poverty

=Poverty and homelessness=

The key foundation of this discussion is Paul Gorski's challenge in his article, [|The Question of Class] that we must "question the culture of classist assumptions that infiltrates our classrooms and schools and goes on to say" (Gorski, n.d.). He goes on to say:

//It's all too easy, for even the most well-meaning of us, to help perpetuate classism by buying into that mindset, implementing activities and strategies for "working with parents in poverty" or "teaching students in poverty" that, however subtly, suggest we must fix poor people instead of eliminating the inequities that oppress them. The question, of course, for any educator of privilege committed to educational equity is this: Do we choose to study supposed cultures or mindsets of poverty because doing so doesn't require an examination of our own class-based prejudices? By avoiding that question, we also avoid the messy, painful work of analyzing how classism pervades our classrooms and schools, never moving forward toward an authentic understanding of poverty, class and education.//


 * Given this, what questions do you have about what we need to do to understand about:**
 * **inequalities that oppress students who live in poverty and/or are homeless, and**
 * **their lives and life circumstances facing** **students who live in poverty and/or are homeless** **so that we create classrooms that help them to success rather than further oppressing them?**

To post a suggestion/question, click on the green "edit this page" button, type your suggestion/question in the place where it seems to best fit in the evolving list, and then click on the "save" button.
 * Please note your questions below and, where you have suggestions in response to these questions, note these right underneath the question.**

Questions/suggestions:

 * 1) What resources are there (for students, teachers, families)?
 * 2) Where can homeless youth go for help and shelter outside of school?
 * 3) What are some signs that we can can pick up on?
 * 4) What as teachers can we and must we legally do?
 * 5) How does the system of reporting work?
 * 6) What can counselors legally tell teachers? And us as apprenticeship/student teachers?
 * 7) What are their needs?
 * 8) Have homeless families/youth been shunned by others who could help?
 * 9) Where do homeless youth sleep? On the street? In shelters?
 * 10) If a family is homeless, can the kids be taken away from their parents? What are the laws?
 * 11) How can schools go about helping them?
 * 12) Are homeless people as uncomfortable being out on the street at night as people who aren't homeless might be?