Poverty has a great effect on the health of children. In the first place, inadequate prenatal care, the use of drugs and alcohol, poor nutrition, and exposure to environmental factors, such as lead paint or engine exhaust, can cause premature birth, lower birth weight, learning disabilities, and reduced IQ. Children from poverty typically have had reduced access to health insurance, a situation that causes them to often go untreated. Children from poverty also are typically exposed to higher levels of stress, a situation that can have debilitating effects on long-term health.
School performance can be negatively affected by the health of students living in poverty. They typically have a greater degree of school absence, have greater duration of absence, are tardy more often, have greater incidence of becoming ill in class, and have greater rates of undiagnosed/untreated health problems.
Alan, I agree with you; school performance is affected in part due to attendance. I have worked with families where the older children must stay home and take care of siblings so the parent could go to work. Keeping a roof over their head and feeding their family is more important than a child with the 'sniffles,' the family is in survival mode. They don't have time to worry about tardies or homework for their children.
I agree that attendance issues are very harmful, but having the diagnosis or untreated health problems while being in school can be just as harmful. I know of many students that need or have glasses and don't wear them. Many of the prescriptions are not right. Just because their are programs available to get glasses free for kids doesn't always mean parents get them. They don't have the leave time from work or don't have transportation to get their children to the eye doctor, etc., so these kiddos go without glasses. This can also be said for those kids with acute or every chronic illnesses that never go to the doctor. There again, not because there aren't free or sliding scale services available, but the parents don't have the time or resources to get them to the doctor. Also, medications generally do cost money, no matter what.
Poverty affects the health of children in many ways. First of all, mothers do not receive the prenatal care that more affluent mothers receive. Secondly, the environments contain more hazards. Lead based paint is more common in the homes, the quality of the home may be less; materials that cause asthma and other respiratory conditions are more commonly used as building materials. And, the neighborhoods are not as safe. Playgrounds that are well-maintained are not common. Neighborhoods with high-risk activities such as drugs and gang activities (this is not included in the book) are a threat to children. In areas of high poverty, teen pregnancy is more prevalent. All of these factors create stress which in turn affects the development of the individual. Attendance rates are lower and the length of absence is longer for children in poverty. It is difficult to focus on learning when a person does not feel well. More families do not have health insurance and therefore do not take their children to the doctor for routine and non/routine medical visits. Children do not receive the level of medical care and prevention as more affluent students.
Jerrie, I agree children living in poverty do not receive the level of medical care and prevention as the more affluent students. I can't help but think back to my parents who grew up in poverty in the thirties. They rarely saw a doctor and were medicated with turpentine and cod liver oil. But, going to school and an education was important. There was no such thing as pre-natal care but their nutrition was barely adequate at times it was healthy (beans, no preservatives). I know many families suffered from lack of food. Dental care was also unheard of. My Dad missed several days of school as a teen because his Dad was extremely ill and his older brother worked for the CCC so he had to do much of the farming. Still, school was considered important. Fortunately alcohol and drugs were not an issue. I guess we just live in a different time now.
You know, I could really get on my soapbox about prenatal care!!! I believe it is so important and yet so many times women living in poverty,and teenage mothers do not get adequate prenatal care. It causes lifelong effects for their children.
In a nut shell, low SES leads to health issues. We tend to see malnutrition, environmental hazards, and little or no health care. When an injury occurs, it is less likely that medical attention will be sought. I think I can summarize the issue with an example. If you think of your past, on a day when you felt just rotten and sick. How hard was it for you to concentrate, complete tasks, be successful? Now remember another time when something big was happening in your life (wedding, death, birth of a child, financial issues.) It was easy to be preoccupied with other things. These students are wondering if they will have a supper at home, and some even wonder if they will have a place to sleep. At school these things are going through their minds while we are telling them to sit down, be quiet, and do your work. As in the heheirarchy of needs models, we cannot expect them to attend to school tasks when the basic needs are uncertain.
~~~~Jerrie-- You are right, I didn't even mention lack of prenatal care. There is a whole laundry list of issues that can arise from that. Birth defects from poor nutrition, issues that have been missed that may have been taken care of with just a vitamin suppliment can cause major effects in the cognition and ability in children. Many low SES families are unaware of the consequences of poor prenatal care or lack there of.
~~~Alan-- The one thing you said that I would like to comment on is that there tends to be a higher incidence of drug use in low SES families. Many people say is it because of a lack of education, but there is so much out there that I don't believe that that is the main cause. From what I have seen, there is an air of depression and despair prevalent in very low SES households. This may lead to a higher incidence of drug/alcohol use. I have taught several children who have been diagnosed as having fetal alcohol/drug syndrome. They suffer from a variety of disabilities that would have been non-existant if the parents had refrained from using. At this point I think prevention is the best cure, but I am not sure how to make that happen.
In regards to the use of drugs and alcohol in low SES homes, I also wonder sometimes if it is because some of the parents or family members have an undiagnosed or untreated condition themselves like ADD, Bi-polar, etc. that they are trying to "self-medicate".
I never considered that the use of drugs and alcohol may be used to self medicate in homes where people can't find medical care. It makes sense, if they can not afford to have proper insurance to get treatment or even a diagnosis for health problems, they will need something to help numb the pain. I think education is the best thing for people in low SES. If they were educated on the effects of prenatal care, their actions might be different.
I too hadn't really thought about the use of drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Alcohol has been a issue for several generations, but drug use is fairly "new". Education about things like pre-natal care is very important, but we have more information available and the means to get that information out than ever before and families still seem to fall through the cracks. I'm not sure what the answer is.
Self medication is a scary concept. But ask students how they treat minor cust ans scrapes. They just use whaever they have lying around sometiems. Or the culture has several homeopathic remedies.
How does socio-economic status related to health of the children? What is the effects of health on school behavior and performance?
Students living in low SES tend to have more health related issues. Prenatal care is usually poor as well as stress during pregnancy. So at birth, these children are at a disadvantage. These children do not get adequate health care or checkups. Stress within the children's lives can lead to children getting more sick and missing school. This will put them even more at a disadvantage and farther behind in school.
Nutrition is a key to brain power and development. Poor students lack in the proper diets to grow and have proper energy to focus in school. When students are worried where their next meal is coming from, school and relationships are put on the back burner. Also, when students are hungry, they tend to be more crabby and unable to cope with school demands. Also, learning is strained.
My current school has a program to make sure students who need food over the weekend, have access to this. It is important to have snacks available for students to help maintain focus and behavior in school.
Stress is a huge factor in these children's live; they have many more things to worry about outside of school than the mid to upper class children. I think it's great when schools offer programs to send home food over the weekend for children in need. This may help them focus just a little bit more if they don't have to worry about what they're going to eat on the weekends.
I do home visits so at times I feel like I have an inside point of view ; howeer, I can't imagine dealing with some of the stressors that these families deal with. Other times I am amazed at what they are choosing to spend their short finances on. So much educating to be done.
I know several of our students main meal are the ones they get at school. I encourage students to eat school breakfast and lunch (I just wish the portions were a little larger). I see teachers sitting with students at breakfast and lunch - enjoying conversations, it is wonderful.
Jerry, You are right about teen pregnancy. Most do not get proper prenatal care. They are also involved in stressful and risky behavior. As they become young parents, they don't get the necessary medical check-ups that children need and may not know about proper nutrition for kids.
Allen, Stress has such an impact on kids and their health. They miss more school or when they are at school, they are not working at the best. They also don't have the coping ability for their stress so their health is what is also affected.
Low SES children are more likely to have health and safety issues such as malnutrition, environmental hazards, and insufficient health care. I like how the book describes how health and achievement overlap: every cell in our body needs a healthy environment to function optimally. When the student's bodies are under constant stress physically and emotionally, have ongoing health issues, are not getting the proper nutrition and sleep, their body not as able to function at a level that is optimum for learning. In other words, they are not able to concentrate, learn, and behave as well as their healthier peers.
Larrilee, I agree with you. Kids who grow up on junk food crave junk food. When nutritious meals are provided for them at school, often times they won't take advantage of it. Providing alternate choices or even snacks during the day, will give that student the extra push needed to stay awake, be less grumbly, and more attentive in class.
Children with low SES are at a higher risk of health and safety issues such as malnutrition, environmental hazards, and poor health care or lack thereof. Children who are dealing with low SES may have a more difficult time in school concentrating, learning, and behaving appropriately. I thought it was interesting that the book cited a study Sapolsky (2005) that stated that the lower the SES is, the lower the child's health is. Children with low SES have an increased chance of dealing with many issues such as greater pedestrian risk, environmental hazards, respiratory morbidity, injuries, and may even experience psychological distress.
The effects low SES has on school behavior and performance may include an increased number of absences, tardiness, length of absences, illness, and undiagnosed/untreated health problems or disabilities. It is easy to confuse a student's attitude as not caring about school when it may be linked to illness, or if they're not in class enough to keep up, or if they are worrying about where they might get their next meal. Of course, if I was worried about when I was going to eat next, I would not be able to focus on anything throughout the day.
I know what you mean about confusing attitude with not caring or being unmotivated. Sadly, school isn't first on their mind - not when they have huge problems at home, don't feel well, are tired, hungry etc. It's so important for teachers to understand and recognize the signs that the book mentions about poverty in school. Imagine the damage that can be done to a child when a teacher has the wrong impression or attitude. On the other hand, imagine the good we can do with a little knowledge and understanding!
From the beginning of conception, the lower the income of the parents, the more at risk the fetus has growing to full term, being born and growing older. The health of the mother influences the health of her children, be it through smoking, alcohol, drugs, and/or unhealthy diet. The human body needs proper nutrition to grow and thrive. If the brain is starved from the needed nutrients, specific cells won't grow or survive. Resulting in a student less likely to be successful in school. The effects on the student in school in relation to behavior and performance; school absences, durations of those absences, tardiness, incidents of illness during class (real or imagined), rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities. I see stress as a major factor of influence in each of these cases. In middle school, social stress is enough to make anyone shut the door and hide!
Children from poverty often have many health related issues starting from lack of pre-natal care and including lack of nutrition, lack of a safe place to live, lack of immunizations. Often families living in poverty are in survival mode and don’t have the knowledge to practice good hygiene. Families affected by drug or alcohol addiction often fail to have an adult provide a healthy environment (food, health care, cleanliness/hygiene) for children. Sometime this is because of lack of knowledge and sometimes it is because of the addiction those things are not a priority. When families lack basic food safety knowledge (hot foods hot, cold food cold, cross contamination issues) the family members often suffer lots of illnesses. Quite often children living in poverty situation don’t receive immunizations and are more susceptible to childhood illness. They often don’t receive dental care or know that dental hygiene is an important part of staying healthy. Children who suffer ill health are often absent from school. Students who don't feel well have a hard time concentrating as do students who don't have the enough food to eat. Students who are often absent fall behind rather quickly and with enough absences have a hard time getting caught up.
I agree with your statement about dental care. Many students do not have access to good dental care. I have seen many low income students who, if they had dental insurance or more money, would definitely have braces. Unfortunately, they don't have that option.
Children in poverty often have problems such as malnutrition, asthma, respiratory infections, ear infections, hearing loss and more. They often have no health insurance so they do not receive treatment when they should. Students who have poor health miss alot of school, are tardy often, and can have more untreated problems. This affects their learning because, really you have to be in school to learn and you have to be healthy too. Also, if they are tired or hungry, they will have a hard time concentrating, getting work done, and getting along with others.
So many teachers struggle with students completing homework. When you consider the stressors they live with on a day to day basis, it explains a lot. A concern I have is how to support students who struggle with these conditions at home to learn what they need to without pushing them to hard.
Mother's with low SES are less likely to receive good prenatal care and nutrition, more likely to use alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, and more likely to have stress during pregancy which can lead to premature birth. Their children are more likely to be exposed to environmental health risks like lead paint, mold, fumes..., and less likely to have access to quality health care and proper nutrition. Health impacts attendance, concentration, attention to school work, interactions with peers.
I see many children from low SES that have problems with social skills because they haven't been around others their age. Our AR4 classrooms are so important these days.
Mother's who are low SES individuals do not receive adequate prenatal care as compared to those from middle and upper SES. They are also more likely to be exposed to unhealthy toxins due to living conditions they can afford and the location of their homes. As part of their lower living conditions and lack of resources they also run the risk of having less healthy food and proper health care. They will also experience more stress which can cause problems for the child. Mother's in low SES are also more likely to use drugs and alcohol. All of these areas will impact a student's health, attendance, social interactions, and ability to complete the tasks asked of them.
It is amazing how one issue leads to another issue which leads to another issue. It is surprising how well some students function in skill despite all that they deal with. This shows us that parents who just get their children to skill on a daily basis sometimes overcome big obstacles to accomplish that. Good post.
It is amazing how one issue leads to another issue which leads to another issue. It is surprising how well some students function in skill despite all that they deal with. This shows us that parents who just get their children to skill on a daily basis sometimes overcome big obstacles to accomplish that. Good post.
Alan: I agree that in some cases there are things which are not diagnosed. Times when it has been diagnosed and the family can't or won't get it fixed. Sometimes the burden falls on the teachers/staff/school to aid the student. This can be a great thing or it can also help to perpetuate the cycle for them of not caring or trying.
Stephanie: I agree that Middle School stress is a hard time and affects everyone from every SES. Money and/or reasonable resources do make this time in their lives easier.
Mother's in poverty tend to not receive good prenatal care during pregnancy. Likewise, they are more likely to expose their fetus to toxins as well as be under stress. Children don't have access to adequate health care or parent may not seek help due to finances. They tend to eat less healthy foods. This, in turn, results in poor school attendance, tardiness, sleepiness at school (lack of attention, poor concentration, etc) I think that good health and nutrition are something often taken for granted. This book does a good job of explaining the impact of health on education from the womb on.
Jen, The whole mindsent of poverty and healthcare is such distorted. How many kids do you see not in a car seat? It is scary. But long term midset is lost sometimes when you are focussing on which bill to pay and which one to let go this month/
Shane, Your point about a different mind set makes sense. That's not something that would even occur to me, but when you consider from that point of view, it's so true!
Growing up in a poverty situation myself, and comparing and contracting the information in the book brings me to the belief that if parents do not have the money or insurance or are too proud to accept or have no knowlegde of the state assistance programs, students will not get the proper dental, medical care or even proper nutrition they need. With out this care, student will be sick more often and miss school which puts them further behind. With out proper nutrition the students will not get the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for developing cognitive function.
Just think how hard it is to function at our job or even focus in our everyday lives with a toothache. Miserable huh? Can you learn affectively like that? No.
Many times you can just look at a child's eyes and can tell if they are hungry! That's when we need to step in and have something for the child to eat. Our school received a grant to provide a snack for all children in the afternoon-those that attend only in the morning, also get this snack. It is always a healthy snack-either a vegetable or a fruit. I think this has been good for children and exposes them to a variety of different healthy foods.
Low-SES children often are products of inadequate prenatal care, unhealthy living conditions, poor nutrition, and little to no appropriate health care. Furthermore, these factors can impart daily, undue stress on children; negatively impacting their immune systems; and hindering their abilities to concentrate, learn, and behave appropriately in a structured, educational environment. Additionally, because low-SES children tend to experience a greater number of health issues as compared to their more affluent counterparts, these students will also experience increased rates of school absences, duration of school absences, tardiness rates, incidents of illness during class, and rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities. As a result, low-SES students frequently miss out on vital classroom instruction and other skills necessary to keep up with their classes.
Jerrie~ I agree with your statement about drugs and gang activities being a huge threat to children. I remember driving down a street during a time when I thought children should typically be in school. However, walking down the other side of the road (in an area that wasn’t the best neighborhood) I saw 3 young boys (I’m guessing 8-10 years old) wearing their colors, throwing up gang and other inappropriate signs to me as I drove by them. It was SO sad. They don’t have a chance.
dclodfelter~ I completely agree with your comments and example of putting ourselves in a situation where we felt bad and then thinking about how it affected our day. I actually did that as I was reading this section, and I can’t IMAGINE what it must be like to go through that on a daily basis. When my body doesn’t get enough sleep or I’m really anxious about something, I become physically sick, get shaky, etc.; but at least I know eventually I’ll be able to sleep in, the situation will pass, and everything should level out. However, if that state was just my normal life, I know there’s NO WAY I’d be able to adequately function for very long.
When children are undernourished, live with significant stressors, and receive insufficient health care, the cells of the body contract and slow their growth trajectory. When this is happening at the cellular level, their immune systems are in a diminished capacity. Many students from a lower SES live in this state frequently, definitely more time than their middle and upper income peers. Living in a constant state of stress affects students' ability to learn, concentrate, and behave appropriately. When students live with a lowered immune system, they face more school absences, many of which last longer.
I think it is sad that children who miss more school due to lack of good nutrition also get farther behind in academic skill due to their absences. And more illnesses often causes more stress for the families. I like your post.
Children from low socio-economic status usually suffer from malnutrition and/or little to no health care. Many can suffer from failure to thrive and therefore that affects how their brains have/do develop. When these children don't have the proper nutrition they have difficulties learning. They may also be behind their peers due to lack of exposure to a variety of experiences (vacations, etc.).
There are many socio-economic factors related to the health of the children. Malnutrition, environmental hazards and insufficient health care are the factors. Malnutrition can cause low birth weights and illnesses. Environmental factors can include poor housing which can result in higher levels of lead, more exposure to radon and carbon monoxide, and be around more alcohol/drug issues. Insufficient health care might include no health insurance, lack of money for medications, and the inability to get appropriate health care.
Our body needs a healthy environment to function the best. Lack of health effects children's ability to concentrate, learn, and behave appropriately. Listed are some of the effects health can have on school performance: school absences, duration of school absences, tardiness rates, incidents of illness during class, and rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities.
Poverty has a great effect on the health of children. In the first place, inadequate prenatal care, the use of drugs and alcohol, poor nutrition, and exposure to environmental factors, such as lead paint or engine exhaust, can cause premature birth, lower birth weight, learning disabilities, and reduced IQ. Children from poverty typically have had reduced access to health insurance, a situation that causes them to often go untreated. Children from poverty also are typically exposed to higher levels of stress, a situation that can have debilitating effects on long-term health.
ReplyDeleteSchool performance can be negatively affected by the health of students living in poverty. They typically have a greater degree of school absence, have greater duration of absence, are tardy more often, have greater incidence of becoming ill in class, and have greater rates of undiagnosed/untreated health problems.
Alan, I agree with you; school performance is affected in part due to attendance. I have worked with families where the older children must stay home and take care of siblings so the parent could go to work. Keeping a roof over their head and feeding their family is more important than a child with the 'sniffles,' the family is in survival mode. They don't have time to worry about tardies or homework for their children.
DeleteI agree that attendance issues are very harmful, but having the diagnosis or untreated health problems while being in school can be just as harmful. I know of many students that need or have glasses and don't wear them. Many of the prescriptions are not right. Just because their are programs available to get glasses free for kids doesn't always mean parents get them. They don't have the leave time from work or don't have transportation to get their children to the eye doctor, etc., so these kiddos go without glasses. This can also be said for those kids with acute or every chronic illnesses that never go to the doctor. There again, not because there aren't free or sliding scale services available, but the parents don't have the time or resources to get them to the doctor. Also, medications generally do cost money, no matter what.
DeletePoverty affects the health of children in many ways. First of all, mothers do not receive the prenatal care that more affluent mothers receive. Secondly, the environments contain more hazards. Lead based paint is more common in the homes, the quality of the home may be less; materials that cause asthma and other respiratory conditions are more commonly used as building materials. And, the neighborhoods are not as safe. Playgrounds that are well-maintained are not common. Neighborhoods with high-risk activities such as drugs and gang activities (this is not included in the book) are a threat to children. In areas of high poverty, teen pregnancy is more prevalent. All of these factors create stress which in turn affects the development of the individual.
ReplyDeleteAttendance rates are lower and the length of absence is longer for children in poverty. It is difficult to focus on learning when a person does not feel well. More families do not have health insurance and therefore do not take their children to the doctor for routine and non/routine medical visits. Children do not receive the level of medical care and prevention as more affluent students.
Jerrie, I agree children living in poverty do not receive the level of medical care and prevention as the more affluent students. I can't help but think back to my parents who grew up in poverty in the thirties. They rarely saw a doctor and were medicated with turpentine and cod liver oil. But, going to school and an education was important. There was no such thing as pre-natal care but their nutrition was barely adequate at times it was healthy (beans, no preservatives). I know many families suffered from lack of food. Dental care was also unheard of. My Dad missed several days of school as a teen because his Dad was extremely ill and his older brother worked for the CCC so he had to do much of the farming. Still, school was considered important. Fortunately alcohol and drugs were not an issue. I guess we just live in a different time now.
DeleteYou know, I could really get on my soapbox about prenatal care!!! I believe it is so important and yet so many times women living in poverty,and teenage mothers do not get adequate prenatal care. It causes lifelong effects for their children.
ReplyDeleteIn a nut shell, low SES leads to health issues. We tend to see malnutrition, environmental hazards, and little or no health care. When an injury occurs, it is less likely that medical attention will be sought. I think I can summarize the issue with an example. If you think of your past, on a day when you felt just rotten and sick. How hard was it for you to concentrate, complete tasks, be successful? Now remember another time when something big was happening in your life (wedding, death, birth of a child, financial issues.) It was easy to be preoccupied with other things. These students are wondering if they will have a supper at home, and some even wonder if they will have a place to sleep. At school these things are going through their minds while we are telling them to sit down, be quiet, and do your work. As in the heheirarchy of needs models, we cannot expect them to attend to school tasks when the basic needs are uncertain.
ReplyDelete~~~~Jerrie-- You are right, I didn't even mention lack of prenatal care. There is a whole laundry list of issues that can arise from that. Birth defects from poor nutrition, issues that have been missed that may have been taken care of with just a vitamin suppliment can cause major effects in the cognition and ability in children. Many low SES families are unaware of the consequences of poor prenatal care or lack there of.
~~~Alan-- The one thing you said that I would like to comment on is that there tends to be a higher incidence of drug use in low SES families. Many people say is it because of a lack of education, but there is so much out there that I don't believe that that is the main cause. From what I have seen, there is an air of depression and despair prevalent in very low SES households. This may lead to a higher incidence of drug/alcohol use. I have taught several children who have been diagnosed as having fetal alcohol/drug syndrome. They suffer from a variety of disabilities that would have been non-existant if the parents had refrained from using. At this point I think prevention is the best cure, but I am not sure how to make that happen.
In regards to the use of drugs and alcohol in low SES homes, I also wonder sometimes if it is because some of the parents or family members have an undiagnosed or untreated condition themselves like ADD, Bi-polar, etc. that they are trying to "self-medicate".
DeleteI never considered that the use of drugs and alcohol may be used to self medicate in homes where people can't find medical care. It makes sense, if they can not afford to have proper insurance to get treatment or even a diagnosis for health problems, they will need something to help numb the pain. I think education is the best thing for people in low SES. If they were educated on the effects of prenatal care, their actions might be different.
DeleteI too hadn't really thought about the use of drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Alcohol has been a issue for several generations, but drug use is fairly "new". Education about things like pre-natal care is very important, but we have more information available and the means to get that information out than ever before and families still seem to fall through the cracks. I'm not sure what the answer is.
DeleteSelf medication is a scary concept. But ask students how they treat minor cust ans scrapes. They just use whaever they have lying around sometiems. Or the culture has several homeopathic remedies.
DeleteHow does socio-economic status related to health of the children?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the effects of health on school behavior and performance?
Students living in low SES tend to have more health related issues. Prenatal care is usually poor as well as stress during pregnancy. So at birth, these children are at a disadvantage. These children do not get adequate health care or checkups. Stress within the children's lives can lead to children getting more sick and missing school. This will put them even more at a disadvantage and farther behind in school.
Nutrition is a key to brain power and development. Poor students lack in the proper diets to grow and have proper energy to focus in school. When students are worried where their next meal is coming from, school and relationships are put on the back burner. Also, when students are hungry, they tend to be more crabby and unable to cope with school demands. Also, learning is strained.
My current school has a program to make sure students who need food over the weekend, have access to this. It is important to have snacks available for students to help maintain focus and behavior in school.
Stress is a huge factor in these children's live; they have many more things to worry about outside of school than the mid to upper class children. I think it's great when schools offer programs to send home food over the weekend for children in need. This may help them focus just a little bit more if they don't have to worry about what they're going to eat on the weekends.
DeleteI've seen programs that continue the school lunch program over the summer as well to make sure kids have access to a well balanced diet.
DeleteI do home visits so at times I feel like I have an inside point of view ; howeer, I can't imagine dealing with some of the stressors that these families deal with. Other times I am amazed at what they are choosing to spend their short finances on. So much educating to be done.
DeleteI know several of our students main meal are the ones they get at school. I encourage students to eat school breakfast and lunch (I just wish the portions were a little larger). I see teachers sitting with students at breakfast and lunch - enjoying conversations, it is wonderful.
DeleteJerry,
ReplyDeleteYou are right about teen pregnancy. Most do not get proper prenatal care. They are also involved in stressful and risky behavior. As they become young parents, they don't get the necessary medical check-ups that children need and may not know about proper nutrition for kids.
Allen,
Stress has such an impact on kids and their health. They miss more school or when they are at school, they are not working at the best. They also don't have the coping ability for their stress so their health is what is also affected.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLow SES children are more likely to have health and safety issues such as malnutrition, environmental hazards, and insufficient health care. I like how the book describes how health and achievement overlap: every cell in our body needs a healthy environment to function optimally. When the student's bodies are under constant stress physically and emotionally, have ongoing health issues, are not getting the proper nutrition and sleep, their body not as able to function at a level that is optimum for learning. In other words, they are not able to concentrate, learn, and behave as well as their healthier peers.
ReplyDeleteLarrilee, I agree with you. Kids who grow up on junk food crave junk food. When nutritious meals are provided for them at school, often times they won't take advantage of it. Providing alternate choices or even snacks during the day, will give that student the extra push needed to stay awake, be less grumbly, and more attentive in class.
DeleteChildren with low SES are at a higher risk of health and safety issues such as malnutrition, environmental hazards, and poor health care or lack thereof. Children who are dealing with low SES may have a more difficult time in school concentrating, learning, and behaving appropriately. I thought it was interesting that the book cited a study Sapolsky (2005) that stated that the lower the SES is, the lower the child's health is. Children with low SES have an increased chance of dealing with many issues such as greater pedestrian risk, environmental hazards, respiratory morbidity, injuries, and may even experience psychological distress.
ReplyDeleteThe effects low SES has on school behavior and performance may include an increased number of absences, tardiness, length of absences, illness, and undiagnosed/untreated health problems or disabilities. It is easy to confuse a student's attitude as not caring about school when it may be linked to illness, or if they're not in class enough to keep up, or if they are worrying about where they might get their next meal. Of course, if I was worried about when I was going to eat next, I would not be able to focus on anything throughout the day.
I know what you mean about confusing attitude with not caring or being unmotivated. Sadly, school isn't first on their mind - not when they have huge problems at home, don't feel well, are tired, hungry etc. It's so important for teachers to understand and recognize the signs that the book mentions about poverty in school. Imagine the damage that can be done to a child when a teacher has the wrong impression or attitude. On the other hand, imagine the good we can do with a little knowledge and understanding!
DeleteHealth and Safety Issues
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of conception, the lower the income of the parents, the more at risk the fetus has growing to full term, being born and growing older. The health of the mother influences the health of her children, be it through smoking, alcohol, drugs, and/or unhealthy diet. The human body needs proper nutrition to grow and thrive. If the brain is starved from the needed nutrients, specific cells won't grow or survive. Resulting in a student less likely to be successful in school.
The effects on the student in school in relation to behavior and performance; school absences, durations of those absences, tardiness, incidents of illness during class (real or imagined), rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities. I see stress as a major factor of influence in each of these cases. In middle school, social stress is enough to make anyone shut the door and hide!
Like your comment about Middle school stress! I can imagine how MS kiddos from low SES really struggle when they hit that age!
DeleteChildren from poverty often have many health related issues starting from lack of pre-natal care and including lack of nutrition, lack of a safe place to live, lack of immunizations. Often families living in poverty are in survival mode and don’t have the knowledge to practice good hygiene. Families affected by drug or alcohol addiction often fail to have an adult provide a healthy environment (food, health care, cleanliness/hygiene) for children. Sometime this is because of lack of knowledge and sometimes it is because of the addiction those things are not a priority. When families lack basic food safety knowledge (hot foods hot, cold food cold, cross contamination issues) the family members often suffer lots of illnesses.
ReplyDeleteQuite often children living in poverty situation don’t receive immunizations and are more susceptible to childhood illness. They often don’t receive dental care or know that dental hygiene is an important part of staying healthy. Children who suffer ill health are often absent from school. Students who don't feel well have a hard time concentrating as do students who don't have the enough food to eat. Students who are often absent fall behind rather quickly and with enough absences have a hard time getting caught up.
I agree with your statement about dental care. Many students do not have access to good dental care. I have seen many low income students who, if they had dental insurance or more money, would definitely have braces. Unfortunately, they don't have that option.
DeleteChildren in poverty often have problems such as malnutrition, asthma, respiratory infections, ear infections, hearing loss and more. They often have no health insurance so they do not receive treatment when they should. Students who have poor health miss alot of school, are tardy often, and can have more untreated problems. This affects their learning because, really you have to be in school to learn and you have to be healthy too. Also, if they are tired or hungry, they will have a hard time concentrating, getting work done, and getting along with others.
ReplyDeleteSo many teachers struggle with students completing homework. When you consider the stressors they live with on a day to day basis, it explains a lot. A concern I have is how to support students who struggle with these conditions at home to learn what they need to without pushing them to hard.
DeleteMother's with low SES are less likely to receive good prenatal care and nutrition, more likely to use alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, and more likely to have stress during pregancy which can lead to premature birth. Their children are more likely to be exposed to environmental health risks like lead paint, mold, fumes..., and less likely to have access to quality health care and proper nutrition. Health impacts attendance, concentration, attention to school work, interactions with peers.
ReplyDeleteI see many children from low SES that have problems with social skills because they haven't been around others their age. Our AR4 classrooms are so important these days.
DeleteMother's who are low SES individuals do not receive adequate prenatal care as compared to those from middle and upper SES. They are also more likely to be exposed to unhealthy toxins due to living conditions they can afford and the location of their homes. As part of their lower living conditions and lack of resources they also run the risk of having less healthy food and proper health care. They will also experience more stress which can cause problems for the child. Mother's in low SES are also more likely to use drugs and alcohol. All of these areas will impact a student's health, attendance, social interactions, and ability to complete the tasks asked of them.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how one issue leads to another issue which leads to another issue. It is surprising how well some students function in skill despite all that they deal with. This shows us that parents who just get their children to skill on a daily basis sometimes overcome big obstacles to accomplish that. Good post.
DeleteIt is amazing how one issue leads to another issue which leads to another issue. It is surprising how well some students function in skill despite all that they deal with. This shows us that parents who just get their children to skill on a daily basis sometimes overcome big obstacles to accomplish that. Good post.
DeleteReplies:
ReplyDeleteAlan: I agree that in some cases there are things which are not diagnosed. Times when it has been diagnosed and the family can't or won't get it fixed. Sometimes the burden falls on the teachers/staff/school to aid the student. This can be a great thing or it can also help to perpetuate the cycle for them of not caring or trying.
Stephanie: I agree that Middle School stress is a hard time and affects everyone from every SES. Money and/or reasonable resources do make this time in their lives easier.
Mother's in poverty tend to not receive good prenatal care during pregnancy. Likewise, they are more likely to expose their fetus to toxins as well as be under stress. Children don't have access to adequate health care or parent may not seek help due to finances. They tend to eat less healthy foods. This, in turn, results in poor school attendance, tardiness, sleepiness at school (lack of attention, poor concentration, etc) I think that good health and nutrition are something often taken for granted. This book does a good job of explaining the impact of health on education from the womb on.
ReplyDeleteJen,
DeleteThe whole mindsent of poverty and healthcare is such distorted. How many kids do you see not in a car seat? It is scary. But long term midset is lost sometimes when you are focussing on which bill to pay and which one to let go this month/
Shane,
DeleteYour point about a different mind set makes sense. That's not something that would even occur to me, but when you consider from that point of view, it's so true!
Growing up in a poverty situation myself, and comparing and contracting the information in the book brings me to the belief that if parents do not have the money or insurance or are too proud to accept or have no knowlegde of the state assistance programs, students will not get the proper dental, medical care or even proper nutrition they need. With out this care, student will be sick more often and miss school which puts them further behind. With out proper nutrition the students will not get the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for developing cognitive function.
ReplyDeleteJust think how hard it is to function at our job or even focus in our everyday lives with a toothache. Miserable huh? Can you learn affectively like that? No.
Many times you can just look at a child's eyes and can tell if they are hungry! That's when we need to step in and have something for the child to eat. Our school received a grant to provide a snack for all children in the afternoon-those that attend only in the morning, also get this snack. It is always a healthy snack-either a vegetable or a fruit. I think this has been good for children and exposes them to a variety of different healthy foods.
DeleteLow-SES children often are products of inadequate prenatal care, unhealthy living conditions, poor nutrition, and little to no appropriate health care. Furthermore, these factors can impart daily, undue stress on children; negatively impacting their immune systems; and hindering their abilities to concentrate, learn, and behave appropriately in a structured, educational environment. Additionally, because low-SES children tend to experience a greater number of health issues as compared to their more affluent counterparts, these students will also experience increased rates of school absences, duration of school absences, tardiness rates, incidents of illness during class, and rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities. As a result, low-SES students frequently miss out on vital classroom instruction and other skills necessary to keep up with their classes.
ReplyDeleteJerrie~
I agree with your statement about drugs and gang activities being a huge threat to children. I remember driving down a street during a time when I thought children should typically be in school. However, walking down the other side of the road (in an area that wasn’t the best neighborhood) I saw 3 young boys (I’m guessing 8-10 years old) wearing their colors, throwing up gang and other inappropriate signs to me as I drove by them. It was SO sad. They don’t have a chance.
dclodfelter~
I completely agree with your comments and example of putting ourselves in a situation where we felt bad and then thinking about how it affected our day. I actually did that as I was reading this section, and I can’t IMAGINE what it must be like to go through that on a daily basis. When my body doesn’t get enough sleep or I’m really anxious about something, I become physically sick, get shaky, etc.; but at least I know eventually I’ll be able to sleep in, the situation will pass, and everything should level out. However, if that state was just my normal life, I know there’s NO WAY I’d be able to adequately function for very long.
When children are undernourished, live with significant stressors, and receive insufficient health care, the cells of the body contract and slow their growth trajectory. When this is happening at the cellular level, their immune systems are in a diminished capacity. Many students from a lower SES live in this state frequently, definitely more time than their middle and upper income peers.
ReplyDeleteLiving in a constant state of stress affects students' ability to learn, concentrate, and behave appropriately. When students live with a lowered immune system, they face more school absences, many of which last longer.
I think it is sad that children who miss more school due to lack of good nutrition also get farther behind in academic skill due to their absences. And more illnesses often causes more stress for the families. I like your post.
DeleteChildren from low socio-economic status usually suffer from malnutrition and/or little to no health care. Many can suffer from failure to thrive and therefore that affects how their brains have/do develop. When these children don't have the proper nutrition they have difficulties learning. They may also be behind their peers due to lack of exposure to a variety of experiences (vacations, etc.).
ReplyDeleteThere are many socio-economic factors related to the health of the children. Malnutrition, environmental hazards and insufficient health care are the factors. Malnutrition can cause low birth weights and illnesses. Environmental factors can include poor housing which can result in higher levels of lead, more exposure to radon and carbon monoxide, and be around more alcohol/drug issues. Insufficient health care might include no health insurance, lack of money for medications, and the inability to get appropriate health care.
ReplyDeleteOur body needs a healthy environment to function the best. Lack of health effects children's ability to concentrate, learn, and behave appropriately. Listed are some of the effects health can have on school performance: school absences, duration of school absences, tardiness rates, incidents of illness during class, and rates of undiagnosed and/or untreated health problems or disabilities.