R-5 classified staff hears presentation regarding poverty

from The Neosho Daily News

By Todd G. Higdon

The day before the Neosho students headed back to school, more than 225 Neosho School District classified employees attended a workshop helping employees to better understand poverty.

Classified employees include transportation, buildings/grounds, custodians, nurses, technology, food service and secretaries.

For the first two hours, Missouri State Teachers Association's Field Service Coordinator Deana Layton presented a PowerPoint presentation on “A Framework for Understanding Poverty.”

“This is a workshop about economic diversity, not racial or cultural diversity,” Layton said.

According to Neosho R-5 School District Asst. Superintendent for Business and Finance Charles Brazeale, the main purpose of the workshop “was to allow our classified staff to go through the same strategies that our certified staff has gone through.”

During the presentation, there were certain guiding principles outlined. Some of the guidelines included: We can better educate all children, particularly children from poverty; people are our most important resource, regardless of race or culture; and we must “give back” to children in poverty through our efforts in lobbying, foundation development and educational giving.

And there are certain key points to remember. Those key points include: Poverty is relative, poverty occurs in all races and in all countries and to move from poverty to middle class or middle class to wealth, an individual must give up relationships for achievement (at least for some period of time).

Layton related a lot of her information to Ruby Payne.

“Payne grew up in a middle class family and her husband grew up in a poverty class (family),” noted Layton.

Along with the key points to remember, Layton also stated that “schools and businesses operate from middle-class norms and use the hidden rules of middle class.”

Layton told the group that when she was a sixth grade teacher in the Branson School District, there was a student who was excellent on all of his tests, but when it came time to have his practice work turned in, he did not do it.

“After asking him about it, he told me that he couldn't do his homework because the car could only be turned on at certain times and he couldn't get the homework done,” said Layton.

Layton went on to explain that the family had recently moved to the area and were living in their car, and that the parents were looking for employment.

To help with the child's homework situation, Layton spoke to the parents and asked if their son could stay after school, get his homework done and she would take him back to the campsite. They agreed.

“It's that relationship that gives people belief that they can do better,” Layton said.

As the presentation pointed out on the topic of what can a teacher do to build relationships, points included to call on everyone in the classroom equally, ask questions to students who require more thought, listen and be courteous to students.

Brazeale noted “We want our support (classified) staff to be role models as well. We have seen plenty of times that our support staff has become an important part in the life of students. They can have an impact on their lives, such as bus driver with students or secretary or food service worker that the student see everyday.”

Along with the support staff, the elementary and secondary certified employees were given a second course in the Payne ideas. The staff went through the training back in August.

“I was very impressed with the Neosho School District staff,” stated Layton.

The school district has 600 employees and 4,300 students.