With Singapore having a poverty line that is non-existent, it’s hard to show to the general public, locally and internationally, the number of exact poverty figures in data. People from all walks of life are affected by poverty, from workers to children and their mothers.
Poverty and education often clash. Students living in destitute or in a marginalised part of society struggle to maintain their academic performance. While they have the opportunity to access education, they lack the fortune to sustain themselves, making it more challenging for their emotional well-being, overall development and relationship with other people. If you are an educator, here are ways to help students living in poverty:
#1: Expose them to experiences
Apart from the lack of proper food security in Singapore, many families struggle to meet their daily needs. They lack the means to have enough room for their child’s development and build the foundation for good knowledge. Most students living under such circumstances need new experiences, whether it’s about learning something from a book, teaching them a concept or taking them on a field trip.
#2: Give them compliments
Building a healthy teacher-student relationship often starts with giving compliments. Giving praise means you recognise their effort, and that’s what students often need to be motivated. Children in poverty are familiar with hearing things that they don’t have. They rarely receive any appreciation, and most harm their self-esteem. There are many things to be concerned about, from educational inequality to family problems.
#3: Be compassionate and kind
Children who come from generational poverty have a set of awful experiences and issues that plague their early life. Due to a lack of finance, care and attention from parents, it can be difficult for many teachers to handle students who were transformed by such experiences. Reinforcing a positive behaviour system in the classroom by being compassionate, generous and kind, to a reasonable extent, can help a child.
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