Case Book Two

Mr. Truk is speaking with Mr. Georgio, a preservice teacher who is working in his classroom.

MR. GIORGIO: Mr. Truk, in my classes at the university, I am learning that socio-economic status makes a big differences in terms of children's readiness for school. Of course, there are always exceptions to the generalities, but in general, kids who come from homes where there is not extra money don't usually have books to read, or read to them before they start school. They also may not eat as well, have good uninterrupted sleep, or be dressed appropriately for school. As I have watched the students in this class, I know most of them are from the lower SES, but they all seem to be doing fine. Why is that? What is the difference? Is the text we use at the university wrong?

MR. TRUK: I think you hit it on the head when you talked about generalities. Generalities from research are just that, generalities. I like to think we have a classroom of exceptions to any generalities. We do have students who come from impoverished backgrounds. I think some students' only good meals come from the school. I know that some students sleep three or four to a bed, or on the floor. I know of at least two students who do not even have a refrigerator in their apartments, and I am not so sure about good heating. Yet, the students are doing well. I credit my colleagues and the school.

Whenever we see a child or family in need, the school people right here spring into action. We have a food pantry and clothing center run by the middle schoolers. Parents are told that they can take what they need, and should return clothes that are outgrown so they can be recycled to others. The middle schoolers do a great job of updating clothes so they look in fashion, and making sure only clean, fresh clothing is provided. As part of our work at the senior center, we often get seniors who donate a lot of clothes to our school, so that they can be reused. We also have started taking blankets and sheets and pillows because of their donations.

Our social worker is an absolute angel. She goes to homes with care packages and loaner boxes of items that can be used as needed and sent back to us for others to use. She also puts parents in touch with other agencies that can help them. She has found jobs for so many parents, and some of the parents of older students say that they will only recommend hiring parents of other students here, because they know that there are good support services for that person, and he/she is likely to keep working! One of the problems we used to have was with getting books to homes, but again, the seniors have come through. They used to donate books from their own collections, especially when they moved into the center and didn't have room for them all. Now, they have their families donate, etc. They have that huge reading room/library at the center, and our parents are given a "pass card" to go over there and get books. Most of the books keep recycling there, like a library, but there is not the bureaucracy and fines that the city levies. Additionally, there are not the same problems with lower SES parents lack of trust with the system. Sending them to a senior care center is much easier than to a city center!

What I worry about in our students is that they may lack the background in the language. Most of the lower SES parents do not have a high education level, and don't know a lot of proper grammar. The kids come to school not knowing or hearing proper English. I think this really hurts children when they have to be tested, especially at the end of our school year, when they do their first big tests. I think it is very important for students to be exposed to as much of our larger culture as possible. The senior center project is so critical here. With students writing letters for seniors, they hear the language and are forced to use it. With student doing the recycling, they are directly interacting with the seniors, and again using the language. The seniors are not classroom teachers, but they sure do teach. When they interact with students, I hear them gently helping kids pronounce and spell words, telling them how to use certain verb tenses. I even have heard that they offer "10 minutes of a listening ear and free advice" in exchange for a good book report from some of our kids. I think the seniors are really geniuses at finding ways to help all of the kids push their achievement.

MR. GIORGIO: With all of the high stakes testing that you have to do at the end of this school year, don't you worry about all of the time spent on the projects instead of getting ready for the testing?

MR. TRUK: I believe very strongly that the experiences the students have in providing service in the real world ties in with everything that they need to learn in the curriculum for the tests. I know we don't practice testing as much as some of the other grades, or other kids at this grade might do in other schools, but our kids always shine! I think that they realize that the projects may suffer or be cancelled if they don't score well on the tests. They love the projects, and I know they want to score well, so they really try. I do have to admit, though, that we have more and more low SES kids, and that generally means they don't come as prepared for schooling. I am thinking about what modifications I may have to make next year, so that kids get opportunities to learn more about our society as a whole and to practice using math, reading, language, etc.

Teacher Notes:

• Teachers who come from non-impoverished backgrounds often do not understand or know the day-to-day challenges that their students face. Home visits are often one way to learn more about students. Teachers who do not feel comfortable with home visits may have students write about a typical day, draw pictures of their living space, etc. Some teachers have invested in cameras and have students take pictures of where they live. Knowing more about backgrounds helps teachers build better relationships, and also understand some of the limitations that students may bring with them. Remember, though, that understanding should not lead to pity, or lowering expectations for students to achieve.