Children Living in Poverty

The stressor I think I can most relate to is poverty.  I can relate to this stressor the most because the vast majority of the students I teach are currently living in poverty.  Every child at the school receives free breakfast and either free or reduced lunch.  The neighborhoods they live in are tantalized by crime.  Some of the students not only have to deal with violence within the neighborhood, but abuse and neglect within their own home.  School is supposed to be a safe haven for these students and they do feel safe with the adults, but with other students the tension is increasingly high.  Since these children see violence on a day to day basis they are frustrated and can not remained focused.  This inhibits their ability to learn both academically and socially.  They are not capable of dealing with anger appropriately because they do not have any good role models.  Instead, once they have reached a certain level of anger, they feel that their solution is to fight.  The suspension rate at the school is one of the highest in the county.  The teachers and administration can only do so much to help these children escape from the life they are living.

Children living in poverty has the same affect in Germany as in the United States.  Poor children face limited educational opportunities. According to a AWO-Study only 9% of the pupils are poor.^[7] Poor children are likely to experience adversities beyond money. They are more likely to be raised by a teenage-parent. They are more likely to have multiple young siblings, are more likely to be raised in crime-ridden neighborhoods and more likely to live in substandard apartments which are often overcrowded. Their parents are likely to be less educated and they are more likely to have emotional problems.^[8]
Children growing up poor are more likely to get involved in accidents than their non-poor peers.^[9] They are less likely to follow a healthy diet.^[10] They are less likely to be healthy. In poor neighborhoods many children suffer from speech impairments and stunted motoric development^[11] They tend to have lower IQs.^[12]