Tristyn Mandel

ED 410/412
Dr. C
12/6/16

ED 410/412 Final Paper

It is known that an ideal district should comply with the academic and emotional needs of

its student population. Most schools aim to craft a school culture that meets the needs of its

students interests, but their efforts often disappointment because their low budget impedes their

goal. Therefore, in order to transcend the barrier of insufficient resources, all schools should

utilize Maslows Hierarchy of Needs to access their schools design. Annette Laureaus (2011)

book Unequal Childhoods introduces an archetypical urban school district called Lower

Richmond that fails to attend to the needs of its diverse student makeup. Lower Richmond

students represent a multitude of socioeconomic backgrounds, as Lareau (2011) exemplifies

through the case studies of the students Katie, Tyrec, and Garret. Within this paper, I will

elaborate on the case studies of Katie, Tyrec and Garret in order to exemplify how Lower

Richmond can potentially succeed if it utilizes Maslows Hierarchy of Needs as a reference,

ensuring that its structure provides familial supports and addresses the learning needs of its

student population.

Educators can first study Maslows Hierarchy as a framework that assists their

understanding of their individual students needs. Maslows hierarchy comprises a five-tier

model that places precedence on peoples basic needs, like food and water; safety needs, like

health and property; belonging needs; like friendship and family; and esteem needs; like

confidence and achievement (Lester 2013). It is necessary for peoples lower needs to be

satisfied before higher-order needs can be reached. Once a persons four needs are met, they can

achieve self-actualization: a sense of inner meaning and purpose. Educators must verify that their
practices align with their students needs in order to enhance and maximize their classroom

learning. If school districts encompass Maslows five categories, then they can create idealized

school environments despite their limited funds.

The Lower Richmond School represents an urban district that struggles to mirror the

needs of its student population, As Lareau (2011) explains, Lower Richmond is a northeastern

elementary school that suffers from insufficient funding. People often characterize Lower

Richmond by its redeeming qualities, like its multicultural students and staff, safe environment,

and populous neighborhood, but Lower Richmonds high concentration of poverty plagues its

efficiency. Similar to how Kozol (1991) describes the North Lawndale School in Savage

Inequalities, Lower Richmond does not receive significant funds from the state government.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Lower Richmond does not have the economic resources to

purchase adequate teaching supplies, such as paper and pencils, or to fund abundant

extracurricular programs, like clubs and sports (Lareau, 2011). Lower Richmond also suffers

from a teacher shortage, which Gonzalez and Jenlick (2002) blame on the institutions poor

teacher preparation program. Students are not the only ones affected by Lower Richmonds

inadequacies; parents and educators often express frustration towards the schools special

education guidelines that require students to acquire two pre-referrals before they can obtain

services (Lareau, 2011) Even so, parental financial and political involvement in the Lower

Richmond district is noticeability low, and many students with academic disabilities slip through

the cracks. As a result, more than half of each Lower Richmond class reads bellow grade level

due to academic difficulties, and many engage in violent behaviors due to emotional issues

(Lareau, 2011). Lower Richmond recognizes its shortages and it is on a mission to improve its

performance; however, its barren budget impedes its efforts. Lower Richmond could work
against its limitations and with its students needs by infusing theories from Maslows Hierarchy

of Needs into its schools practices.

The first Lower Richmond student who Lareau (2011) studies in depth is Katie Brindle, a

white nine yearold girl from a poor, unstable home. Katie lives in a decrepit, three-bedroom

apartment in a working class community with her mother, her baby brother, and occasionally her

half-sister Jenna who sporadically visits the family. Jennas father is also only peripherally

involved in Katies life; he refuses to see Katie, and he lives over a thousand miles away in

Florida. Therefore, Katies mother is the primary caregiver of the household. Although Ms.

Brindle cares about Katies wellbeing and academic progress, she only has the energy to issue

straightforward directives because household management consumes her daily schedule. Ms.

Brindle relies on her extend family to help with childcare: Katies Grandma baby-sits for her on

weekends; however, Ms. Brindle often admits that the majority of her relatives are dysfunctional

(Lareau, 2011). Therefore, adults come in and out of the Brindle home, which does not positively

impact Katies emotional development.

Although Katie acts maturely, the instability of her family members takes a toll on her

mental health. In the first grade Katie was sexually molested, which caused her to miss a

significant portion of school (Lareau, 2011). During this time, Katie was hospitalized for self-

destructive behavior that including hitting and picking at herself. Although the Brindle family

believes that Katie has surpassed her trauma due to Katies lively and energetic personality, Katie

frequently shares stores of feeling lonely and abandoned (Lareau, 2011). Katies mood swings

indicate that Katie is still affected by the devastation of her past, yet the homes volatile

circumstances do not support her psychological progress. In fact, although Katie is only nine

years old, she complains to her mother about appearing fat and occasionally wears lipstick.
Katies relatives often feed into her mature tendencies; as Lareau (2011) showcases when Ms.

Brindle remarks that Katie has a butt that could kill (p.86). As a result, Katie has formulated a

constricted sense of childhood and an over-sexualized sense of self that must be addressed by the

Lower Richmond school system.

In order to meet Katies needs for both safety and belonging, Lower Richmond should

establish counseling services through their guidance department. Lower Richmond counseling

services would secure that Katies safety needs were met through weekly meetings with a

therapist that would track her achievement, motivation, and emotional progress (Barna 2013).

The counselor would keep an eye out for any self-destructive behavior of attitudes that Katie

may share during her sessions. These services would also help fulfill Katies desire for belonging

by offering her advice on how to handle her emotional urges, and foster her creative talents. In

terms of her sense of belonging, counseling services would guarantee that Katie feels a greater

sense of security within her classrooms because Katies teachers would be more informed about

her needs for trust and validation. Very often, people misjudge children from chaotic families as

having learning disabilities, like ADHD, due to their sense of heightened anxiety and unsettled

nervous systems (Barna 2013) If Katies teachers were more aware of her background, then they

would be less likely to formulate misconceptions about Katies academic ability. By providing

Katie with a reliable, emotional safe-haven, counseling services would offer Katie the belonging

that she craves from adult figures, and the constructive support that bolsters her healthy

academic and mental development.

In Unequal Childhoods, Tyrec Taylor represents a working-class boy whose needs could

be better addressed by the Lower Richmond community. Tyrec is a black nine year old boy from

a small, stable, working-class neighborhood who lives with his mother, sister, and stepbrother in
a rented house. Tyrecs parents separated four years ago, but his father makes time to see Tyrec at

least once a week. In terms of his upbringing, Tierces childhood can be characterized by what

Lareau (2011) would call the accomplishment of natural growth. Natural growth is a child

development methodology fostered by the enforcement of discipline, leisure-time, and child-

initiated play. Like Tyrec, children from working-class and poor homes are raised to value

authority. In Tyrecs home, Ms. Taylor makes explicit rules to guide her childrens behavior, and

enforces consequences such as the withdrawal of privileges. In terms of the importance of free

time, Tyrecs day allocates large portions of time to outdoor play with children from varying age

groups (Lareau, 2011). The lack of structure in Tyrecs schedule also showcases his familys

denunciation of organized activities. Families who raise their children in accordance with natural

growth tend to reduce the importance of extracurriculars in their childrens daily schedule. For

example, although Tyrec expressed a passion for football in the past, Ms. Taylor originally did

not support Tyrecs passion due to both her shortage of funds and her scarcity of time as a single

mother (Lareau 2011). Tyrecs schedule epitomizes the fluidity that children who develop under

the philosophy of natural growth experience during their childhood.

The flexibility of Tyrecs upbringing offers him latitude to make his own choices;

however, Tyrecs esteem needs suffer because he lacks the feeling of accomplishment. Tyrec has

a colossal amount of autonomy over his decisions due to the inattention of his parents towards

his daily schedule. Tyrecs mother is overwhelmed by her secretary job and his father, who is

unemployed, only visits once a week (Lareau, 2011). As a result, Tyrec relies on the influence of

his peers to help him make academic and social decisions. These decisions often lead Tyrec

astray: When Tyrec became caught up with a rowdy crowd in high school, his grades plummeted

and he was sentenced to time in juvenile hall. Tyrec also never took the SAT and ACT, and only
enrolled in two semesters of a community college over the course of four years (Lareau, 2011).

The people Tyrec surrounds himself with also shape his perceptions of social obligations. In the

third grade, Tyrec begged to join the football team, but shortly following he claimed that he

hated practice because he was required to leave playtime. Tyrecs shift in opinion towards

football was most likely influenced by the negative feedback of his peers. Tyrecs inconsistency

transmitted to his job record, which showed that Tyrec unfortunately quit a plethora of jobs over

the span of a few months (Lareau, 2011). Tyrecs tendency to fall flat on his commitments,

especially when influenced by his peers, is an inclination that negatively impacts his acquisition

of academic accomplishments.

Lower Richmond should align with Maslows hierarchy of needs and acknowledge

Tyrecs need for esteem through the facilitation of a peer mentorship program. These peer

mentors could come from neighboring districts, like the Swan school, to help diversify Tyrecs

perspective. The Swan school would be the perfect site for the programs initiation because the

schools high funding ensures that the club could afford supplies, facilitators, and transportation

to Lower Richmond (Lareau, 2011). In terms of logistics, peer mentorship programs are designed

to match older youth with young students in one-on-one relationships that provide guidance for

the children. As the author Spring (2002) explains, there is a casual relationship between high

levels of educational attainment and diversified peer groups. Through this special relationship,

peer mentors offer advise and support and serve as role models for younger children who have

experienced difficulties. For example, peer mentors from the Swan school would not only keep

Tyrec motivated to complete homework assignments, but would also push Tyrec to stay devoted

to his commitments. Tyrec would enjoy and benefit from a peer mentorship program due to his

fondness of social relations. As Lareau (2011) explains, Tyrec has been recognized for his
intimate conversations with both children and adults, and for his forays around his neighborhood.

The presence of older youth in Tyrecs life might also offer him emotional support, since Tyrecs

mother, father, and extended family are often occupied by the complicated workings of daily life.

Instead of parental advise, a peer mentorship program would foster socialization between groups

of students from divergent communities, which would encourage students to learn from one

another (Spring, 2002) A peer mentorship program might empower Tyrec to identify his goals

and establish a sense of direction that would help him academically excel. Lower Richmonds

creation of a peer mentor program could potentially help students,like Tyrec take the first steps to

validate their need for self-esteem.

The last child that Lareau (2011) describes in detail is Garret Tallinger, a white boy from

a comfortable middle-class home. Garret lives with his two brothers and mother and father, two

financial consultants, in a quiet northeastern suburb. In contrast to Tyrec Taylor, Garret

childhood encompasses the essence of concerted cultivation. According to Lareau (2011),

concerted cultivation is a style of parenting characterized by a parents attempt to foster their

childs talents through the incorporation organized activities into their childs daily schedule.

Parents who practice concerted cultivation take an active role in the individual development of

their child, and focus extensively on their childs intellectual progress (Lareau, 2011). The

Tallinger family epitomizes a middle-class family who practices concerted cultivation within

their home. Mr. and Mrs. Tallinger have flexible work schedules, designed to accommodate time

to their childrens extracurricular activities. The Tallingers often take turns transporting, feeding

and supporting each of their children in order to ensure that their sons are individually attended

to in all matters of upbringing. Garret Tallingers schedule, in particular, is crowded with

organized activities. During the month of May, Garret attends baseball, Forest soccer, Inter-
county soccer, swim team practice, piano lessons, and saxophone lessons (Lareau 2011). Garret

enjoys the team spirit of his activities, but due to the sense of entitlement that concerted

cultivation fosters within him, Garret hardly expresses gratitude towards his opportunities. The

management that Mr. and Mrs. Tallinger exercise over their sons is also both physically and

emotionally draining, and conflict frequently occurs within their home. Since achievement in

activities takes the highest precedent within their home, the Tallingers do not have time to foster

relationships with their extended family, or to bond extensively with their siblings (Lareau,

2011). The Tallingers struggle to balance their daily lives, but each son exceeds both socially and

academically. The Tallingers pride themselves on their familys assuming of responsibility and

accountability to others in the school and (Lareau, 2011) Garrets commitment to his obligations

demonstrates the effort that the Tallingers undergo to ensure that their children are prepared to

tackle the challenges of their schooling.

Even so, the excessive parental oversight that the Tallingers assert over their sons

education negatively impacts Garrets need for autonomous self-esteem and self-fulfillment.

Lareau describes Garret as a component student and athlete; however, his ability to reach his full

potential is hampered by the control of his parents. Garrets parents regulate his weekly schedule,

and therefore they are highly engaged in both his extracurricular and academic life. For example,

Ms. Tallinger fought with Garrets teachers when AP calculus and AP literature were being

offered during the same period (Lareau, 2011). Like many middle-class parents, Mrs. Tallinger

has a detailed awareness of how middle and secondary schools are supposed to work. Mrs.

Tallinger also possesses a bachelors degree from an Ivy League school (Lareau, 2011). Ms.

Tallingers extensive array of information influences her immersion in Garrets academics.

Although her actions may have been for Garrets best interests, Mrs. Tallinger displayed skewed
judgment when she assumed that Garret would want to register for the AP courses solely because

they were academically dignified. We can assume that Ms. Tallinger deeply cares about Garret,

but that their familys schedule inhibits them from engaging in intimate family conversations

(Lareau, 2011) As a result, the Tallingers may believe that they are maximizing Garrets

educational progress; nevertheless, they are impeding what Maslow would call Garrets potential

to self-actualize.

Lower Richmond should foster better parent-teacher communication methods in order to

meet the esteem needs of students like Garret. If the Tallingers developed a trusting elationship

with Garrets teachers, then their efforts to assist in Garrets education could be perceived as

beneficial rather than overbearing. Lower Richmond could utilize a variety of communicative

strategies, like conferences and home visits, to build relations with their students families (Iruka,

2009). The Tallingers would likely value these face-to-face meetings because they could be

arranged to work with the Tallingers busy schedule. A more elaborate parent-teacher

relationship would suit Garrets interest because both parties could work together to support his

optimal development. Garrets teachers could prevent Mr. and Mrs. Tallinger from setting unreal

expectations for Garrets schedule, and also inform them on proper ways to help at home with

Garrets learning (Iruka, 2009) On the other hand, Garrets parents could share their hopes for

Garrets schooling, and also help Garrets teachers become more in tune with the terms of

Garrets home environment. This parent-teacher partnership would also work well for Garret

because he could involve himself within the discussion forum. The establishment of closer

parent-teacher partnerships would maximize Garrets academic potential, and secure the

establishment of a healthy environment that meets his need for esteem.

 As Lareau (2011) clarifies in Unequal Childhoods, schools play a significant role in the

structuring of a students life chances. Although the socioeconomic status of schools may vary,

the most powerful influencer of student success is how educators transcend their limitations in

order to provide students with quality-level curricula, instruction, and academic resources. As

showcased above, an archetype like Maslows Hierarchy of Needs can significantly help

underfunded schools access the needs of students across the broad range of socioeconomic

populations. As a future educator, I will be sure refer to Maslows paradigm in order to design a

safe and uplifting classroom environment that suits the needs of each and every one of my

prospective students.
 Bibliography

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Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in Americas Schools. New York, NY: Crown

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