Example of educational sociology: understanding the impact of poverty research paper

On Education and Learning Pattern of Students

Introduction
Education, as they say, is the most important intangible wealth anyone could ever posses. Relatively though, in many cases, this particular wealth comes with a price. People from all over the globe desire to gain better choices of being educated. Some might not completely want the approach of traditional teaching, others want to improve whatever the national educational system is able to offer, while some others have no other choice but to hope that one day, they too would be able to finance their way to better source of education.
I have chosen to work on this topic simply because it relates to me and my condition of living and the way I have been able to garner good education. Being a South Asian female posed a lot of challenges to someone like me who wants to garner education. Relatively, in my culture, females get second attention from the government and the society as well. Being poor even worsened such condition of social identity. Nevertheless, along with others who want to be educated like myself, I have realized that perseverance does pay. In the discussion I am presenting below, a focus on how education and the way it is accepted and viewed by students is affected by the poor condition of living among children shall be given further light. Along with the facts and the observations I have seen, I am also noting some of the possible solutions that could be considered to alleviate the situation of the poor children with poor families thus allowing them to perform better in their lessons.

The Impending Issues

There are three specific factors that identify well with the issue of poverty and how much it affects the capacity of children to gain proper education from the government and from other agencies that provide such services. One is the incapability of parents to provide for the needs of their children even when they are enrolled in basic public learning institutions. It is of course a common fact that even though the educational provisions are free and supported by the government, the parents are still held responsible for the basic needs of their children as they attend their classes. It is a staggering fact that among those who are able to attend public schools, at least 45% of the children do not actually eat breakfast before going to class; not because of being late, but because they cannot afford to have breakfast. The food given in schools serves as the very meals that usually last these children for a day. Due to such situation, children become less enthusiastic in class and thus are not able to gain the most out of the lessons presented to them each day. Poor performance in school is the common result of such problem. Young students in Canada who have to face poverty while aiming to reach their goals are faced with the challenge of balancing matters [if there is anything to balance]. Some learn to sacrifice their own health just to be able to attend their classes; this attitude becomes the established culture among many students in the country. Sadly, as a result, poor performance and at times even poor behavior in class ruins the chance for these children to develop into better and learned individuals. Personally, I have experienced some of these situations when I was still studying during my elementary years. There is a subsidy that allows schools to provide for the food of the students during recess and lunch. However, this does not cover our meals in the morning [breakfast] and in the evening [dinner]. At times, I am tempted to take as much food during lunch to make up for other meals that I am not able to take, however, I am only able to do this when the lunch lady allows me to sneak out some more food than what I am intended to good. I learned to make my ways through the cafeteria and make sure I have something to eat even when I get home. However, the pressure of not being able to eat, or not being able to provide for my family’s food has caused me to skip classes, and sometimes whenever I am in class, I find it hard to resist about thinking about the next meal which specifically takes my attention away from the lessons in class.
The other factor that is noted to even develop the condition of young ones not able to attend school because of poverty is the poor development of their health. Being poor and all, young children have to face the need to struggle with their health. Given such challenge, they often lose grip of their capacity to even go to school and learn. Children need to be in top shape if they are to be motivated to go to school and learn as much as they could from their lessons; without such enthusiasm [both in mind and in body], school becomes less inviting to the children.
The third factor to note is the increase of the need for assistance dedicated to special education. The rate of children who are born with specific difficulties in learning development seem to increase year. This situation often put parents who are earning meager profit or meager salaries from their jobs under a challenge that places them and their capacity to support the education of their children in jeopardy. Gaining good education for children with special needs is hard enough especially in the concept of providing more for their children especially into giving them what they need in relation to their learning structures.
Understandably, it could be taken into account that somehow, the courses of development that educational experts take into account are directed towards defining the process of teaching and the programs that are dedicated towards defining the process of learning of the children who are subjected to poverty. Considering their situation and their needs, the issues that are related to such matter specifically create a distinct impact on how the programs are to be designed to address the needs of these young children.
Children are specifically affected by the situations that their parents are involved in. It could be understood that somehow, these situations are creating a great impact on how they view education and how they respond on the programs dedicated to making it easier for them to evolve through education. Relatively, such condition of living affects the being of a child and how he or she develops into maturity. With education being the only tool they could have to raise themselves out from the poverty line that they have been subjected to; these children are supposedly given the chance to get out from their current state and embrace one that would actually give them a better option of living. The programs however are supposed to be designed well to make sure that the students would be the focus of development and not anything more than that; considerably, these young individuals deserve something better for themselves and for the future that awaits them.

The Reserved Resolutions

In relation to the situation of the children noted in the previous section of this discussion, it could be realized that the primary option of development among the youths who are grounded by poverty would be to increase the attention that is given to them especially in relation to how they are assisted in the manner by which they should grow. One of the most important notes to take into account is that of the manner by which their capacities are explored and given the chance to develop accordingly. Guiding the young ones is not an easy task. The fact is, it requires extensive concern for what they are, how they develop and what individual upbringing they are accustomed to. Finding a way to relate to all these differences and create a common program that could respond to the needs of these children is a necessary part of the step of development they need to undergo.
Learning is a process, and with such process in concern, educators need to give attention to each learner and respond to the needs of the students accordingly. Poverty may have a great impact on the thinking of the children or even in the way that they study and grasp the gist of the lessons from class. However, these issues could be intervened especially in the hope of determining the different possibilities of alleviating their situation. One of the most important solutions deemed to have a great impact on this case is the provision of better food sources for the children who are living below the average economic line. This could be noted through performing surveys that are directed towards communities and personal interviews with parents and/or the children themselves to know the facts behind their familial background. Those who may need support especially in terms of food assistance ought to be given attention to. Giving them better choices of nourishment could improve the way they respond to their classes thus learning more from school.
Improving the health status of the children is also an utmost concern. Given that their parents have less financial resource to support their healthcare needs, it is expected that the health status of children living within the poverty line often get neglected. Sadly, the capacity of the parents to provide for their children’s basic needs do not include particular healthcare needs; a reason why some students who are enrolled in public educational institutions often leave class and sometimes even have a hard time coming back due to developing ailments. To support such needs, schools ought to have regular programs that provide for the health improvement of the students. This could include free government vaccines and medical supplies given to children needing such medical attention and some other special supporting programs that are dedicated to make sure that each child is given proper healthcare attention.
Another concern is the condition of learning of children based on special needs. With children undergoing particular difficulties in grasping their lessons due to learning disabilities, it is important that special programs be established in local public schools. Parents ought to be given proper orientation on these situations. Parents who have a hard time earning for their family often find it hard to even give more time to attend to their children’s learning needs. As a result, some cases of learning disabilities go unnoticed for several years. Maturity of thinking and intellectual development is then halted which jeopardizes the capacity of a child to personally improve and become independent learners. Parents ought to know the basic things they should be able to understand about particular irregularities among their children.
It is understood that with such condition of development among parents and the ways by which they understand their children’s situation would increase the attention they are able to give to their young ones. All the more would they be able to assist them and subject them to specific programs offered by government-managed educational institutions that could help them cope with such difficulties. The insistence of such a system should also be carried into the classrooms. Children who have learning difficulties also have limitations when it comes to dealing with others especially among their peers. Teachers and other staff members of the institution should be briefed accordingly regarding such matter. With the proper way of understanding the case, these young children are expected to grow into well-rounded individuals who are capable of handling learning challenges as they mature into better individuals. Inclusive systems would work best for their case. Special education protocols ought to be followed accordingly for the sake of catering to their learning needs. Children requiring such special attention need to know that they are accepted and that they could live their lives normally like the others. It is enough that they already have to battle with poverty that they should even be subjected to social ridicule because of their learning disabilities. They ought to be helped by educational experts and instructors to realize their situation and make relatively practical goals for themselves that could increase their self-confidence and develop their competence in class, and hopefully towards a better future that leads them to getting better jobs when they grow older

Bringing Education to the Less Fortunate

There are other programs that could be embraced by teachers and educators in the land; volunteering to go to remote areas or communities hard hit by poverty and setting up basic teaching programs would help a lot in setting the path of the children towards the desire of learning more. Some of the children who are hard hit by poverty have not even set foot in a classroom; they have no idea how it feels to learn, what it is that education could give them or how enjoyable it is for them to learn new things every day. In this case, though, it would take self-sacrificing individuals to embrace the course of developing community programs that are dedicated to children who do not attend school or those who are not able to gain basic public education due to poverty.
Such programs could include basic reading, basic arithmetic and basic writing lessons that are designed to help children of all ages in a rather general approach. To make each visit or learning session worth it, the teaching volunteers should be able to create extensive and enjoyable activities that the children could engage in. Orientation programs for the parents also need to be designed. For many parents who are living within meager earnings, education becomes more of a burden than an opportunity to bring forth better chances of living for their children. Giving them an idea on what education really is for and what help it could given their children for them to grasp better lives in the future could help convince them in enrolling their children in local basic education classes. Increasing their understanding of the matter is sure to give them a better chance of realizing the proper course of development that their children ought to embrace.

Conclusion

Rather than being a hindrance to learning, children and parents who are chained to poverty ought to understand that being poor should become a stepping stone for them to desire and to strive for a better life. With the aid of the government and other educational agencies dedicated toward improving the concept of learning and the system of education in the nation, children who are subjected to poverty would be able to gain more from the provisions of the government. Teachers who are able to sacrifice both their time and their effort to help children with special needs and children who cannot be enrolled in schools for the time being would increase the competence of the government to help the children get access to the most basic education they need to survive life accordingly. Yes, providing education to children is a social responsibility. Every individual who could help in the process should not hesitate to give assistance. The children, being the hope of every nation’s future, ought to be given proper chances of developing their skills and intellectual capacities to make sure that they serve as social assets rather than liabilities in the future.

References:

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