Poverty vs.

Privilege
Children of Poverty
1. What is ‘poverty’? Generational vs. Situational?
Poverty is the state of being extremely poor. Generational poverty is when you are in poverty
for two generations or longer. Situational poverty exists for a shorter time
2. Explain why children of poverty struggle in a ‘normal’ classroom setting.
People in poverty have an abundant amount of health in nutrition issues that can affect
attention, reasoning, learning, and memory. They often have smaller vocabulary, lack of effort
because of not being optimistic or hopeful, show cognitive problems like getting distracted
easily or difficulty monitoring the quality of their work. And most importantly they often have a
hard time forming relationships with other students because they feel like they do not fit in with
the others
3. Discuss ‘hidden rules’. How do they vary from economic level to economic level?
Hidden Rules are the unspoken cueing system that individuals use to indicate membership in a
group, they shape what happens at school. The middle-class has formed their own set of rules
and these students in poverty simply do not know them nor do most educators or middle-class
students know the hidden rules of generational poverty. To be successful students must be
given the opportunity to learn these rules.
4. How does language affect learning for children of poverty?
children who are poor hear a smaller number of words with more limited syntactic complexity
and fewer conversation-eliciting questions, making it difficult for them to quickly acquire new
words and to discriminate among words
5. What do students of poverty need to learn in order to learn?
Make sure the students have high expectations on their learning and have a positive growth
mindset, teach them socio-economic learning strategies
6. What skills/abilities do you need to teach a child of poverty?
self-control, optimism, perseverance, confidence, and growth mindset

Rich Kids

1. Do ‘rich kids’ have a realistic view of standards of living?

No, most children that come from a wealthy family don’t have a realistic view of standards of
living because often most of what they have is handed to them, meaning they don’t have to
work hard to earn anything unlike others.
2. Are you a ‘rich kid’?
No
3. Why are drugs such a big issue with affluent kids?
They usually have easier access to substances, ample money to purchase them, good entree to
providers, and the best fake IDs. Symptoms of Depression and anxiety begin to rise.
4. Why aren’t money and education enough to keep affluent kids from feeling distress?
 A big issue that causes distress is worrying about your physical appearance and high
socioeconomic status. Not only should you be highly accomplished but also expected to be
polite, likable, and expected to master the competing demands with no perceived visible effort
5. Why is ‘high pressure’ the number one cause of distress?
Parents want their children to do the best they possibly can, but they often go over the top and
children then feel their parents disproportionately value successes far more than their decency
and kindness causing elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety.
6. What does the ‘cultural context of affluence’ mean?
The state of having a great deal of money; wealth
7. Why are today’s ‘rich kids’ more at risk than previous generations?
The children of affluent parents expect to excel at school and in multiple extracurriculars and
also in their social lives. They feel a relentless sense of pressure that plays out in excessive
substance use. It plays out in crippling anxiety and depression, about anticipated or perceived
achievement “failures”.

Compare/Contrast kids of poverty and rich kids’ view of their future.

The biggest difference between the two would be that children with rich families are more
likely to receive a better education than those in poverty. Their parents are more likely to have
a good education themselves and recognize the importance of having a good education and
encourage academic excellence and help them when needed. Children in poverty are less likely
to take on adult responsibilities because their parents can’t provide for them and struggle being
an adult themselves. A Lot of children in poverty often get jobs at a young age to help provide
and prioritize their responsibilities for their family over their own education. Wealthier children
have access to better nutrition which reduces developmental issues as they grow older.
CHildren in poverty however do not have access to good nutrition all of the time.