Culture+of+Poverty

Please listen to this radio program and add a brief reflection to the discussion page. Thank you. Thanksgiving Blessings

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__**Celeste Baumgardner**__


 * I really found the myths to be very attention grabbing. I especially found the myth about parents being uninvolved in their children’s learning interesting. They make some good points about the parents working multiple jobs, work evenings, and being unable to afford transportation as reasons to why parents are not involved. I really never considered these factors. One thing I do have to say about this is parents must have some down time in their lives to be able to dedicate to their children. I call parents and also send emails to them to keep in contact about their child in my class and I never get a reply or call back. I continue to reach out to them eve though they are unresponsive. You know they got the email or the message and just did nothing about it. They must have some time in their lives to call or reply back, even if it’s just sending a note with the child to keep in touch with me. I just do not see poverty as an excuse as to why parents are not involved. Parents should always make time for their children’s concerns.


 * I agree with the radio program that the recession has made it hard for the poor to overcome poverty. Poverty is something that should be examined as a factor of why some students suffer with their academics. I feel that most Philadelphia schools have recognized this issue and have incorporated programs that support low income families with the free and reduced lunches and transport passes for students.

__**Stephanie Yaccarino**__

The culture of poverty is an issue that our society continues to struggle with daily. You hear about it both on the news, radio, and in the newspaper. Although the radio discussion focused on Philadelphia, I kept thinking of the community I work in the entire time. It is shocking to believe that 1 in 5 students who I see on a daily basis are apart of this culture. These children were born into poverty and, like their parents, will struggle for many years to get out of it. They will face the same anxieties and frustrations of living in a neighborhood of violence, and lack of opportunities to succeed in the real world because of a poor education. I don't believe I'd be able to pick these kids out of a crowd, however there are a few that present signs of living in poverty--their appearance, lack of parental supervision, academics. Also, the radio discussion mentioned that we have millionaires living in the Main Line, while just five miles up the road, there are people living in poverty that can barely put food on the table. They starve one month to pay the rent on time, and they eat another month while the rent is late. It's the same in Norristown! We have kids living in homes that are falling apart, and where the only place they receive a full meal is the school cafeteria. Five miles up the street, Worcester Township is building its next 1.2 million dollar home. It's __s__cary just how segregated the communities really are. Finally, in regards to our students that I believe are "stuck" in this culture of poverty, I have to go against what our girl Michelle Rhee mentioned. She said that we can not blame the environment that these children grow up in for their poor grades and behavior. I would have to disagree. Although we've already thoroughly discussed that teachers play an active role, our students living in poverty are at risk. They are subjected to dangerous neighborhoods, where, as stated in the radio discussion, they are constantly looking for something to do to occupy the time. These kids are mainly unsupervised, which can lead to developing problems. They become engaged in violence in the neighborhood, which often spills over into the schools. This is when other students in the community become victimized, as they were not involved in the first place. Poor role models in the community can also be to blame for this. I see this going on everyday, as the growing "gang" related issues in our school are constantly on the rise. Students that go without a decent meal can also not function properly in school without the proper nutritional needs. They are not like humans who have fully functioning, and developed brains. They are still growing, and without the proper nutrition coming from home, their performance in school will greatly be affected. How can students focus, behave, and perform well in school when they come from this environment? Changes need to take place, and I feel that several communities and schools have recognized these problems occurring in their own environments and have already started to make a change. Opportunities for children to succeed and access to the supplies and resources to perform well have readily been made available in several schools across our country. As teachers, we need to support these students in their academic endeavors to prevent the barriers of poverty from consuming these children at such a young age. We need to help provide them with an escape from the constraints that have trapped their families for so long.

__**Lauren Fainelli**__

Poverty isn't a new issue that just cropped up because of thes ression, it is one as Americans we've been dealing with for years. Some statements that stuck out to me from the radio program are: one in five children live in poverty (that amazes me, so 7 out of the 35 children might be struggling I never thought of it that way). This sounds foolish but I never thought of poverty effecting children, but reality is poverty effects children the most. How can you worry about learning, when you are worrying about what you are going to eat and where it is going to come from. I know personally I have a student who comes from a good family both parents work she is always dressed nicely but she doesn't like to eat, and I can tell when she doesn't because she is moody, has no engery, and is very defient. I could only imagine trying to teach in Philadelphia with a room full of children acting that way.

We are a nation that likes to spend more, buy more, and have more. Why are we not looking to help the poor rather then out do our neighbor?

Even when the poor are given the opportunity to do better they won't go for it because of fear, they would rather stick with what they already know. I feel like thats true for all people not just poor, but I could see how if you were living in poverty you might not be so willing to take a risk in fear of failing and sinking deeper.

People are born into poverty. This statement hit home for me, my family is far from poor but we've had our fair share of struggles but my parents always did what was best for their kids, always worked hard to get their kids the best education, the best opportunities for the future. We may not of been dressed in designer clothes, but my parents made sure there was always dinner on the table, and that we did well in school. People may be born into poverty but if they are given the right resources and opportunities they could rise above it.

__** Krista Bolinsky **__
== It is harder for American citizens today to lift themselves out of poverty then it ever was back in the 1960s when LBJ began his “War on Poverty.” One of my favourite quotes is from LBJ, he said, “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” What is happening now in our country, the slow demise of the middle class and the continued isolation of the poor, is mapping out the future of our country. How can our nation continue to stay a world power when its’ children are starving? LBJ’s fight on poverty created programs such as Head Start, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid. He wanted America to have a fighting chance against poverty, and for Americans to have the assistance to pull themselves out of the lower classes. Unfortunately for Americans today the social welfare programs started back in the 1960s are slowly crumbling away, unable to keep citizens from failing back into the cycle of poverty. == = As a history lover I look at Philadelphia as what it was; the birthplace of freedom and our country’s first capital. Now look at it! It’s a great place to visit and live in, if you have money, and if you don’t then it can be a dangerous and inhospitable city. Philadelphia is only a small part of America’s dirty secret. The truth is that American currently is fighting a war at home, the same war that LBJ attempted to win, and that is the war on poverty. It is crucial that we win this time because the fate of future American generations rests on the outcome. Our children our going hungry, students are dropping out of high school at a staggering rate, the welfare system is failing, American jobs are being outsourced to our chief competitors, and the middle class is vanishing at a shocking rate. Sometimes I feel that our government prides itself of aiding others in their times of need, like in Haiti or Pakistan, that they neglect the ever growing elephant in the room. America is divided into two halves, rich America and poor America. Philadelphia’s neighbourhoods and school district are failing and whose fault is it? I would have to say that the blame rests not only the government, community, teachers, parents, and students of Philadelphia but all the citizens of America. Philadelphia’s problem is not just a local issue but a part of a large battle that we all should be fighting together, because it ensures either the success of failure of our nation. = = Sandy Nulf = This radio show was extremely interesting and sobering to me. I have seen the poverty in North, South, and West Philadelphia but learned much more about what goes on behind closed doors. My little sister has lived in North Philadelphia and South Philadelphia- in drastically different neighborhoods. I have driven around the city in the most poorest areas and it seems surreal to me, and in a way almost fascinating to see how this other world lives. My sister's house in North Philly wasn't too bad, but all around her were abandoned buildings, buildings falling apart. She was the only white person around and this was only a few blocks from Temple's main campus. When we talked with some of her neighbors, they were proud to be close to Temple and said nothing but positive things about the school. All people, especially poor people, need something to proud of!! It makes them feel like they are a part of something bigger and that they have something that gives them hope in a way. I agreed with the women when they talked about how North Philadelphia looks more like a war zone than an American city with all the crumbled, abandoned buildings, burnt out cars, abandoned factories, homeless people on the streets, hungry children etc- how could anyone be proud of this? When I lived in Mt Airy and I drove down Germantown Ave to North Philly to visit my sister, you could visibly see the poverty levels increasing. Germantown Ave is a historic road where business, family, and community used to flourish, now it is a sad reminder of what it used to be. My Irish ancestors settled in Germantown and now there are hardly any white people to be seen. I'm not saying it is a bad thing, it is just a cultural fact- most areas in Philadelphia are segregated by race and poverty. As I drove down that road, I would feel more and more out of place as the Black community take precedence on the streets; the buildings and graffiti and litter become increasingly worse- pride for their neighborhood seems to be missing. It's obvious that I am driving into North Philly and leaving Chestnut Hill and Mt Airy; each end of Germantown Ave is at the extreme opposites of the pendulum when it comes to rich vs poor, and its only a few miles long. Poverty has a way of isolating people- they mentioned that poor people are not necessarily living together, working together, creating close-knit families- in fact its the opposite- they are alone, fending for themselves. Maybe if communities of poor people started working together more in their community they would begin to feel proud of where they lived. The show also talked about how these segregated communities allow the nation to tolerate poverty because it is not something they have to see everyday. People don't drive in the poor sections of Philadelphia if they don't have to. But if you do drive from one end of Broad street in Philly to the other end you can see the drastic changes in the poverty levels- from North to center city to South Philadelphia- and this isn't even the worst of it! The poverty crisis seems like a never-ending cycle because more and more children are being born into poverty and it is very difficult to rise above it. Their education is suffering due to malnourishment, crime in schools, inexperience teachers, etc, and this makes it even harder for them to be successful in life. Another thing that they talked about that really stood out to me was when the children were drinking the tube-feed that was supposed to be for their sick grandmother- they become so desperate that this is what children have to resort to! It saddens me that this kind of desperation for life goes on everyday. The war on poverty has not been won and I wonder if and when we will be able to conquer it.

Loretta Fedezko

Very sad that in America we allow this poverty to continue in our country, while we have commercials giving us the opportunity to help poor children in other countries by contributing 29 cents a day to help feed and educate them. We should have that organization offering the same opportunity for our poverty stricken children in America. It is as if we are trying to pretend that poverty does not exist in America. I do believe that some of the discipline problems in the Philadelphia schools are from children that are hungry or being fed the wrong food. I see children coming to school with the black plastic bag that contains either candy, hugs, or chips. In the kindergarten, children come to school with lunches packed by their parent that has the infamous plastic hug or a bottle of soda and candy for their lunch, which by the way the student is not allow to consume, the student must take the free lunch provided by the school. Teachers can only do so much when they see children being neglected in their hygiene or wearing the same dirty clothes day after day or falling asleep in class constantly by reporting it to the counselor requesting a home visit. The other discipline issues were infants not receiving the proper nutrition when the brain is growing and developing during the first year of life causing behavior issues down the road. In the neighborhood where I work, I witness customers paying for their hoagies or cheese steaks with the Access card. The Access card is not to be used for prepared food. Is this wrong or right, I don’t know because at least the family will eat something? The Access card does not give enough money to the poor to buy food to feed the family for a month or to purchase nutritional food to assist Autistic children who need gluten free food for their diet and to control their behavioral issues. Segregation is a problem for the Hispanics and African Americans. One reason this happens is that when you live in a section where there is community spirit and the neighborhood has guidelines how the block should be kept, the poor people either don’t have the energy or the enthusiasm to go along with this program or way of life. Also, the neighborhood may set up a neighborhood watch to keep the block in order if drugs are becoming an issue. I work at D and Allegheny in Philadelphia. The streets are strewn with trash and hypodermic needles lying on pavements. It seems that the neighborhood is more accepting of bad behavior and not wanting a nicer environment. In the poorer neighborhoods, everyone knows the drug dealers and their houses and do not complain to the police or the city because they are either afraid of retribution to their families or because they are drug users themselves. Poverty is hitting more people of all colors more than ever at this time. The Caucasians may hide it better by moving back in with their parents or other family members so it is not as apparent; however, it is happening with all ethnic groups. The government can only do so much by supplementing the poor with welfare and vocational training. It goes back to the old adage, I can give you a fish or I can teach you to fish but it is still up to the individual to want to change their lifestyle.

Michael McAteer

Since last class, I have been thinking about this topic quite a bit. I briefly discussed it in passing with a few people. I understand that Sinclair Lewis may have brought these stereotypes or myths to the public and claimed them as a "culture". The article looked to debunk these myths. However, I feel as if poverty is a culture that is very difficult to rise out from. The radio show made this point very clear. How can children become capable of tearing off this label if their neighborhoods breed these inequalities in education and life necessities? The show claims that those in poverty are adapting to their environment. I couldn't agree with that more. As we discussed in class, poverty is cyclical. As the radio show highlighted, many Americans believe that the welfare system as actually bred dependency on the system. However, WEB DuBois believed that we could break this cycle through education. The one solution that I could think of comes from his model of the Top Ten Percent. As a student at Temple University (where it was claimed that 90% of the Philadelphia Public School System teachers were said to have graduated from) I saw a very large majority of ed. majors being Caucasian. That being said, most inner-city children go to school without seeing a model from their culture. I went through 8 years of schooling without a male teacher and I think that I was at a disadvantage going to high school because I only saw female teachers (not saying that females were bad teachers, but I never had a male role model in academia). I really could not imagine being an African American who never sees a success story from their neighborhood. It must make success feel as if it is constantly out of reach. We as educators know that coming into a classroom with a defeatist attitude breeds defeat. I believe that the same is true in this culture of poverty; the individuals in this culture see no end to their poverty.

Christina Volpe The culture of poverty does not exist. After listening to the radio broadcast and reading the article, it is clear that not all people living in poverty are alike. The article was interesting as a wider perspective but the radio broadcast focused on Philadelphia, which I found to be very enlightening due to the fact that we live so close. I found a couple of facts in both to be both shocking and saddening. One of the first things discussed was how the welfare system is geared to keep poor people poor, though it was created to lift people out of poverty. I found this to be an interesting yet very true statistic. It seems to be a cycle most times unable to be broken. With the economy in shambles it seems that the issue of poverty is as prevalent as ever. The broadcast did touch on the issue of education a bit, and it was sad to hear that the dropout rate is about 50% in the Philadelphia school system. But again the discussion turned to the failing school systems. I can’t help but wonder if these students were not just trying to survive and didn’t go through what they did at home and in their neighborhoods, if school systems in these areas would be any different. Someone in the broadcast did state that Pennsylvania schools had the most unequal distribution of money. We discussed this a bit in class with the issue of how these schools in need of money get very little or even none and are punished for being labeled failing schools, however, these are the schools that need money the most, especially for technology and other things that students might not otherwise encounter anywhere else. I was also a bit shocked that the poverty rate in Philadelphia is 24%. That is almost a quarter of the population in the Philadelphia area living in poverty. Though, if you watch the local news, especially now during the holidays, it is clear that many people living in this area are suffering in many ways due to the poor economy. While the people living in poverty are very diverse, the article says it best that people in poverty do have something very much in common, “inequitable access to basic human rights”.