Blog Response 3

After reading the Payne text and reviewing the accompanying videos and articles, you should have clearer understandings about her framework and what others say about her premises. Which end of the continuum (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree) do you tend to favor? Why? Support your points with references.

           

      This is the second time that I have had to read the Ruby Payne text for a class. The first time that I read the book I strongly disagreed with the book and many of the points made in the book. I gave it another try as it has been several years since I read it, and read the entire book again. I kept my mind open and considered more deeply the points that she makes. Surprise, I strongly disagreed with the book again. There was a difference between my feelings about the book now and those I had several years ago. The first time I read the book it actually made me angry. As a person who grew up in poverty, I took it very personal. The second time I read it, I actually was able to pull out a couple of good points from the reading and things that I will try to implement in my classroom.

            The main reason I have for disagreeing with this book is that I feel that it is over generalized and promotes stereotypes of those that live in poverty. The book does not talk much about the individual or point out that it is much more important to look at each individual situation than a group of people as a whole. This is especially important for those in situational poverty. Many of these people may have an education, know the hidden rules of the middle class and can speak in formal register. It would be very insulting to approach them in the manner Payne suggests. For a person coming into the field of teaching, who has never had an experience with people from poverty before, I feel this book could lead them in the wrong direction for dealing with students from poverty.

            I have often wondered since my first reading of Payne’s book why it is so highly regarded and so often recommended reading for teachers and administrators. Bohn’s (Fall, 2007) article makes several good points about why this is the case. The first point she makes is that the book is easy to understand and makes us feel good. As educators, we are always looking for ways to better reach those hard to reach students. Students from poverty often have so many things going on outside of school that they are difficult to reach. This book on the surface makes one feel as if they can use these tools to better reach these kids. For those who agree with this book it seems like the answer to so many classroom issues regarding the culture of poverty. Another strong point that Bohn (Fall, 2007) makes is that there just aren’t a whole lot of resources available that discuss this issue. While it is an issue we all know exists, there has not been a lot written on the topic.

            In reading the criticisms of Payne’s work, one of the strongest points I found was in the article written by Dr.Rury. In the article Rury (2006, July), discusses the fact that in almost all of Payne’s scenarios there are people engaging in questionable moral behavior. Even if the main character is an innocent child, they have fallen victim to the questionable moral character of an adult. These scenarios give the impression that all people from poverty either engage in questionable moral behavior or are victims of it. I believe this is dangerous for those who have come from a middle class background and may not have any experience with those from poverty. It gives a certain impression of a whole group of people that is not true.

Bohn, Anita Perna. (2007, Fall) Revisiting Ruby Payne. Rethinking Schools Online.          

22 (1) p. 1-4.

Ng, J. C., & Rury, J. L. (2006, July). Poverty and education: A critical analysis of

the Ruby Payne phenomenon. Teachers College Record. Retrieved from

http://www.tcrecord.org [ID Number: 12596]

Blog Response 2

What are some things that you will implement (or have already implemented) and/or do differently regarding your interactions with children and/or adults resulting from your understandings of Payne's framework?

            One of the main things that I will be doing differently in my classroom as a result of my understandings of Payne’s work is I will work on being more aware. One of the understandings gained from Payne’s book is the use of different registers among different groups of people. This knowledge of different registers goes hand in hand with the knowledge of hidden rules. Many students come to school without the knowledge that we as educators and administrators sometimes assume that everyone possesses. While we can not change what the student has learned at home, we can teach the student the language and hidden rules that are appropriate for school or the workplace. I plan to be more aware of those students who may need to be directly taught some of these assumed skills.

            I currently have a very small class of students with emotional disabilities in a separate facility. I have most of my students for two to three years. All of the students in my class lack at least one of the resources mentioned in Payne’s book. The staff at our school understands that we are often the only stable and “safe” place for many of the students. I feel that as a whole we do a good job of being positive role models for the students and giving them the emotional support and structure that they need. Part of my new awareness will be to constantly reevaluate the needs of the students. At times, I can get complacent and assume that the student has the same needs they have always had. In reality, things at home are often changing daily and in order to be fully supportive of my students I may need to change daily as well.

            Daily goal setting is another thing I would like to implement in my classroom. In our school setting, goals are set with the teacher and the therapist for the entire year. By setting daily goals, everyone can stay on track with what they need to be doing. Students can see immediate results and know if they are on the right track or if they need to be making improvements. As a teacher, I can assess daily where the students are and who may need additional support.

            There are several of the instructional interventions that I would like to implement that help to build cognitive strategies. One of the instructional interventions I would like to implement is using a kinesthetic approach. Many students have difficulty focusing on lessons that are always lecture type of lessons. Hands on lessons are much more appropriate and enhance learning. Teaching the structure of language is another intervention that is important for me to use in my classroom. Students need to be able to effectively communicate with those outside of their homes or neighborhoods. Teaching students to make questions is an intervention that I recently implemented. By looking at the questions the students have composed, I can quickly assess whether they comprehended the material. It also gives them another way to think about the text. These are three interventions that I believe would be very beneficial to the students in my classroom.

Blog Response #1

As a teacher leader, what are three key understandings you learned from the Payne text that you would deem appropriate for sharing with a colleague, administrator, and/or parent? Describe why these understandings were selected.

            As a teacher leader one of the key understandings that I would deem appropriate for sharing with colleagues is one of the first things discussed in the Payne text. It is the definition of poverty and the explanation of the various resources. Payne defines poverty as, “the extent to which an individual does without resources” (Payne, 1996). She then gives an explanation of eight different resources including; financial resources, emotional resources, mental resources, spiritual resources, physical resources, support systems, relationships/role models and knowledge of hidden rules. In the definition of poverty given by Payne, people come from poverty when they are lacking one or more of these resources. Many people in poverty are lacking several of these resources.

            This is an understanding of poverty that is new to many people. Many people believe that poverty consists of only the lack of financial resources. This key understanding would be appropriate to share with colleagues and administrators as it can greatly affect the way that we deal with students. Students may exhibit characteristics of coming from an impoverished background although the family has financial resources. By understanding how the lack of other resources can affect students, we can better understand and serve these students. As teachers and administrators we can be sensitive to the needs of students who are lacking resources that may not necessarily be of a financial nature.

            Another key understanding that I would share with colleagues and administrators is that of the use of the metaphor story. The teacher uses a story to which the child can relate in order to determine the cause of a behavior. No specific names or situations are used.  This is an important key understanding because often children can not adequately speak for themselves or tell an adult what is going on with them. By using a metaphor story, the child can relate to the story and put themselves in the story without having to tell specifics about himself/herself. This approach is less threatening and can get better results as to the reason for some behaviors. Teachers and administrators can gain a better understanding of what is going on with the child through the use of metaphor stories.

            The third key understanding that I would share with colleagues and administrators is that of the importance of relationships. While it is my belief that all teachers know it is important to build strong relationships with students and they attempt to do so, I think all of us are also guilty of getting wrapped up in paperwork, test scores, etc. and forgetting the importance of our relationships with students. Payne states, “When students who have been in poverty (and have successfully made it into middle class) are asked how they made the journey, the answer nine out of ten times has to do with a relationship…” (Payne, 1996). This is a very strong statement and shows the affect that relationships can have on students. Most teachers became teachers because they love the students. As a group, we need to refocus our efforts on that which is most important. By forming strong relationships with our students, they can achieve in wonderful ways.

Ruby K. Payne, P. (1996). A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc.