discussion and response
jodie123
response.docxDiscussion 1
1.One common myth about those living in poverty is that “all U.S. children have equal opportunities to succeed in school”. This myth resides with me the most after the Health Concerns unit. Children who are in poverty may be born “at a low birth weight, without health coverage, and who start school not ready to learn, fall behind, and drop out” (Poverty Myths, 2015).In the classroom there are setbacks for these children, such as activating the “thinking part of their brain” (Becker, 2016). For a child who is introduced to new material in the class, if they become overwhelmed the student will “shut down their cortex completely” and will be unable to process the information. It was stated that for students to “master the same content, they are required to have 10 times the repetition, which is not going to be provided in the typical classroom environment, and they will fall further behind” (Becker, 2016). Along with this, there are many families who can only afford cheaper unhealthy food to feed their children. Not having the proper nutrients for a growing child can set them back and their focus in class is on their next meal, not on the assignment.
The second common myth I chose was “poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning, largely because they do not value education” (Jones, 2013). There are many factors that go into a parent not being able to be as involved or attend school functions, but it does not mean they are not passionate about their child’s education. Many parents can work several jobs, or jobs with odd hours to make an income and support their family. They also may lack access to transportation to their child’s school. Again, from the Health Concerns unit, there was a movie which brought light to many family’s realities living in poverty. The mother, Barbie, would travel about 45 minutes each way to get groceries that had nutrients in them compared to the stores close by which did not provide the same. The time she spends getting groceries for her family is time she is not able to focus on her child’s education.
2. I think for people to be more involved they need to explore within their hometowns to see what they are doing to help those around them. I did not know that the food bank in my town was there, I originally thought that it was a donation center for clothes. Signing up was very easy and the staff was very welcoming. I think its important to spread the word about these organizations and the work they do for other people. During the school year in Pullman my friends and I have done group service projects where we are able to help those in need and we try to bring a new person to the event each time to get more people involved. I also think staying up to date with correct facts and data, to share with people, about topics such as poverty is important to be impactful and can encourage more volunteers.
3. One of the important ideas Putnam created was for children’s successes, especially related to family life. I think focusing on the youth in low income homes can help towards a solution for poverty. Putnam wants to close the opportunity gap through more parent involvement as it is shown “children do fare better on average if their mothers do not work full time in the first year of life” (Putnam, 2016, p.248). If parents can work part time it will have a major impact on their children by being more involved. Along with this there is the issue of childcare, and quality childcare. There is a struggle for parents to “find access to high quality, center-based day care” (Putnam, 2016, p.248), it is a matter of finding this kind of care for children for low income families that can also help close this gap. By working closely and with the children their future has more promise and the opportunity gap will shrink along with it.
Another important idea Putnam brings to light is children’s success through extracurricular activities. These activities “foster equal opportunity, and we know from dozens of research studies that this strategy works” (Putnam, 2016, p.258). Giving any child these extracurricular opportunities can provide “a natural and effective way to provide mentoring and inculcate soft skills” (Putnam, 2016, p.258). in which there are trained adults to help children succeed through this. By not allowing children to participate in these because of cost it can widen the opportunity gap for kids and limit not only them but the world on their abilities. It is important for children to use their natural skills but many who come from low income families do not have the ability to.
4. I think the road that leads into poverty is the most difficult to travel. If you are going into poverty or a very low-income situation, you are having to let go of a lifestyle, a diet, and security of the future. Depending on your situation if you are alone or have a family, you must learn the resources available to you, how to access them, or if you even eligible. Things that that used to come easily may become out of reach and your mindset and attitude can change. You are limited on food and may not even know where your next meal or comfortable sleep may be coming from. I think going into poverty can be more stressful than the road out as the road out may lead to concrete solutions for you or a family. Going into poverty you may not have a plan but going out you have a plan and if it fails you have resources to fall back on and know where to begin again.
5. quiz
6. I have learned much more than I thought I would have. Being that this was my first online course I think it challenged me because I did not have someone physically here to teach me, so I had to dive deeper to teach myself. The main thing that I have taken away from this course is that poverty does not necessarily mean you are living on the streets and there are major effects on children and their education while living in poverty. This course has truly changed my perspective on poverty and other issues surrounding it. I believe I will continue to do service towards this population and continue to keep up with news surrounding this. It has been a pleasure getting to see others perspectives from this class and learning to be open minded about topics such as this because there are truly two sides to everything.
Becker, A. (July 6th, 2016). Evidence Grows of Poverty’s Toll On Young Brains. Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. USA TODAY. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2016/07/06/evidence-grows-povertys-toll-young-brains/86571856/
Jacobson, K., & Silverbush, L. (Directors). (2013). A Place at the Table. [Video file].
Jones, G. (2013). Debunking poverty myths and stereotypes. Retrieved from http://wiscap.org/wiscap/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/June-2013-Debunking-Poverty-Myths-and-Stereotypes.pdf
Putnam, R. D. (2016). Our kids: The American Dream in crisis. New York: Simon et Schuster.
U.S. Poverty Myths. (2015). Myths about poverty in the worlds wealthiest nation. Retrieved fromhttp://www.worldvisionusprograms.org/us_poverty_myths.php
Discussion 2
1. Choose TWO common myths about those who live in poverty and come up with the truths about the myths.
The second myth comes from the World Vision site as well. That is the myth that poor people are lazy. This is a convenient victim blaming excuse. The site lists 10.5 million people as being part of the “working poor.” According to Nadeau, Glasmeier (2016) a single parent with two children would require working 139 hours at $7.25 an hour to support her two children. This would barely place the individual above the poverty threshold. The poor aren’t lazy, they’re just taxed higher than any other income bracket and not paid a living wage.
2. Not many Americans have had the same community service opportunity as you have had this semester, how do you propose to get people more involved so that they can see poverty first hand?
I’m not sure that seeing poverty first-hand would have a desired effect. I’m willing to bet that a majority of the public has a much less educated view of the homeless population than we do. Also, apparently bullying and narcissistic behaviors are “in this year” so I feel that compassion levels are down dramatically. In Spokane one might be particularly hard pressed to push anti-poverty sentiment because the city is currently fighting an influx of property crime from the drug abusing population and a toothless police force. My purposed solution would be to educate the public by conducting a series of online questionnaires on local news sites that would have questions on them regarding food insecurity, income, percentage of expenses etc.. Data from these surveys would hopefully awaken the public to how poor we really are, and the discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots. If the local news published an online anonymous survey that showed, for example, 40% of the population was food insecure, behind on two or more payments, or reliant on the food bank the wool would be pulled back from the lay-persons eyes. Hopefully this would make people aware as to the real extent of the problem.
One of Iceland’s purposed solutions involves, and I might be wrong in my interpretation, either strengthening marriages or reducing the likelihood of becoming a single parent by increased contraception use (2013). This would lower the rate of low income single parents and allowing them to pursue further education prior to becoming a parent. I see several solutions here. The first is to influence the kids and teens in my life to make healthy relationship choices by both mirroring them with my relationship and being frank with them regarding peer pressure. The second option would be to support local organizations like Planned Parenthood which provide birth control measures to a large segment of the population.
Iceland also mentions the importance of education and its predictive role in a child’s long term success (2013). Supporting local schools in any way, shape, or form would be one way of combating poverty. Donating time to the school by volunteering would be one approach. Campaigning for bonds that increase school funds would be another. And, of course there’s participating in PTA activities to raise funds for the school.
4. I had a wise former student state: “If the cause of living in poverty is not addressed then a ‘cure’ and road map out of poverty may lead right back to a life of poverty.” Which road is more difficult to travel: the road leading to a life of poverty, or the road that leads one out of poverty? What do you think?
Leading a life of poverty is a difficult road however, it’s predictable and familiar. I read somewhere that the strongest driver of human behavior is the need to make and keep things familiar. Regarding poverty, what’s being fought against is inertia. The road out of poverty is frighteningly difficult because it’s completely unfamiliar territory. Dealing with financial institutions, learning about the nuances of finance, investing, making wise and large purchases, and even navigating the process of financing college can seem overwhelming if there’s no support from individuals whom have navigated the terrain previously. Perhaps local, non-profit, financial education centers could be set up to educate those in need about how to traverse this unfamiliar terrain. I’m on that road myself, so I can speak to the daunting sensation. Initially everything can seem insurmountable, but perseverance and hundreds of hours online researching got me are getting me through. Staying on the road of the middle class is, in my opinion, more about not making poor decisions once you’re there rather than just trying to not be poor.
5. Now that you have completed the course, take a few minutes to review the key issues we have discussed throughout the course by looking over the following facts and taking one last quiz (choose one)
Yikes. The figure regarding what Americans spend on pets every year is what shocked me. I know someone personally who spends approximately $250 every month on treats, not actual food, just treats for her dogs. I pointed out one time that that accounts for 8% of her income, or working 6 minutes out of every hour for her dogs to have treats. I then ran that monthly figure through and investment calculator and came up with what that “treat” money would be worth after 20 years of investing. $109,274 (Compound Interest Calculator, 2019).
6. Please discuss any final thoughts of poverty or on what you learned this semester.
Perhaps it’s the economist in me but I tend to notice things that waste valuable resources. Poverty is a symptom of lack of hope and opportunity. I’ve taken it upon myself to attempt to learn what keeps people wealthy and what keeps people poor. Education is the answer. Education about nutrition prevents health issues. Education about finance prevents poor choices etc… Wealthy people are equipped with a roadmap that often doesn’t include the habits and attractions that keep people in poverty. Unless people are willing to address their situation and are presented with clear and delineated instructions to create a better life they likely won’t choose it.
References:
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/15-minimum-wage-can-an-individual-or-a-family-live-on-it
Compound Interest Calculator. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.helpfulcalculators.com/compound-interest-calculator
Putnam, R. D. (2016). Our kids: The American Dream in crisis. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Silverbush, L., Jacobson, K., Skoll, J., Weyermann, D., Lurie, C. W., Lurie, J., Colicchio, T., ... Magnolia Home Entertainment (Firm),. (2013). A Place at the Table.
U.S. Poverty Myths. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldvisionusprograms.org/us_poverty_myths.php
