The Influence Of Poverty In Schools

Poverty comes with many characteristics, misconceptions, and struggles. People of poverty lack many resources, and the environments of poverty are normally poor for child development. Children are influenced by their environments, social interactions, and individual characteristics. Schools could improve child development, but even the schools are impacted by poverty. The neighborhood environments often require children to mature too quickly, and home environments are closed off. Mothers try to protect their children from the ugliness in poverty, but they feel helpless when they are not able to do so. Through the influences of poverty, individuals still decide their own fate and lifestyle. People cannot be helped unless they are willing to help themselves, and they determine their success. Although social connections are …show more content…
African American children have more difficulty adjusting to school environments and forming teacher/student relationships (Esposito 374-375). Without relationships with the teachers, African American students find it more difficult to adjust to school. They do not have anyone at school they can lean on. When the school environment becomes too difficult for the students, they have to deal with it themselves. They do not have any support to get through school, and it is easier for them to get caught up in negative influences that exist in poverty. Also, African American students have trouble adjusting due to low parental involvement and parental mistrust of institutions (Esposito 375). Throughout history, African Americans were mistreated, harassed, and enslaved by the government and the people running it. Now, parents fear their children will endure the same struggles they went through. When parents do not trust institutions to treat their children fairly, the children will experience the same mistrust. However, the mistrust comes from past experience, and it is from no fault of their