanding of the effects
of poverty in the classroom.
Why its an Issue- Relation to Education
The emotional, social, and behavioural aspects of children affected by poverty is a major
issue in the education world that needs to be acknowledged as a concern by not only teachers,
but the general public. Even the wealthy nation of Canada, which has an abundance of natural
resources, cant seem to eliminate child poverty within its borders. According to Kohut (2015),

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

almost one out of every five Canadian children lived in poverty in 2013. Putting that into
perspective, thats one million, three hundred and thirty-four thousand, nine hundred and thirty
children in need of our help. The unfortunate issue with these numbers is the fact that poverty is
not decreasing in Canada, its actually increasing. A report gathered by Statistics Canada found
that child and family poverty has increased to 1,331,530 children in 2012 from 1,066,150
children in 1989 (Ogrodnik, 2014). With increasing numbers of insufficient families, the effects
of poverty have an immense impact on these students behaviour in school and classroom
settings, where these students may become a distraction to the normal student bodies. School
readiness requires physical well-being and appropriate motor development, emotional health and
positive approach to new experiences, and age appropriate education skills, such as language and
social skills. In further research of school readiness, it is documented, that poverty decreases a
childs readiness for school through aspects of health, home life, schooling and neighbourhoods.
(Bovaird, 2007, p. 702). The home life of any student has a strong impact on them, and sadly
children raised in low-income families do not receive stimulation and learn social skills to help
prepare them for school. Why is this? It is noted that parents or caregivers are overworked,
stressed and authoritarian towards their children since they may work two or three jobs to get by
on living, and [they] often lack warmth and sensitivity and fail to form solid, healthy
relationships with their children (Jensen, 2009, p. 16). Another issue arises from caregivers
working long hours, as many children are left to fend for themselves at home, where they may
have to take care of their younger siblings instead of spending time doing extra-curricular
activities as their affluent peers would be engaging in. Since these childrens families cant afford
the costs of extra-curricular activities such as sports, music lessons, and so on, they will often
spend more time staying inside watching cartoons. This is very unfortunate, as children wont

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

get the model for how to develop proper emotions or respond appropriate to others (Jensen,
2009, p. 16). Children no matter what age, need warm, person-to-person interactions in order to
form positive relationships with peers, which unfortunately low-economic students dont receive
and this effects their long-term socio-emotional aspects. With this being said, children in poverty
at school will often be labelled as behaviour problem students since they fail to learn proper
responses to issues with their peers, which in turn can lead to increased risks to already at risk
students in their academic performance and social behaviors. One more issue in the classroom of
children living in poverty is the fact that families cant afford the cost of food, leading children to
come to school on an empty stomach. This strongly inhibits their learning as they are constantly
thinking about when they will eat next and they cant focus on schoolwork.
Impact Related to Development Theories
Before looking at how teachers can support children living in poverty, the effects and
results must be analyzed with the developmental theories involved. Two key theories are, the
humanistic perspective in regards to Maslows hierarchy of needs and Diana Baumrinds
proposed parenting styles, in specific, authoritarian and neglectful parenting. These are some of
the initial theories that are noticeable. The humanistic approach strains students capacity for
positive qualities, such as personal growth and the freedom to choose their own identities that
low-economic students will fail to obtain qualities from. Abraham Maslows perspective closely
ties with the humanistic approach, with the application of the hierarchy of needs. According to
Maslow, deficiency needs are the first four levels of his model, physiological needs (food, water
and shelter), safety needs, belonging and loving needs, and esteem needs. Looking at this from
an educational perspective, Maslow concluded that, failure to address or meet deficiency needs
interferes or limits students abilities to focus on complex tasks and learn (Santrock, 2010, p.

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

364). A child who comes to school on an empty stomach, will not be able to focus on reading a
story or writing a paragraph for an English lesson. Children who do not receive love and
acceptance from their caregivers, which is prominent in low-economic families, will often
struggle to form positive relationships with their peers and also how to deal with emotional
situations. This idea that deficiency needs have an effect on childrens learning challenges many
schools ways along with its educators, attempting to find ways to help these students. Another
theory that can be noted is Baumrinds theory of parenting styles, which two relate back to
poverty, the authoritarian parent and the neglectful parent. An authoritarian parent is restrictive
and punitive and they often restrict their children to follow their directions and respect them.
Children of authoritarian parents tend to be socially incapable of social interactions. It is noted
that these students tend to be, anxious about social comparison, fail to initiate activity, and have
poor communication skills (Santrock, 2010, p. 72). These children lack the social skills to build
relationships and work in groups in the classroom, which sets them behind from affluent
students. Neglectful parenting is a permissive form of parenting in which parents are
uninvolved in their childrens lives (Santrock, 2010, p. 72). These parents tend to not know or
care about what happens with their children, which effects these students immensely as they
dont receive the affection and safety they all need. These students often have poor self-control,
cant be independent, and arent motivated to achieve and succeed in their lives. The impact of
poverty on students education is absurd and it is the job of educators to find ways to help aid in
these students lives. The starting point of this is knowing these developmental theories and how
it ties in with the students of poverty.
Suggestions for Pre-service Teachers

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

With the negative influences of poverty, there is a strong need to support youth who live
in these circumstances in order to help provide opportunities for students to be successful on
their path in education. It is an essential need to actually provide the support to these students in
need. Schools and teachers can deliver a positive and safe location for these struggling students
to attend to relieve the stresses of their home lives. Communities and schools have began to meet
some of the needs that will help these low-income children and their families. For example,
breakfast or lunch clubs have been established for those families that cant always supply food.
After-school programs have also been implemented, that provide care for the students and give
opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities that their families cant afford. When
dealing with students who are less fortunate, not only can the school supply help, but inside the
classroom itself, the teachers are the number one source of help. It is important for teachers to
form strong, positive relationships and love each and every one of their students equally.
Children of poverty often lack affection from their own parents, so it is crucial that teachers step
in and give the affection students desire. Another suggestion is to expose these students to new
experiences since most students living in this environment have never left their city or went to
the movie theatres. Low income students will only remember a portion of what is taught in class,
but they will forever remember field trips or experiences that they are exposed to. Always have
extra healthy snacks to give to students who may need a burst of energy to continue on with their
school day, this will impact their learning greatly. One last suggestion for teachers is to always
praise and hold high expectations for their students. It is said that effective teachers of students
living in poverty hold high expectations for all students and explicitly tell students they are
capable of learning (Leko, 2015, p. 1).
Conclusion

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

Everyday there are families across the globe that are in a constant battle with finding
ways to keep surviving and providing for their families. People may think that developing
countries are the only places that struggle for the necessities of life, but individuals in developed
countries, specifically in Canada are affected. A lot of the children from low-income families that
walk into our schools are effected emotionally, socially, and behaviourally. Children living in
poverty, come to school in hope for a change in environment from their home lives, so it is the
job of teachers to figure out ways to help these children feel safe and belong. As teachers and
schools, we can do numerous things to support these students facing poverty issues in their lives.
It begins with understanding and being willing to give the support to supply our next generation
the opportunities that they deserve to be successful in their lives.

EFFECTS OF POVERTY IN THE CLASSROOM

References
Bovaird, S., Ferguson, H.B., Mueller, M.P. (2007). The impact of poverty on educational
outcomes for children. Paediatr Child Health. 12(8), 701-706.
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with Poverty in Mind. ASCD Books and Publications.
Kohut, T. (2015, November 24). Nearly 1 in 5 Canadian children living in poverty: report.
Global News. Retrieved from http://globalnews.ca/news/2360311/nearly-1-in-5-canadianchildren-living-in-poverty-report/
Leko, M & Mundy, C., (2015). Uncovering and Informing Preservice Teachers Prior Knowledge
about Poverty. Journal for Teacher Research, (17), 1-10.
Ogrodnik, I. (2014, November 23). 143,200 children live in poverty in Alberta, report shows.
Global News. Retrieved from http://globalnews.ca/news/1685376/25-years-since-canadavowed-to-end-child-poverty-where-are-we-now/
Santrock, J., Woloshyn, V., Gallagher, T., Petta, T., Marini, Z. (2010). Educational Psychology.
China. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.