November+13+Assignment

Read from the Framework of Poverty: Chapters 4- Characteristics of Generational Poverty Chapter 6- Support Systems Chapter 7- Discipline Post a two page reflection that summarizes the chapters and connects the key concepts to your role as a school psychologist. What support systems and discipline concepts do you feel need to be embedded within a school that serves students in poverty

First, I have to admit I had a difficult time understanding the dialogue in Chapter 4 because it is so foreign for me in terms of communication, especially without visual cues and body language. It is clear to me that generational poverty does create a different way of thinking as well as a different way of managing life. Based on Ch. 4 and the others, a broad moral of Payne’s is to teach impoverished kids the unspoken rules and strategies that are directly or indirectly taught in more affluent societies. The strategies go to the basic of how to organize time, a desk, a backpack to how to talk to yourself.
 * __ Jacquelyn Kent __**

It is interesting that the adult voice is the one that most has to be taught. It makes sense. Kids are usually exposed to either child-child relationships or child-parent/teacher relationships. That inner self talk is basically parenting yourself. In my own mental meanderings in the past year, I made a personal distinction between parenting one’s self and coddling one’s self. When you parent yourself, you push, but forgive failure. When you coddle yourself, you can excuse laziness and/or blame others for your situation. In fact, I find that much of modern counseling is a process of teaching that adult voice to people. The process of making decisions and following through on them without feeling trapped by roles, circumstances, or hindered by things out of your control. According to Payne, this type of counseling is crucial for impoverished children and that makes great sense.

In terms of education and being a school psychologist, it seems essential to discern the purpose of the education the school is providing. What skills and information will students need to succeed and how to we help them achieve that. This will vary with the campus and community. It is important for a school psychologist to learn about her school before deciding what programs, interventions, and modes of implementation will work best. However, flexibility will be crucial particularly for students in poverty, because the home environment in terms of space, time, and social emotional status may not align with the goals set in school.

 //I agree with you in that the dialogue was at times difficult to understand. Growing up I observed some of my friends playing the role of the parent with their siblings. This was hard for them and because of this they wanted to be talked to like they were older than they were- JESSE//

__** Jesse Santana **__ In chapter 4, Payne discusses the idea of generational poverty. Generational poverty is differs from poverty in that it is defined as having 2 or more generations living in poverty. Payne gives a case study in chapter 4, Walter, which is used to give examples of some of the characteristics that are associated with generational poverty. Some examples that Payne gives of characteristics of generational poverty are that of family being matriarchal, believing that society owes one a living, the use of casual register, and finding value in entertainment and relationships. What was interesting to observe in chapter 4 was that of family lineage and how it differs from middle class to individuals living in poverty. A family lineage from a family living in the middle class tend to be simple, but a family living in poverty is more difficult to understand because there seem to be many individuals attached to the lineage with the mother being the center of it all. As a school psychologist it is important to understand what generational poverty is and the affects it has on families because working with in a school environment we will come across families that come from generational poverty.

In chapter 6, Payne discusses support systems that are made available to families who need assistance. Payne writes that support systems fall into seven general categories. The first is that of coping strategies which are the ways in which one copes with daily living. The second is options during problem-solving which are all the ways to solve a problem. The 3d coping strategy Payne discusses about is information and know-how which is who in the support system knows enough to help. The 4th is temporary relief from emotional, mental, financial, and/or time constraints. The 5th is having connections to other people and resources, the 6th is positive self-talk, and the last is procedural self-talk. As a school psychologist it is important to know and understand the support systems because students may be having difficulty in school due to the absence of one or more of the support systems.

Payne discusses the most effective ways of discipline in chapter 7. Payne states that for individuals who live in poverty, discipline is about penance and forgiveness, not necessarily change. Payne discusses that it is important to teach students separate set of behavior because a lot of the time students who come from poverty bring behaviors into the school that are meant for them to survive outside of school. Payne suggests that in school settings there should be both structure and choice for children that come from poverty. This method allows students to identify that each choice they make comes with a consequence. Another interesting aspect of discipline that Payne discussed was that of using adult voices rather than a parent voice. Most children who come from poverty tend to have the parent role at home so when another person disciplines them with a parent voice instead of an adult voice they tend to react in anger. As a school psychologist this is important to know because when working with students that come from poverty it is best to use discipline techniques that work rather than escalate the situation. Something as simple as the way one talks to the student can have a huge impact on the outcome of the discipline.

//I love the way that he described the “simplicity” of the middle class and the difficulty of the family structure for individuals in poverty. He also brought up the importance of a school psychologists understanding the support system so we can understand and learn about how to deal with the absence of one or more support systems. I didn’t realize how important planning ahead for these situations would be, because it is definitely something we will need to deal with in the future.-KATE //

//Jesse - I definitely agree that school psychologists should consider individual situations of their students when determining how to address behaviors and discipline. Letting students know how to separate appropriate behaviors from home and school is essential in helping them understand the "middle-class rules" that are practiced in schools.- SABRINA //

__** Kathleen Kent **__ Chapter Four in A Framework for Understanding Poverty discusses generational and situational poverty styles and their differences. Situational poverty is where someone in a family has died or lost their job, which puts the family in a bad financial position. Generational poverty is where two or more generations of the same family have lived in poverty. Payne discusses how in generational poverty there are characteristics; one is that the matriarch is the lead of the family and she even discusses how when a child has a baby that they cannot manage the matriarch becomes its mother instead of Grandmother and the baby is raised with its mother as a sister. People in generational poverty also feel that society owes them a living, they use a casual register, they hold entertainment over responsibility, and often there is a mix mesh of relationships within the family (as previously discussed). When reading this in relation to my future job as a school psychologist I just kept thinking about the confusing family lines and how as the psychologist I would need to be open to all types of families, but also be aware of legally who I was allowed to speak to about the child. Another aspect that I would need to remember from this chapter would be that if the Mother/Grandmother/Matriarch was who I got to meet with, it would be important to keep good contact with her, as her role seems most significant in the family structure.

Chapter Six was discussing the seven categories of support systems for individuals and families in need. The first was coping strategies, I think that this is important so that you are aware when testing a child in poverty that they may have self-talk or disappointment strategies loaded in their minds from their current situation, so it would be important to let them know how well they are doing and help them think more positively. The second was options during problem solving, it is important as a psychologist to give children conflict resolution solutions that are different than that of their parents, as many times that leads to violence in poverty situations. The third is information and know-how, this is where a psychologist can really shine we can introduce our children to study groups and after school programs that can help reinforce the positive behaviors they learn in school and help with homework parents may be unable to assist with. The forth is temporary relief from emotional, mental, financial, and/or time constraints; this mirrors the above mentioned support system wherein you can help find places that the child will get the attention they need, and you can make yourself as the psychologist available to speak to when they need someone. Number five is the connections to other people and resources; I feel that as a school psychologist you can be their advocate by helping them find needed connections such as free clinics and tutoring. The sixth is positive self-talk, we can support and help them see their own worth. Lastly there is procedural self-talk, wherein we can help children deal with tasks through self-talk.

Chapter Seven was about discipline, and the importance of understanding that in poverty we will probably not be able to change the family dynamic but that we forgive them for not knowing better. The importance of this chapter as a psychologist is that we need to speak to the students in an adult voice, not a parent voice, in a non-judgmental, factual, win-win attitude so that they can learn to replicate this as an adult. We also need to be aware when we are writing our IEP’s that we write in the proper discipline and consequences for each child.

//I also found myself thinking about how confusing family lineage are with family that come from poverty. It is interesting to have read that family lineages center on the mother and tend to have multiple males in the lineage. I agree with you when you say that it is important to know who the primary care taker is in the family lineage and it can be confusing when there are multiple individuals providing care for a student.-JESSE //

//Kate - The way you related the 7 categories of support systems and to the role of school psychologists, I feel, was on point. This just goes to show that school psychologists are more than just testing machines. School psychologists can provide support as counselors, advocates, educators, and mentors.- SABRINA //

In Chapter 4 of the text, Payne discusses several characteristics of generational poverty. Generational poverty is defined as being in poverty for at least 2 generations. The case study of Walter highlights characteristics of generational poverty such as the family being matriarchal, believing that society owes one a living, the use of casual register, and finding value in entertainment and relationships. One section in chapter 4 discussed the family lineage patterns in generational poverty families. Compared to the diagram of a middle class family, the relationships found in a family in generational poverty are a bit more difficult to identify. Payne finds that the family radiates from the mother being the center of the pattern. This is important for a school psychologist to remember when interacting with families in generational poverty, as it is their role to involve parents in the academic decisions of their students.
 * __ Sabrina Cabanilla __**

Chapter 6 describes the various support systems that are available for individuals and families in need. There are 7 categories of support systems. The chapter talks about the situation of Lakeitha, and how the school can provide support across these categories. The scenario indicates that Lakeitha was "rude" to her teacher, and as a result a conference was scheduled with her mother who unfortunately could not make the meeting with the teacher as she ended up in jail. Lakeitha is also a provider for her family, as she works after school at a fast food restaurant. The school can provide support for Lakeitha in different ways including teaching her coping strategies, maintaining teacher relationships, providing accessible parent training, direct teaching of survival skills, and setting up after school study hours/tutoring. School psychologists are essential in collaborating with other education professionals when designing support programs for students.

The most effective ways of discipline is the focus of Chapter 7. Payne states that discipline is more about penance and forgiveness rather than change for families in poverty. In order to maintain positive behavior from students is for schools to provide structure and choice, make sure that the rules and expectations are clear for students. The use of language is very important when it comes to bringing about and teaching positive behaviors. Payne writes about 3 internal voices that all individuals experience: the child voice (defensive, losing attitude, emotional), the parent voice (authoritative, punitive, win-lose attitude), and the adult voice (nonjudgmental, factual, win-win attitude). Most educators who speak to students in the parent voice may create conflict for students who feel they are in the parent role. It is important for schools to consider that communicating to students in the adult voice, as well as teaching students to use the adult voice is effective in building successful positive behaviors. School psychologists are often looked at as consultants in disciplinary action teams. It is important for them to assist teachers in creating effective behavioral plans, and ensuring that students are being provided with clear rules and expectations, and that good behaviors are appropriately reinforced.

//In her discussion of chapter four she brings up the importance of involving parents in the academics of their child, and how this may be difficult with families in poverty as the family structure is often distorted. In her overview of chapter seven she brought up that psychologists are consultants of disciplinary actions, so it is important that we learn the appropriate behavioral plans to implement. I would never have thought how important that aspect of our job would be, but I know that when developing IEP’s it is vital that we include discipline.-KATE //