A Good Job Makes A Difference
I interviewed a teacher at west salem high school. We talked about the different levels of income in the school. He told me that at West Salem High there is a very extreme difference in many of the students. Part of West Salem is very high class while there are many parts that are what would be considered low class. We decided for this interview to reference the low income family. We mentioned that a family may make roughly $35,000 annually. This makes a monthly income of $2,900.
In the newspaper We noticed that there are many two bedroom Apartments for roughly $750.00 a month including everything besides electricity. I figured electricity would be on an average of $50.00 monthly. Most families have cable and internet so I will add in $80.00 a month for that. I figured a family will have two cell phones so that would come out to about $100.00 a month. For groceries a month We figured a small family would spend roughly 300.00 per month. I looked up on line that the average family of two sends about $250.00 per month. For entertainment I will budget about $80.00 a month for a family of four to eat out twice a month.
The total expenses come out to roughly $1,400.00. This umber does not include car payment, insurance, or public transportation fees. Health care, medication, and not skimping it on eating out, groceries, or entertainment would probably be more than what I estimated.
So what do families generally have left? Enough to meet unexpected expenses such as medical or car problems? One of the reasons for doing this activity is to understand the stresses your students may face. If a family is under financial stress, that can often be felt by MS and HS students. They may have to financially contribute as well, decreasing time for HW or eliminating the possibility of engaging in extra-curricular activities. What might be the implications for you as a teacher?
ReplyDeleteI dont think that most families would have enough to live comfortably, including health insurance, car insurance, or other unexpected expenses. This will play a role for me as a teacher because many students may have to have a job, which may take time away from doing all or part of homework. This brings in my mentality on homework grades. It is a tough situation and as a teacher i just need to be aware of my students and their life at home, or as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteAlso it would be interesting to contrast this through different periods of time because right now we have such high unemployment rate and the economy prices are inflated. I know that I definitely felt the pressure of cutting back when my dad lost his job. My dad had been the one providing the bigger pay check and was the main income of the house. This happened when I was in college, but I began to stop asking for expensive gifts. I didn't ask my parents to chip in for groceries when I was low on funds. I stopped trying to sound demanding for money. I also couldn't work on any homework that night I found out my dad lost his job. So I think will be students going through this same process since the economy is still a little shaky.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how much it costs to support a family. Rent, clothing, activities for kids like swimming lessons... it all adds up very quickly. Income level is definitely something that we need to be conscious of as teachers.
ReplyDeleteI've seen examples from family members children where assignments have been given that required outside resources to complete. The details of the assignment would make it impossible for the teacher to supply the materials. Now, I believe that the assignment could be completed with little money but some of the items that could be made available with a little money would make the assignment much easier. I am being purposefully vague for confidentiality issues. If you want to talk more about it in private we can do that.
So, let's stay aware of the financial demands we might be placing on our students and do our best to keep those from being an issue while still providing the best education that we can. Thanks for sharing!