Assignment 4 A Discussion with a Poverty Professional

During my latest field experience, I spent some time taking to the transition aide in the classroom I am observing.  Out of the three adults in the room during my visit, she has the least amount of early childhood education credits and the least amount of time on the job.  However, our discussion led to an after school meeting that allowed me to gain some amazing insights about how parents in poverty work to provide for their children; a key part of my advocacy paper.

When I arrived in the class, I sat toward the door and watched as parents interacted with the staff.  Elaine (fictitious name) happened to be in early because the lead teacher had to be out of school for the morning to complete some end-of-year meetings so this gave me the opportunity to watch her carefully.  I watched as she got down to each student’s level and then spent time greeting and mingling with the parents.  I could immediately tell that the parents were comfortable with her and that led me to ask her what her secret was.  I was not prepared for the answer.

Elaine stated that she had raised three children on her own after her husband was killed in an automobile accident.  He left her with no life insurance, no savings, and a ton of debt.  As a result, she lost her house, her car, her boat, and all the toys that she once thought were so important.  This experience thrust her into poverty and she worked tirelessly to provide for her family.  She discussed how working two jobs meant needing a babysitter when the kids got home from school.  To pay for that babysitter, she ended up cleaning houses on the weekends.  This is how poverty works she said, you work to work, you work to survive.

This discussion led to two very important insights about my research topic.  One, just like there is no general example for wealth, there is no general example for poverty and two, when talking with parents, it is imperative to do so openly so they do not feel like you are judging them.  Elaine showed me an excellent example of how to treat parents so they feel like I understand their situations.