Is there a difference between teaching kids from an underprivileged neighborhood than vice versa?

No one is “too difficult to teach”, but statistically kids from underprivileged backgrounds have a lot more hurdles to face and a lot of catching up to do. They are much less likely to have gone to pre-school, which means they were less prepared when they started kindergarten and had a harder time learning to read, learning simple math, etc. And once you start off behind, it is very hard to catch up. The problems multiply as the kid moves up in grade level. In addition they are less likely to have a quiet, safe place to study, they suffer more stress in general, which makes learning harder, they’re more likely to be undernourished, which also makes it harder to learn, and as they get older all this only gets worse. They are more likely to have to find a way to earn money, interfering with their schoolwork. And I won’t even go into issues like not having education supported or treated as a valuable item by their parents, let alone respect for authority, since that gets controversial.

So the underprivileged kids will be harder to teach. But that just means they need you more, and the ones who put in the work to get past the problems will make your job all the more rewarding.

Of course they also won’t be spoiled rotten brats who expect you to give them grades for nothing just because they’re parents give lots of money and pay tuition.

You need their respect. Too many teachers try to impose order by shouting and ordering. It doesn’t work. I think something like 50% of young white female teachers who teach in the ghetto for the first time don’t come back a second year.

How to get respect? You can’t be their friend, either. You have to listen and show you understand their problems and then show them you will give them tools to address their problems. The work must be relevant to their experience. They can extrapolate from things they know. Extrapolating from things they have no clue about doesn’t work.

You want a few kids on your side, and then they’ll help you. Shut Up and Let the Lady Teach is a book about a white teacher (and reporter) working in a ghetto school, and how she succeeded.

Absolutely there is a difference. It isn’t so much about the children and their ability to learn. It is often about the appalling lack of support these children get from home and the home life issues that follow the kids into the classroom.

For instance, it is harder for a kid to learn if he hasn’t eaten properly. It is harder for them to learn if they are being taunted about not being clean by their classmates. It is harder for them to get help with their homework. It is harder for them to complete projects due to a total lack of supplies.

I am very familiar with the struggles these kids face and also with a school that attempts to address these issues as best they can.

1. Homework – they hold an after-school workshop that allows kids that need it to stay each day to complete their homework before they ever go home for the day.

2. Breakfast is served free everyday. And teachers understand the importance of having something in the classroom to offer a kid who is obviously running out of steam due to a lack of food.

3. Projects are not assigned that will require a large amount of supplies. And supplies are made available to those who can’t scrape up even the barest of materials.

4. Teachers and administrators make it their business to have resources researched out to provide to obviously struggling students/families.

5. Mentoring programs are used to offer support to those kids that are truly “on their own” due to family dysfunction.

All in all, when you teach underprivileged kids you are stepping in to an even greater degree to the kid’s life. You also have an even bigger opportunity to truly impact a child’s whole life.

For the affluent areas you will still have children who are suffering due to their home life. You will also be dealing with parents who, while supportive, are also a hindrance.

By this I mean, sometimes these high achieving parent’s are unwilling to hear anything about areas where their kid is less than stellar. They aren’t afraid to threaten to litigate if they think little Johnny isn’t being given due deference. You may get stunning projects due to the abundance of costly materials…sadly though you may be grading the parent’s creativity rather than the child’s.

Both of these examples are the extremes and both can be somewhat managed by focusing on the kids and their needs.

GAs everyone. :)

A classroom difference that I don’t think has been mentioned is parental involvement. In a neighborhood with lots of work/stay at home parents, you might have a lot of parents in your room. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view.
I work in a high SES neighborhood and some teachers actually turn parents away or set restrictions, because there’s sometimes just too many people in the classroom.

I agree that stress in the home can make it more difficult for a child to learn. Harder for them to stay focused for a variety of reasons. Also if they do not value education, don’t see how it will hellp them, why should they be motivated? If no one around them has a high school dimploma, and they have no clue about the world outside of their immediate community, no idea of the possibilities, don’t identify with people who are educated and have high paying jobs (I think Grisaille has called it “the white world” in some answers) then they don’t see the path education can lead them on. Worse, if the family talks about educated people as bad, greedy people, some are using the term elitest now (this makes me crazy) then psychologically they would cause shame for themselves in their family and community if they pursue education.

Having said all of that, I think most families want their children to do well in school, and do see school as an opportunity for their children.

I would uess the younger the child, the less trouble you will have. True Kindergarten and first grade children might be slightly behind their counterparts from higher socio-economic status, but that does not make a difference by third grade. I started kindergarten at the age of 4, I know people who were 6, we learned to read at different ages, none of that matters when you are in 10th grade. Plus, it sounds like you will have children of similar socio-economic status in the class, so you will not be comparing within the classroom.

What grade will you be teaching?

When kids get to the high school level I always wonder if it’s possible to motivate them with a strong economic argument. Could you convince a kid who sees drug dealing and gang life as the only path to wealth for them that they are wrong? Can you actually show them that the average street level drug dealer makes less than the average McDonald’s employee? Then show them the salaries of engineers, computer scientists, and college professors. Ask them if they want drug dealer turned gangsta rapper money, or Bill Gates money.

Don’t know if one can get that message across, but I have dreams.

Recognize what you can and cannot do.

You can’t make up for the way other people live their lives. That is, for the underprivileged, you can’t make their home environment much better (directly, that is—you may be able to offer tips for coping and getting along with others, recommendations to AlAnon, etc.), and for the over-privileged, you can’t get them to turn off the TV, put away their cell phones and other toys, stop watching movies and entertaining themselves in all of the ways that they are able to escape growing up.

Neither of the groups you mention is going to be big on following rules “for the sake of following rules”. That is, the kids from the inner city realize that it’s not going to help them to follow all of the petty bureaucratic school rules, and the kids from Beverly Hills know that the rules generally don’t apply to them, and someone will have their back to help them avoid that. So forget about stupid battles over petty rules.

You can’t feed everyone who’s hungry, and you can’t get the obese kids to eat nutritiously. (This is kind of a parable.) What you might be able to do is inspire kids to want to find ways to eat right, and encourage them and help them to do that—for themselves.

So your goal is to help kids find what they excel at, to recognize that and reward and encourage that. You can do that with anyone you can communicate with.

I like the way @Snarp is thinking. At the high school level I think field trips to see many different businesses also are a good idea. These kids need to be able to identify and understand what is out there.

The neighborhood classes I have done for the kids in my neighborhood (poor) have taught me:
– to not assume anything.
– teach from the most basic level and up (I literally had to teach the kids how to knock on the door, wait for someone to open it, look the person in the eye, politely ask if they may come in, how to come in the house and remove their shoes – and socks if they are not clean – how to wash their hands before eating, etc.)
– acknowledge their existence. Look at them. Listen to them. Assume they have something valuable to add.
– feed them.
– love them. Honestly love them.
– don’t BS them. They can see through it.
– be encouraging. Pretend you’re words will be the only encouraging ones they hear (it might be true).

@Snarp, if you can get them to read Freakonomics, then it’s possible. That’s one of the (many) messages of that book, and it’s not a difficult read.

I heard once that underprivileged kids face cultural and attitudinal obstacles; a sort of “if you don’t succeed, don’t try again because you’ll be laughed at” attitude, whereas wealthier kids merely have to deal with a “if you don’t succeed, you will succeed” attitude.

When it comes to discerning trends within certain demographics, I really don’t think you should rely on public opinion. You’re likely to just get back a bunch of stereotypes. Look to studies published in academic periodicals instead.

Also, that’s not a correct use of “vice versa.” Vice versa means the reverse of the previous statement. In your question, it would mean something like “an underprivileged neighbourhood teaching kids.”

That’s two tips which should help you in your position of teacher: how to use “vice versa” and how to find credible information!

I want to add that I think chidlren are more alike than different. Don;t go in with a lot of prejudgement about the situation.

In my very limited experience I find they respond to attention, and they know when someone genuinely cares. When I was in high school I helped a 4th grade teacher for a while. I was assigned to the lowest reading and spelling group in the class. It was four children, all black, all most likely lower income. I helped them with their workbook, and if they didn’t know the answer I gave it to them. They never took advantage of this help, they were always willing to try first or work it through. They all improved overall. All did better on their tests. I think they responded to my attention, they were willing to work.

When you teach children from disadvantaged households, you need to be cognizant of the fact that the parents themselves my either be the product of a poor educational experience, or may be handicapped by literacy issues or transportation issues, as well as discretionary funds. Additionally, many may work multiple low-paying jobs, and are just not accessible.

My daughter started kindergarten at a school adjacent to a housing project. On the first day of school, the neighborhood parents showed up with children in new clothes, all excited about starting school. The teacher barely spoke to them, but instead concentrated on talking to the parents of children who came from the more affluent suburbs. It was disheartening for me to see, because you could see the excitement be replaced by apprehension on both the faces of the children and the parents.

In more affluent settings, the parents may also not be engaged, but will often have money to overcome obstacles, either in the form of tutoring, enriching their child’s classroom experience through donations, or sometimes flat-out bribery. The parents aren’t always more engaged, and often parents gripe about homework interfering with sports practices and after school activities. Parents who work a lot also don’t show up for things at school or require their children to complete assignments, or they do their work for them.

Culturally, Hispanic families tend to be more about nurturing their children, and can be hands off about school, leaving the teaching to the teachers. Some cultures, children are punished if they are criticized by the teacher.

Awesome answers :D Thank you all! Very helpful!

btw @JLeslie – I was told it was an age range between 8–12. This is going to be an after school class actually, at a boys and girls club :P

@Glow Oh. Is it mostly fun and games? Do you help them with homework? I think that is great if you help them with homework so they don’t have to do it at home. At the younger ages homework sucks in my mind for children with less educated parents, or parents who do not speak English well. I guess by 8 for the most part chidren can do the majority of their homework on their own though (I tend to lean towards being anti-homework in general). I think you will find it very rewarding, children at that age appreciate having something to do afterschool and adult attention.