Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday Reflection: Educating the Poor
Few seriously dispute that Jesus urged us to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked. We do a lousy job of that sometimes, and sometimes as a society we do pretty well. The better solution, of course, is to encourage a society where no one is hungry or naked in the first place. That places responsibilities on both the society and the individual.
In light of that, might the greater problem be that we are not educating the poor? They attend the worst public schools, fail disproportionately in college, and extend poverty across generations by failing to focus on education.
If we could get more of the poor to complete highs school, it would go a long ways towards lessoning poverty. So, how do we do that?
I'm not an expert at either poverty issues or education, so I won't conjecture. The first step, which has been taken by some of those experts, is to listen to the reasons that so many people in poor areas stop attending school-- narratives that are often both heartbreaking and somehow irrational to people not in that environment.
Our society is structured right now in a way that is creating stark disparities of wealth. Is that a Christian concern? Should education be part of the answer?
In light of that, might the greater problem be that we are not educating the poor? They attend the worst public schools, fail disproportionately in college, and extend poverty across generations by failing to focus on education.
If we could get more of the poor to complete highs school, it would go a long ways towards lessoning poverty. So, how do we do that?
I'm not an expert at either poverty issues or education, so I won't conjecture. The first step, which has been taken by some of those experts, is to listen to the reasons that so many people in poor areas stop attending school-- narratives that are often both heartbreaking and somehow irrational to people not in that environment.
Our society is structured right now in a way that is creating stark disparities of wealth. Is that a Christian concern? Should education be part of the answer?
Comments:
<< Home
The new superintendent of Waco ISD has taken this to heart. Our pastor went to a meeting where she was speaking. He came back and shared stats about how if kids who are below the poverty line don't learn how to read on a 3rd grade reading level, they are 13x more likely to drop out of school and perpetuate the lifestyle of poverty. However if a student has a mentor who spends 30 minutes a week with them, their attendance goes up, their discipline problems go down and their grades go up.
Our church has started doing book clubs this past semester with students who are struggling with reading. Adults from the church meet with two kids each week at school to read with them, get to know them and encourage them in their studies. It has been rewarding for me as one of the leaders to get to know these sweet kids, who in this instance struggle because English isn't their first language. And from what I've been hearing from the organizers, they're seeing improvements across the board.
It's encouraging to see when the people of the church rise to the challenge and take practical steps to see change in the community.
Our church has started doing book clubs this past semester with students who are struggling with reading. Adults from the church meet with two kids each week at school to read with them, get to know them and encourage them in their studies. It has been rewarding for me as one of the leaders to get to know these sweet kids, who in this instance struggle because English isn't their first language. And from what I've been hearing from the organizers, they're seeing improvements across the board.
It's encouraging to see when the people of the church rise to the challenge and take practical steps to see change in the community.
Theologically, I think there will always be a large number of [materially] poor people, and there's nothing we can do ourselves to "fix" it. Even Jesus said that we'll always have the poor.
That said, I think one of the church's roles is to minister to the poor, and the reality of the permanency of material poverty should not deter this goal. I think education is a great method to achieve this goal, in addition to feeding and clothing. I'm part of a group that's trying to start a classical christian school in my town, and some of the members of our group who are educators really have a heart for the kids from poor homes in our area and have seen some of what you and Heather are observing being played out. It's encouraging to work with folks like that who can provide that perspective that some of us don't get in our every day lives.
Post a Comment
That said, I think one of the church's roles is to minister to the poor, and the reality of the permanency of material poverty should not deter this goal. I think education is a great method to achieve this goal, in addition to feeding and clothing. I'm part of a group that's trying to start a classical christian school in my town, and some of the members of our group who are educators really have a heart for the kids from poor homes in our area and have seen some of what you and Heather are observing being played out. It's encouraging to work with folks like that who can provide that perspective that some of us don't get in our every day lives.
<< Home
