It's the Poverty, Stupid

Dedicated to Marcea Frazier

First I need to clarify that the "Stupid" in the title does not refer to Marcea, my good friend and co-teacher at Village School. There's also a child's book, The Stupids, a clever and very funny children's story--a story book, actually, not allowed in the Brave New World of standardized reading curriculum.

No, the "Stupids" I am referring to are those very educational policy and curriculum makers that have brought us No Child Left Behind and standardized curriculum, mechanized reading, and one-size-fits-all basal readers where The Stupids story book doesn't fit (It's the wrong size, because it requires the imagination, which is gigantic), nor do any other children's books fit that don't contain the legislated vocabulary.

A study recently published by Minnesota School Board's Association found that the cause of children's lack of progress in school is poverty. We can continue to require tests, punish teachers and schools for students' lower test scores; we can cancel recess and art and music classes, and require students to take two, three and four math classes, or ten reading classes; we can extend the school year by two or three months; we can take over the schools and privatize education; we can require schools to divert funding to private tutoring corporations. But none of these measures will really help children learn more as long as children live in poverty.

Could it be that George Bush and a host of government leaders want us to spend all our time teaching for tests and tutoring, and designing more reading classes, and ordering more curriculum, and worry about the feds taking over our schools, because they don't want us to figure out the real reason and demand that something be done for the poor? Bush has slashed program after program that has helped poor kids--Head Start, allocations to section housing, frre and reduced lunch, and scores of other programs. We can't pay attention, because we're creating new tests and curriculum to teach to the tests.

But as long as we don't feed kids and make sure they have a place to live, test scores won't improve, kids won't learn. How can you do your homework if you not only don't have a desk, but don't have a floor for the desk to sit on?

It makes sense for us to end poverty. Some may think that poor people deserve it. Poor people don't work hard or whatever. But no child deserves to be poor. It makes sense for us to raise children out of poverty.

How we do that is another story. But can we stop blaming teachers, and schools, and classes that don't pound the basics into kids' heads? Poverty, and the systems and factors that perpetuate poverty, are to blame.

In 2005, 37.5 million people lived below the poverty line. More than 13 million families in 2004 were unable at times to buy the food they needed.

For starters, to bring kids out of poverty, raise the minimum wage, which is a little over $5.00 per hour--that's $10,300 per year. You do the math. Can a family of four afford rent and other costs, as well as healthy food, on this amount?

In New York City in 2005, of the 1.9 million and teens, over half were born into poverty. 16,000 children are homeless. Most of these children have no health insurance.

Can children learn when they are hungry or cold, or tired and afraid.

Teachers and families know that children can't. Children know they can't. They are not Stupid.