Annotated Bibliography: Response To Lewisetta

Social class and poverty is a big problem that affects many children and adults. Author Gary Soto often examines this topic in almost all of his short stories and poems. One story, “Fear” is the best conveyor of this matter. In “Fear”, Gary Soto utilizes perspective to illustrate the way social class affects children in today's modern world, and explores mature themes, namely the difference between poverty and a lower socioeconomic class.

The word poverty derives from the Latin word paupertāt, which means moderate circumstances. Such a definition best describes the situation for millions of young American students. Throughout American history, poverty and education have gone hand-in-hand for many students. From getting picked on for how the person is dressed (Carson & Murphy, 2011), to not receiving the proper funding need to create a quality school (Gonzales, 2016), the life of an impoverished student is no joking matter.

According to Hodgkinson et al, there are “disparities in poverty rates depending on age, race or ethnicity, family structure, and geographic location. Although the largest number of poor and low income children are white, minority children are disproportionately affected, particularly African American, American Indian, and Hispanic children. In 2013, Hispanic and African American children were ~3 times more likely than white and Asian children to be poor. Children raised by single parents and children raised in the South or West are also more likely to be poor or low income than children residing in the Northeast” (Hodgkinson et al, 2016). Children and youth are a vulnerable population because they have no control over their situation or environment;

In the second half of his book Evicted, Matthew Desmond continues to explore the underprivileged housing world and the social and economic strains it places on the poorest inhabitants of Milwaukee, WI.

I viewed Frontline a documentary series, which episode was entitled Poor Kids. The frontline personnel spent time with three children Kailey, Johnny, and Britany along with their families as they all struggle financially. We perceive a glimpse of what it is like to live below the poverty line in America through a child’s eyes. While observing the documentary, I became consciously aware that children who are considered poor or living below the poverty line were more mindful of the responsibilities of life. The children were worrisome of the lack of employment for their parents, bills, and in Britney’s case; how they would accommodate their way of living to support a new addition to the family. They feared to lose their homes and dreaded departing with

In preparation for this paper I chose to read Fire in the ashes: twenty five years among the poorest children in America by Jonathan Kozol. In this book Kozol has followed these children and their family’s lives for the past twenty five years. In his writing Kozol portrays a point of view most from his background and standing would not be capable of having. He portrays what life is like for those who have been let down by the system that was meant to protect them. Kozols writing style can be very blunt at times, not for shock value, but for the sake of portraying these children’s realities, and not sugarcoating the inequalities that they are faced with. There was a lot of balance within this book. In the book there are two parts: part one

Children who grow up in poverty are faced with a series of issues which impact their education and social atmosphere. In both the school and home setting these children lack the proper resources which they need to succeed academically. Across the country, people have begun creating programs which aim to help children in poverty succeed, despite their socioeconomic status. These programs range from after-school reading, tutoring services, charter schools, and free summer programs. All of these programs provide children with extra academic help which they may not be receiving in school or at home.

The book I will be reviewing is Teaching with Poverty in Mind written by Eric Jensen. The book was originally published in 1950 while our copy was printed in 2009 through the ASCD publication company. This book is used in our EDUC 200 Developmental Sciences and the Context of Poverty class to give us insight to challenges that could be present with poverty and schools. Jensen’s book illustrates the story of Mr. Hawkins a teacher’s experiences and growth working with children living in poverty. Along with Mr. Hawkins story Jensen gives logical facts and information about the affect poverty has on children along with his solutions. The book has a big emphasis on the relationship between low socioeconomic status and academic achievement. The information he writes is relevant to his

“South Carolina’s poverty rate is ninth highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey.” It is a circumstance in which most South Carolinians’ live, and many of them not by choice. Thus, what does poverty look like? Poverty is working hard and yet still struggling to make ends meet. Poverty is working a full time, year-round minimum-wage job, but many South Carolinians are unable to feed, house, clothe, and educate their children. Poverty is too many South Carolina children going to school or bed hungry. Poverty is not knowing where their next meal is coming. Poverty is real! As Christians, we are the body of Christ, and have been called to love more than ourselves as we work together to achieve

The great depression made a major impact on the lives of the people that lived through it. One group of people that is often overlooked are children that lived during that time period. When the parents lost their jobs the responsibility the parent once held was put on the children of the families to contribute to the income of the home. Because of this in the great depression “two-fifths of children were employed in part time jobs” (Elder 65). In Glen Elder’s book Children of the Great Depression: Social Change in Life Experience he discusses how the depression affected those children in their later lives. Vonnie McLoyd discusses in the book Child Development that black families are more likely to face poverty in America and the effects that poverty has on those children. McLoyd states that children that have faced poverty in their lives can have “impaired socioemotional functioning” (McLoyd 311). As a result from job loss creating parental stress, parents often become

According to the PBS Frontline video “Poor Kids” 2012, more than 46 million Americans are living beneath the poverty line. The United States alone has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialized world. It is stated that 1 out of 5 children are living in poverty. The video documented the lives of three families who are faced with extreme hardships and are battling to survive a life of being poor. All three families have more than one child and could barely afford to pay their bills and purchase food for their household.

Children of poverty are faced with many challenges in life. Educationally these challenges at times are amplified due to the environment, resources, and conditions the children encounter. Do students who come from impoverished backgrounds need to be taught differently in order to be successful learners? If we look at the Constructivism Theory, one would think so. This theory’s main concept is “that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant (www.learning-theories.com/constructivism).”

The American Dream has the nationality ethos of the United States. It is a collection of goals that everyone born in America has freedom, equal opportunity for prosperity and upward social mobility. They can achieve through hard work in a society with few obstacles. However, the fact is cruel. Nowadays, America’s economic inequality is growing. The federal treasury is in danger, and the American political system does not show any commensurate solution to the problems. Some people no longer believe in the America Dream. Now, the American Dream has been an expectation. This essay will prove the American dream is just a dream of three aspects.

Low income families do not just get the title “poverty” branded onto them, but they have much more negative effects attached to the label. These families in the bottom third of the income group suffer immensely and this does not solely affect the family as a whole, but it affects each and every individual included. After several readings about how these families are affected, it is important to point out that children are the most unfortunate because of long-term damages. The long-term effects of children in low income families include developmental, psychological and emotional effects.

Poverty can adversely affect the population in so many ways. Families living in poverty can face emotional and social challenges, cognitive lacks and health and safety issues and acute and chronic stresses. Levels of stress increase with the economic circumstances. Subsequent poverty and job loss are associated with violence in families, including child and elder abuse. These families are also more likely to be exposed to illnesses, job loss, eviction, criminal victimization and family death. Children living in constant poverty also show the worst cognitive development, compared to children from higher socio-economic backgrounds ("Hunger and poverty", 2017).