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2. Don’t pity a child’s life but teach them to recognize that education is literally the passport to their future.” I’ve seen teacher preparation programs attempt to teach potential teachers to pity a child’s life due to their socioeconomic background. In worse case scenarios they may even lower the expectations of the child- I’m strongly against that.  Growing, I didn’t need anyone to pity me. Instead I needed teachers who were emphatic but who would also teach me that education was my passport.
For example, I distinctly remember NOT wanting to take Advanced Placement World Civilization despite being a straight A Student in my Junior History class. After a lot of prodding by my mother, my History teacher came up to me and had a talk with me about the word potential. She pointed out that despite all of the hardships I had endured she saw “potential” in me. After we finished our discussion, I happily walked into the Guidance Counselor’s office and registered for the course and not only did I have the highest grade in the class, but I was one of the only ones who “clepped” out of History  for  college. Click here for rule #3.
Teaching in a high-poverty school is definitely different than teaching in a rich or even modest suburban school. I’ve just finished my 13th year at a rural school in Michigan with an 80+% free and reduced lunch rate. We received PD on the Culture of Poverty to help us better understand our clientele. Those of us with real-life experience growing up poor were able to add an authentic stamp on what we learned. I highly recommend reading A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. There is so much insight in this text.