8/3/2019 Just an Average Classroom - Child Poverty

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Just an average classroom?

Feels

hopeless,

cant aord

schoolsupplies

Educatorsees

possibilityin each

child

49% of

immigrant

children

and 40% of

Aboriginal

children live

in poverty*

BChas thehighestrate of

child povertyin Canada*

21% ofchildren in

BC are livingin poverty*

What else is there to see? Take a closer look.

Working together we can make the difference for children living in poverty.

ClassismA culture worth changing

At first we think of class size,special learning needs, etc...

* Source: 2008 Child Poverty Report Card from First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition. www.rstcallbc.org

8/3/2019 Just an Average Classroom - Child Poverty

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Poverty/ClassismRemoving the barriers to learning

As teachersWe frst need to examine our own thoughts and practice.

What are my belies/expectations or students

living in poverty? Can they succeed like other

students?

What do I do to provide adequate and appropriate

support or students in need in my classroom?

How am I handling homework expectations?

Do I charge or eld trips, class events, etc?

When a student arrives late or has been away, how

do I make the student eel welcome?

What programs/strategies do I use or teaching

social skills?

Am I amiliar with the various teaching and

assessment strategies or students living in

poverty?

Do I provide or arrange or needed classroom

supplies or activities in my room?

Our studentsWe can study them like a text.

Do I know what home circumstances my students

are coming rom?

Do my students eel sae and cared or at school?

Do students have positive expectations or

themselves in school?

Do all my students come to class having had

breakast and ready to learn?

Do my students have the supplies they need or

learning?

Does each student have an adult in our school that

they have a supportive relationship with?

Do students see education as a path to success?

Our schoolsAs teachers we can make our schools

saer or kids living in poverty.

Does my school charge school ees?

Does my school have a breakast or lunch program?

Does my school provide homework support or

students who may not have that at home?

How does my school identiy students or ree ood

programs?

Does my school have clothing, ood, toiletries, etc.

available or kids in need that can be given to them

discretely?

Are my schools policies on tardiness, attendance,

and behaviour issues supportive o students?

What percent o our special education students live

in poverty?

Our communityBeing aware o our community helps us

understand the context o our students lives.

Is there an easily accessible ood bank in the

community near my school?

Is there accessible and afordable public

transportation in our community?

Where is our public libraryor is there one?

What services are available to assist amilies and

children in need?

What is the healthcare situation in our community?

Are there doctors taking new patients?

Do I know the poverty rate o my school and

community?

Am I aware o amilies that may be in crisis due to

job loss?

As teachers, we can make our schools welcoming or students living in poverty.

We can bring areas o concern to our sta committee and we can enact policy

changes at the school level that can make a real dierence.

Book a BCTF workshopcontact Joan Merrifeld at PSID at 604-871-1850

For more inormation on poverty check the BCTF website: bct.ca/socialjustice.aspx

April 2009

PSI09-0031