Teaching the Poor Child from a Dysfunctional Family (Summary)

In this article I summarize the key points made in my recent five-part series, "Teaching the Poor Child from a Dysfunctional Family."

The following points are those carrying the thematic thrust of Parts I, II, III, IV, and V:

I) The teacher of the student from an impoverished and dysfunctional family must be prepared to cope with the student's fear of failure. Students whose families have met with setback after setback, and whose ongoing struggles may at times feature daily crises, often have a desperate fear of failure. They do not like to be told that they are wrong or have made a mistake. They often want to stick with what they know, those already established skills that make them feel smart or capable. It is up to the teacher adroitly to design a program of high academic goals that moves the student from one small incremental step to the next, utilizing expressions of high praise for each genuine accomplishment. At some point the steps can become larger and the progress more rapid, but a student with a high fear of failure must be moved forward carefully toward desired goals related to grade level performance and above.


II) The teacher of a student from an impoverished and dysfunctional family must be ready to deal with the student's potential lack of focus on the academic task at hand. Reasons for a student's inability to concentrate may be rooted in physiology or social environment. In neither case should the problem be judged immediately as a case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I have rarely witnessed a case that could not be handled in ways other than prescription drugs, and I carry a strong conviction that an adroit teacher can seize a distracted student's attention with various pedagogical maneuvers and with a variety of efforts to build a strong human bond with the student and the student's family.

III) The teacher of a student from an impoverished and dysfunctional family must convey unconditional love and enduring commitment. I have generally found that students who have experienced some level of emotional or physical abuse readily respond to an attitude of warmth flowing from universal love directed toward that particular human being. It is very important to know, though, that some students from impoverished and dysfunctional famililes are not immediately responsive, and they may even exhibit very coarse and rude behavior. For these children the teacher's willingness to express unconditional love in the face of such challenging behavior is hugely important. When the teacher also expresses an ongoing and enduring interest in the student's future, beyond the current academic year of daily teacher-student interaction, this makes a deep impression on the student and deepens the impact of manifested unconditional love.

IV) The teacher of the student from an impoverished and dysfunctional family must communicate absolute confidence in the student's ability. This requires the teacher first to get into her or his own brain that all human beings are smart and that all people with IQs of about 95 or above can in a reasonable length of time learn anything. People with IQs rising to the 120-150 level and above will, after any physiological or social impediments are overcome, at first learn at more rapid rates than those who are not naturally as quick. But as those who learn at more modest rates establish solid skill and knowledge sets at grade level or above, natural advantages become relatively fewer and all students proceed to acquire additional skill and knowledge at rapid rates. All people are smart. The true teacher must believe heart and soul that this is true.

V) The teacher of the student from an impoverished and dysfunctional family cannot shrink from the task at hand by claiming that the student brings into the school certain life challenges that are not of the school's making. The true teacher finds ways to overcome any associated obstacles and proceeds to design a viable plan that results in grade level performance or better for each student. This must be done in the absence of support from the student's parents if necessary, but usually there is someone--- a grandmother, grandfather, aunt, godmother, godfather, or family friend with whom the teacher can connect. The effort to establish a relationship with another caring adult who can be in the student's life magnifies the skillful teacher's own efforts and lays an even firmer foundation for the student's future success.

The teacher of the student from a poor and dysfunctional family has embraced the most important task in our society. An overhauled system of K-12 education, beginning with individual teachers who rise far above the current mediocre standard, will be the most important event as the United States becomes a country worthy of its democratic ideals. The key points summarized herein and developed in more detail in the immediately preceding series of articles indicate five important principles for teaching the child facing severe economic and social challenges. The teacher who successfully acts upon these principles in multiple cases of students facing such challenges will end the cycle of poverty for many families and contribute to the growth of democracy in the United States.