What does money really have to do with it? Money has so much more to do with school than I previously thought. Unfortunately money can be the factor that decides if a student is successful or not. For example, I am a tutor for a 3rd grader in San Marcos. When I first got the job I was told that he was behind in most subjects, however when I first started working with him I realized he needed more help then I was told (reading at a kindergarten level). I talked with his parents and they mentioned how they were fighting with the school district to get him tested for dyslexia. This is not uncommon in the school system.
The amount of money a school gets paid depends on funds they receive; mostly from local property tax. The amount of students in the school can also affect the amount of funding. Low-income areas statistically have lower expectations for their students success than high-income areas. Low-income areas might also have more students who need extra resources, meaning more money that the school might or might not have to spend. Even if a district has the money, they might not want to spend it on a student who they have low expectations for. Any student who needs more help than basic classroom teaching (dyslexic, special needs, or any other learning disabilities) cost more money for the school. Having aids to help in the class, hiring more teachers to teach those special classes (special needs, speech classes, etc.), even having testing done for those students, they all cost money. If the school doesn't have the extra funding for those students, the students are having to deal with the consequences. The students are being put in classes where they don't get the attention or resources that they need because the school can not provide it for them. This can cause many problems for the students that they might not have if the school had enough funding.
At the end of the day, we as future educators need to advocate for our students and do the best we can with the resources that we have. Every student deserves a chance to succeed no matter their situation.
Hey Caroline! I agree that money is embedded in schools more than most people realize. I would like to think that schools want to help and support students whenever possible, but the sad truth is that’s often not the reality. Our world is so money and power focused that even from a young age students become aware of the importance of money in society. Coming from a low-income family often comes with challenges in finding support, opportunities, and resources. Furthermore, according to The Poverty Myth, “Low-income students are faced with the stereotype that they can‘t learn.” Low-income students have disadvantages and having to live with stereotypes, biases, bullying, underfunding, and lack of support at school does not help students feel welcome or confident in the classroom. As you said, future educators need to advocate for our students and do the best we possibly can, so students have the opportunity to succeed, despite their background or circumstances. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHello Caroline, you made a great point in your blog when bringing up that if the schools do not have the extra funding to help the students then the students have to deal with the consequences. And I never really thought about it but this statement is very powerful because students in low- income schools gets the lower end of the stick since the schools can not provided the correct resources for the child. This means that the students fall lower in the education system because they do not have the resources to help them succeed and they struggle in class hoping that someone helps them. The example that you gave about the student that you tutor and how hard it was to get him tested for dyslexia. It blows me away when this is very uncommon in schools because we send students to schools to gain a education. Not to fall behind in their learning because they need extra help and that is the schools job to help them succeed.
ReplyDeleteHello Caroline, Wonderful post! You made some great points! I found it interesting how you highlighted the fact that districts often fail to support their low income students because they have lower expectations for these students. This is a disappointing fact to learn because all students should be supported no matter their families income or location. Educators and schools should not look at a child differently because of their families financial status since this has nothing to do with their capabilities. I also like how you mentioned that students who have disabilities are often neglected because the schools don't want to or cannot fund the support and resources that they need to succeed. This is important to understand because I believe that this fact often gets overlooked and these students are often forgotten about and these programs are often under funded. I agree that we must advocate for our students so that they all have a chance to succeed and accomplish their goals.
ReplyDeleteHello Caroline, I loved reading your post, and I'm sorry to hear about the student you tutor, I hope the parents and child get the help they need. It's frustrating that the areas and students that need the most help get the least. We should be putting more resources to the districts that have less, rather than only investing in the ones that have a lot. In the articles we read they said that an equal education does not mean that they all get the exact same number of resources, it means that they should have as many resources needed so they can have equal education. I think we should try to help our areas of poverty more. How do you think we as teachers can help get the funding for the schools in low income areas?
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