As a teacher in inner-city Philadelphia, I see this problem everyday.
Although it is a sad reality, many of our students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are far behind in their vocabulary development. I strongly believe that poverty can play a large role in this gap for several reasons.
To start, many of my students' vocabulary is not reinforced at home. This can be for several reasons. To start, many of these children's parents are working several jobs in order to make ends meet and support their families. Because of this, they are not spending as much time with their children and reinforcing what they are learning during the school day. Also, some of these students' parents do not have the vocabulary themselves to support their children's vocabulary development at home.
Also, many students attending schools in low socioeconomic areas do not experience teacher stability. There is a high turnover rate. Without teacher stability, professional and collaborative relationships are not developed. These relationships are crucial in developing strong, stable curriculums that challenge and engage students.
Finally, many of these children are attending schools with little resources and high student-teacher ratios. The majority of the classrooms have 30+ children and very little supplies. Without the proper tools, many of these children are not receiving the same quality education as students in higher socioeconomic areas.
Well said. It's definitely a tragic situation, and personally I don't know how we're going to fix it.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I never thought about how high teacher turnover rate could really affect our students, especially in the inner-city. I could see how this could really impact the relationships that teachers have with one another, and how that, in turn, could affect student learning.
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