preview

Short And Short Term Effects Of Poverty On Children

Good Essays

Read Chapter 2 of Teaching with Poverty in Mind. This chapter further describes many of the harmful effects that growing up in poverty can have on children. As you read, for each characteristic in the boxes on the graphic organizer below, fill in some of the short- and long-term effects of poverty on children.

1. Subpar Maternal Attachment from Age 0-3

Short – The short term effects of poverty with infants and children under the age of three, are children can be weaker physically from lack of proper food, medical attention and lack of parental involvement. There is a huge need to make sure that prenatal care is given to families living in poverty. A lot of families are being exposed to certain toxins daily, such as lack of fluoride, …show more content…

The reasons why cognition and socioeconomic status is so important, is that their performance has the ability to change significantly, throughout all the stages of development. Tests and academic performances are only data and should not be treated like destiny. Our brains are designed to change. A child's brain generates a weaker signal, and handles stress in a different way, other than their parents or other adults. Cortisol, which is a stress hormone, is crucial for learning, cognition and working memory. Stress can actually shrink the neurons needed when making judgments. Planning and regulating impulsivity can be impaired in ways that reduce the capacity to learn. The quantity, quality and content of parent’s speech must also include rich vocabulary and knowledge. Professional parents double the amount of language and vocabulary, than their counterparts. By the time a child starts school they will are exposed to 5 million words and should know about 13,000 of them. By the time they reach high school, they should know about 60,000 to 100,000 words. This isn’t always true with students living in SES households. Adults tend to speak in shorter, slower and grammatically, simple sentences. There are less back and forth conversations to evoke thoughtful questioning. There are also fewer explanations given. Parents living in poverty, typically have a limited range of …show more content…

It has the ability to weaken a student’s test scores, lower their attention spans, an increase in tardiness and absenteeism. Many students living in poverty, when given the opportunity, will either stay home or skip classes altogether due to fear of violence. We can begin to empower our students and help them improve their own self-perception. In doing so, they will improve their ability to control their environment and manage their own stress levels. We need to teach them to act differently, not just tell them. We must introduce conflict resolution skills (ex: take a deep breath and count to five). We should teach them how to deal with their anger in a self-regulating way (ex: counting to 10 and taking slow deep breaths) before getting into physical altercations. We should introduce the value of giving restitution when they are responsible for making poor choices. For example, if the disrupt class, they need to ‘make it right’ by doing something positive for the class. Show them how to set and meet goals, with a focus on what they want. Teach social skills and introduce stress reduction techniques such as physical (dance) and mental (mediation) responses. Students who worry over safety concerns, tend to underperform academically. Exposure to community violence, unsafe neighborhoods or dangerous paths to school, contributes to lower

Get Access