115

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Essay 3 Third Draft

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

12/5/14

                                       Parenting in Poverty

                       One of the most crippling facts of life that can affect opportunities, education and financial status is the burden of experiencing poverty, especially for single mothers. Fifty million American families live below the poverty line. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore poverty affects the life of one of the Wes’ and the conditions of his family. For most American families who are below the poverty line, children experience the effects of poverty just as much. For some, poverty is a vicious cycle perpetuating itself from generation to generation. For the other Wes Moore, this was the case. Poverty contributes to the school dropout rate, being convicted of a crime, and a stressful home environment for which can affect child development.

                        Married couples have a poverty rate of 6.8% and single parent families face a poverty rate of 37.1%. As a pregnant teen, Mary, the other Wes’ mother, faced odds that were against her success to build a life for her sons and herself. Mary was not able to complete school and, as a result of the repeal of a pell grant, was only able to provide minimum for Wes and herself . The section of Baltimore that Mary and Wes had lived surrounded them with poverty and danger, but their circumstances, chained them to this environment. Although Mary wasn’t the only parent Wes had, she was the only present parent. Wes’ father, much like his brothers father, was an alcoholic, and did not hold a steady job.  The other Wes’ father had left his family with no financial funds and no family support. With Mary working, Wes had little supervision at home. The absence of a father/father figure gave the other Wes the idea that he was the “man of the house,” yet he was poorly guided. With no father figure and a busy mother, Wes had missed on lessons of right or wrong. This affected Wes and his mother’s situation immensely, which soon drove Wes to take matters into his own hands, falling prey to fast money and the drug game.

                        The author Wes Moore also had only his mother Joy, but unlike Mary, Joy had an education, support, and opportunity. Joy had the option to rely on her parents, when her husband had passed.  Although this took an emotional toll on the family, the author Wes and his siblings, had much family support that the other Wes did not. After uprooting her family to join living in her parent’s house, Joy worked multiple jobs while Wes’ grandparents babysat him and his siblings. The educational aspects of Wes and his siblings was the main concern for Joy and her parents, who were educated as well. Joy had rebuilt the damage from the loss of her husband, with the aid of her parents and resources. Although she was a single parent, she utilized her opportunities to provide what she could, and more for her children. Guidance, education, and opportunity were given to Wes and his siblings, not only through his mother’s’ perseverance but other factors as well. Joy did not live in poverty, but unfortunately Mary was fastened to it.

                           Had Mary been exposed to programs like Buggy Baby, she may have had the guidance and resources to improve her situation, and ultimately help her son. The article, “Helping New Families Mired in Poverty” in New York Family, focuses on Katherine Snider, the executive director of Baby Buggy. Nick Bell explains the challenge of raising children for those less fortunate, who are short financially or otherwise. The Baby Buggy team provides those mothers and also fathers with the material needs and educational services the parents need to raise their children. Mary needed a program like Baby Buggy to help her in rearing Wes and providing for him more efficiently. Baby Buggy would have provided her diapers, strollers, cribs, car seats, nurse services, job training and education programs for new fathers.  At a stretch, Wes’ father, could have possibly made it in the picture as well. Initially Katherine Snider had a passion for fighting the war on poverty, but as a mother, Snider felt compelled to help at home, where it was needed the most. In a situation like Mary’s, Snider could have proven to be the perfect mentor as well. Single mothers in poverty who do not have as much opportunity as Joy need programs that will become their partner to raise their children. These mothers face the most difficult and frightening job of all, raising a child alone. Unfortunately this was not given to Mary, and as a result she lost her son.

                  The Shriver Report on marriage, motherhood, and men engage in aspects that affected Mary’s situation. Ann O’Leary addresses the lack of incentive the government has to push policies that will reverse trends of low-income mothers, easier access to more effective contraceptive, and work and educational support programs. As an advocate for Buggy Baby Snider was a representative and leader for this program that moves to aid the poverty families in the world today. If Ann O’Leary was present in Mary’s life, O’Leary would’ve been Mary’s voice, and support system. Mary desperately needed these 2 aspects to help push her to look beyond what she was surrounded with, and to see that she still had a chance to exit her lifestlye at the time.

                    In  The Other Wes Moore, both Wes’ experienced different hardships, but only one was able to exceed his potential and go beyond. Poverty had played an important role in crippling the other Wes’ whole life. His mother could not provide for him and as a result, Wes’ life went downhill. Mary did not have the education, the resources, and the support that Joy had. And fortunately for the author Wes, he was given better chances to build his life. Poverty affected the other Wes’ decisions and was the determining factor of where his destination lied. Programs that can be what Mary needed, like Buggy Baby, or a representative for mothers who are struggling like Ann O’Leary could really impact where a mother and her children can end up and result to. If the trend of low-income mothers, absent fathers, and a change in family makeup can change it may establish more planned pregnancies, prepared parents, and successful children.

                                                 Works Cited

                   Bell, Nick. “Helping new families mired in poverty.” New York Family May 2013: 46+. General OneFile. Web. 5 Dec. 2014

                 "Marriage, Motherhood and Men." The Shriver Report Marriage Motherhood and Men Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.

                "Factors on the community need index." Modern Healthcare 9 June 2014: S007. General OneFile. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

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Essay 3 Second Draft

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

 ENG 115

11 November 2014

                                                  Poverty in All

                 One of the most crippling facts of life that can affect opportunities, education, and financial status is the burden of experiencing poverty. 50 million American families live their life below the poverty line. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, poverty entails the outcomes of the lives of both Wes Moore's in the book. For most American families who are below the poverty line, early on the children experience the misfortune of this heavy weight on their shoulders, through their behavior, inside and outside the classroom. For some , poverty is simply just a vicious cycle that has been on repeat before the thought of their own existence, before the chance for anyone to change certain circumstances. For the Other Wes Moore, this was the case. Marriage, as one of the most sacred rituals two people can partake in, can commonly fail and fall prone to poverty resulting in single parenthood. In this case of adversity, both Wes Moore's had fallen under the category of children who were raised by single mothers. Poverty can be the ultimate cause, of a high school dropout, a convicted crime, or even the underdevelopment of children.

                 The other Wes's decisions was the ultimate product of poverty. From the start he was dealt the hand of an absent father, exposure to a drug based neighborhood, and lack of sufficient enough financial funds to keep him from illegal activity. According to Catholic Insight Magazine, married couples have a poverty rate of 6.8% and single parent families face a poverty rate of 37.1%. A factor of higher rating was because most of the single mothers, were un-educated or dropped out of high school. Study by Robert Rector concluded that the fact of the low educations levels these single parents had indeed affected their risk of poverty. The other Wes' mother was unfortunately not able to finish school, as a result of cut financial rewards. This affected Wes and his mothers financial situation immensely, which soon drove a tired of old-and-out-of-date-clothed Wes to take matters into his own hands, and falling prey to fast money and the drug game.

                     Family environment is also affected by poverty. Most times families who struggle to put food on the table, are out busy trying to make ends meet. Again, in this case, the other Wes Moore had experienced this firsthand. The absence of a father and father figure, or lack thereof gave Wes the idea that by default he was the "man of the house" yet he was poorly guided.  In a BBC News article David LAmmy MP says absent fathers 'key cause of knife crime' Lammy concludes that most convicts who commit heinous crimes stem from a single parent household. It was also theorized that this fact essentially deprived neighborhoods for an extended period of time. With no father figure, and a busy mother, Wes had missed on lessons of right or wrong, although his older brother Tony tried to teach Wes how to use his potential in a healthy and life-long beneficial way. Unfortunately Wes had already adapted to his independent lifestyle that he was born with. With this, Wes didn't receive sufficient enough nurturing, and was under developed mentally and educationally.

                   The author Wes Moore, shared with the other Wes Moore the experience of living in poverty touched neighborhoods. For both Wes' the start of their involvement with the educational system was not the greatest. They both lacked the self motivation and outer motivatoin from a parent to strive and excel in their classes, that had not prepared them for the following courses. The author Wes, had experienced two types of setbacks in the educational system, before he was sent to military school as a last resort to help mend his ways. The first was his teachers at school, an incident where one of Wes' teachers, Mrs.Downs told him flatly, "...it didn't matter to her if I [he] showed up because the class ran smoothly when I wasn't there." Teachers that taught at public and non-funded schools did not care much for students who lacked motivation and showed no interest in academics, therefore the easiest way was to rid them of the class environment. If Wes had teachers or mentors who put in the effort to make sure that Wes got back and stayed on track, he might have avoided his educational adversity at the time. Disadvantage Does Not Have to be Destiny, an article by Katie Ashford in TES Magazine argues the importance of a educator who makes themselves known and aware in their students lives, especially those kids who have already been tainted by poverty.

                   The second incident was the environment. The author Wes, faced the difficulty of fitting in, and finding a middle ground between his school environment, and his neighborhood environment, but the most important aspect was his reputation, similar to the other Wes. Because the author Wes had attended a private school, the majority of students were white. Wes became friends with a student who attended the same private school, Justin, who had come from the same neighborhood, and who was also black. At school, Wes had to act a certain way that was different compared to how he acted with his friends back at his neghborhood. Wes experienced teasing from his nieghborhood friends because he attended a "white" school, and he experienced internal humiliation from his school mates fortune. A brief article by Mark Warren, Roland Fryer's Big Ideas, discusses the affects of poverty on student social behavior. Warren discusses the idea of " 'acting white' " a social phenonmenon. Warren defines this as " a set of social interactions ... for investing in behaviors charcteristic of whites." Warren then proceeds to a set of statistics of the racial achievement gap, including the gpa's of Hispanics, Whites, and Blacks. Wes' experience of having to mask his true identity resulted in the fall of his grades, but most importantly his confidence.

                                             Works Cited

          "Marriage decreases poverty." Catholic Insight Nov. 2012: 25. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

          Simmons, Andrew. "Not Everyone Can Afford the All-American On-Campus Life." Nationaljournal.com 8 Sept. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

          Ashford, Katie. "Disadvantage does not have to be destiny." TES Magazine 12 Sep. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

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Essay 3 First Draft

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

11/12/14

                                                 Poverty in All

            One of the most crippling facts of life that can affect opportunities, education, and financial status is the burden of experiencing poverty. Fifty million American families live their life below the poverty line. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore poverty affects one of the Wes’ in the book. For most American families who are below the poverty line, early on children experience the misfortunes that poverty distributes to the lives of their loved ones and themselves. For some, poverty is a vicious cycle that has been on repeat before the thought of their own existence, before the chance for anyone to change certain circumstances. For the other Wes Moore, this was the case. Poverty is the ultimate cause of a high school dropout, a convicted crime, and the underdevelopment of children.

               From the start, he was the dealt the hand of an absent father. According to Catholic Insight Magazine, married couples have a poverty rate of 6.8% and single parent families face a poverty rate of 37.1%. The absence of a father/father figure, or lack thereof gave the other Wes the idea that by default he was the “man of the house” yet he was poorly guided. . The other Wes’ mother was unfortunately not able to finish school, as a result of cut financial rewards.

               With no father figure, and a busy mother, Wes had missed on lessons of right or wrong, although his older brother Tony tried to teach Wes how to use his potential in a healthy and life-long beneficial way This affected Wes and his mother’s situation immensely, which soon drove Wes to take matters into his own hands, falling prey to fast money and the drug game.

               Environments like home and neighborhood are also affected by poverty. Most times families who struggle to put food on the table, are out busy trying to make ends meet. Again, in this case the Other Wes Moore had experienced this firsthand. In a BBC News article, David Lammy MP most convicts stem from essentially deprived neighborhoods for extended periods of time. Wes was exposed to many drug based neighborhoods. These neighborhoods Wes lived in were as well, touched by poverty. As inevitable as it was, Wes became under developed educationally.

                  The author Wes Moore, shared with the other Wes Moore the experience of living in poverty touched neighborhoods. For both Wes’ the start of their involvement with the educational system was not the greatest. They both lacked the self motivation and outer motivation from a parent to strive and excel in their classes, that had not prepared them for the following courses. The author Wes, had experienced two types of setbacks in the educational system, before he was sent to military school as a last resort to help mend his ways. The first was his teachers at school, an incident where one of Wes’ teachers, Mrs.Downs told him flatly, “…it didn’t matter to her if I [he] showed up because the class ran smoothly when I wasn’t there.” Teachers that taught at public and non-funded schools did not care much for students who lacked motivation and showed no interest in academics, therefore the easiest way was to rid them of the class environment. If Wes had teachers or mentors who put in the effort to make sure that Wes got back and stayed on track, he might have avoided his educational adversity at the time. Disadvantage Does Not Have to be Destiny, an article by Katie Ashford in TES Magazine argues the importance of a educator who makes themselves known and aware in their students lives, especially those kids who have already been tainted by poverty.

                    The second incident was the environment. The author Wes, faced the difficulty of fitting in, and finding a middle ground between his school environment, and his neighborhood environment, but the most important aspect was his reputation, similar to the other Wes. Because the author Wes had attended a private school, the majority of students were white. Wes became friends with a student who attended the same private school, Justin, who had come from the same neighborhood, and who was also black. At school, Wes had to act a certain way that was different compared to how he acted with his friends back at his neighborhood. Wes experienced teasing from his neighborhood friends because he attended a “white” school, and he experienced internal humiliation from his school mates fortune. A brief article by Mark Warren, Roland Fryer’s Big Ideas, discusses the affects of poverty on student social behavior. Warren discusses the idea of ” ‘acting white’ ” a social phenomenon. Warren defines this as ” a set of social interactions … for investing in behaviors characteristic of whites.” Warren then proceeds to a set of statistics of the racial achievement gap, including the gpa’s of Hispanics, Whites, and Blacks. Wes’ experience of having to mask his true identity resulted in the fall of his grades, but most importantly his confidence.

                     Each and every aspect of both the Wes’ lives had been altered by poverty.  Everyday situations in their home and outside home life measured their opportunity to remain in the cycle poverty or utilize the strength to escape it. Poverty had held a power grip on both Wes’  adolescent life. It had affected their social behaviors, financial decisions, and most importantly their academic success. As children they had experienced feelings of inadequacy and poorness. The absence of both their fathers had left a dent in their emotional development, specifically forcing the other Wes to become independent at a very early age. The author Wes had experienced social trauma, when poverty had affected his socializing skills forcing him to play two parts that had humiliated him and his self confidence. Ultimately both Wes Moore’s lived under the poverty line. This reality affected how the other Wes conducted himself, and his perversion of decision making. Although the author Wes, had turned over a new leaf upon entering military school, if he had continued his behavior he would have entered the never ending spiral of heartache, adversity, and struggle that the other Wes had blindly welcomed. There are no grey areas once poverty in added into the equation. This expanding economic plague allows for less opportunity, less change, and more failure.

                                            Works Cited

            Ashford, Katie. “Disadvantage does not have to be destiny.” TES Magazine 12 Sep. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

            Simmons, Andrew. “Not Everyone Can Afford the All-American On-Campus Life.” Nationaljournal.com 8 Sept. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

            Warren, Mark. “Roland Fryer’s big ideas.” Esquire Dec. 2005: 229. General OneFile. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

            "Marriage decreases poverty." Catholic Insight Nov. 2012: 25. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

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Summary

                                                Poverty is No Excuse

                Amy F. Sichel wrote, “ Poverty is No Excuse — It’s A Challenge” an article in the School Administrator on the educational system in Africa and it’s variations to America’s educational system. Sichel agrees with Dan Domenech, AASA’s executive director when he expresses, “poverty… is a reality not an excuse.” The majority of our lowest performing schools contain most of the high poverty children. Sichel’s found that on a trip with the AASA to South Africa, the students who attend schools in poor facilities, have much of the same environment that American school surroundings possess. Yet Sichel expressed that the South African children do not allow themselves to be burdened by their backgrounds, and strive to succeed in their academics, and raise academic standards for all students, despite over packed class rooms, and insufficient resources. She also found that the sources of funding for these facilities are quite different.  Instead of relying on tax dollars, the stipends come from a fixed amount from the government. And in wealthier schools, intuition is implemented, that helps reimburse this stipend.

                Despite the amount of poverty in South Africa, it is amazing that the children still have the motivation to succeed in their academic endeavors to better provide lives for themselves. It is amazing that a third world country can find some common ground that can fund education instead of pay via taxation. The educational structure is indeed the most interesting when it comes to their staff and educators availability. Although prior to this policy fueled change, the educators in South Africa were minimally trained, if not qualified to do their job. It seems that poverty is the dividing line between the aspect of education that a student may receive. Although poverty may seem like a leeway for misbehavior and a prediction for failure, it is only a mere hurdle in the potential of success.

               Amy F. Sichel. "Poverty is No Excuse - It's a Challenge." School Administrator. Feb      2014. Web. 24 Nov 2014  

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Reflective Essay

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

12/8/14

                                               Reflective Essay

                  This English 115 semester has indeed taught me a lot about writing but especially the way I write as well. Before going into this course, I thought that my writing was at the very least, decent. But surely I was wrong. I had discovered that my writing was, not as severe as can be, but it wasn’t the best, it wasn’t what I thought what was. This is not to say that I felt I was the best writer in the world, but that I could give satisfactory work and earn a satisfactory grade. If you were to compare my knowledge of writing before to my knowledge of writing now, you could see the distinction evidently. And then if you were to compare my writing before to my writing now, you could the distinction, even more evidently. Although I wasn’t expecting to learn about my writing, it sure proved useful.

                 A few of the most important things I have learned in this course was 1) time management 2) developing arguments 3) research/sources 4) revision 5) MLA/citation. Sitting in class learning about these things, admittedly made me embarrassed. These things should’ve already been learnt in school, and should’ve been obvious to at least a college student, yet I hadn’t know much. Time management is key to having the smallest success in college, yet it’s unfortunate that I was not able to apply it to the way I conducted myself. When doing assignments, my writing was hardly developed, and this was one of my biggest struggles. It was difficult for me to develop an argument, but easy to word one. Hardly was I able to support an argument. Using resources for essays, also became very tedious to me. But I learned that having more credible sources, would make my writing more important, more sound. Revision was also a tedious issue for me, but it was for the better. MLA and citations were somewhat of a challenge but I understood the concept, unlike in high school.

                It’s definite that I will be applying this to my other courses. In learning how weak my writing was, fueled me to want to improve on it immensely. And even if, by a miracle, I would be able to pass this class, I would still venture out to enroll in another writing class to practice and sharpen my skills. I still have a lot to work on, when it comes to developing my arguments, and utilizing my sources into my topics. I do have faith that it’s not something I cannot fix or improve on. My assignments were, to be honest, half assed. Which also played a big part on why my grade came out the way it did. I learned that any amount of effort won’t simply just translate into a decent grade. Old habits from high school, have to die, and die soon.

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Project Web

As one of the most notorious challenges the human race faces today, poverty ensures the crippling of opportunities that may slip through our fingertips. Education has become a crucial skill and aspect needed for citizens to lead successful, comfortable, and financial stable lives. The Other Wes Moore gives an insight to how poverty in schools set the motion of the under development of children and what their lives could result in. Poverty can be the tie breaker of what path children will walk down, whether through their own choice, or the closing window of a missed opportunity.

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Insourcing School Discipline

An article in America, “Insourcing School Discipline,” tackles the controversy between the tolerances and actions of the LA disciplinary system. America Magazine finds that there are alternative to the options on dealing with delinquent children within the school districts of the LA. The school districts have generated new policies to decrease the amount of students sent to the juvenile court system. The primary objective is for the school officials to handle the students who misbehave before immediately sending them to juvenile court. Michael Nash, a supporter of the new adjustment, believes that only the students who pose a great threat to the community should be handed over to the courts. Nash believes that the court system should not be the first option that teachers and educators turn to when dealing with “simply misbehavior that is age-appropriate.” Eric Holder, an education secretary, disagrees, arguing that this leeway contradicts the purpose of the educational system and possibly allows for students to be more prone to become future criminals.

The policy change does offer a moral look upon the treatment of students who misbehave, which for someone like myself can appreciate, but only upon condition. Some students may need the juvenile court system, as radical as it may be, to discipline them when the niceties have been thrown out the window. Nash is giving students the benefit of his doubt but this can also be interpreted as turning a blind eye, which is ignorant in some cases. Eric Holder does have a point when arguing that the new policy change, could go against what was set out to do initially, which was to discipline children when needed. Given too much flexibility, children can become recalcitrant quite quickly, which is where Holder seems to have a strong argument in preventing this outcome. The other Wes Moore has faced what he might have called Holders’ view a normal treatment, as he was involved with the court systems ever since adolescence. Yet he also experienced the mercy of Nash, through his mothers’ innocent perceptions of him.

  "Insourcing school discipline." America 15 Sept. 2014: 4. General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

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Poverty is No Excuse

Amy F. Sichel wrote, “ Poverty is No Excuse — It’s A Challenge” an article in the School Administrator on the educational system in Africa and it’s variations to America’s educational system. Sichel agrees with Dan Domenech, AASA’s executive director when he expresses, “poverty… is a reality not an excuse.” The majority of our lowest performing schools contain most of the high poverty children. Sichel’s found that on a trip with the AASA to South Africa, the students who attend schools in poor facilities, have much of the same environment that American school surroundings possess. Yet Sichel expressed that the South African children do not allow themselves to be burdened by their backgrounds, and strive to succeed in their academics, and raise academic standards for all students, despite over packed class rooms, and insufficient resources. She also found that the sources of funding for these facilities are quite different.  Instead of relying on tax dollars, the stipends come from a fixed amount from the government. And in wealthier schools, intuition is implemented, that helps reimburse this stipend.

Despite the amount of poverty in South Africa, it is amazing that the children still have the motivation to succeed in their academic endeavors to better provide lives for themselves. It is amazing that a third world country can find some common ground that can fund education instead of pay via taxation. The educational structure is indeed the most interesting when it comes to their staff and educators availability. Although prior to this policy engined change, the educators in South Africa were minimally trained, if not qualified to do their job. It seems that poverty is the dividing line between the aspect of education that a student may receive. Although poverty may seem like a leeway for misbehavior and a prediction for failure, it is only a mere hurdle in the potential of success.

Amy F. Sichel. “Poverty is No Excuse—It’s a Challenge.” School Administrator Feb. 2014: 50. General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014

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Ruling for Poor School District Funding

An article by Shelly Sigo, “Ruling for Poor School District Funding Positive: Moody’s” in The Bond Buyer, begins to convey that in the state of South Carolina, provisions for funding to poor children had been minimal, violating the state’s constitution. On November 12 of just this year, the state’s court had resolved this 21 year old case, establishing that the formula for funding their schools had been “fractured”. Primarily overlooking the blame, the state lawmakers and school officials immediately pushed new plans to help relieve the situation of under funding. Sigo continues with the state’s plan to create a new funding formula for their schools and also the differences between the distributions of aid for other state’s. Currently in South Carolina, school funding is fixed upon the states market taxability. Sigo elaborates on a proposed 3 way allocation of the state formula: change the formula, overhaul the formula, or fully fund the student cost requirement.

Sigo brought light to a misstep in the process of setting forth an equal amount of education for children and students. After all that we’ve discovered about child development, it seems as if there needs to be a sacrifice children’s education with go first, which is entirely wrong. If funding formula’s for education do not tend to high poverty areas, and low income households, this may be the cause of larger class sizes, fewer resources for students, and over crowded schools. The children should not have their education stolen from them at such a prominent young age. With disregarding the blame, the issue should have been addressed, while fixing the school’s funding. Whoever did not calculate the correct amount of funding should be reevaluated to base their understanding and knowledge of their own job. If the funding issue had persisted longer, children would, soon enough, begin to perform lower educationally, as an end result, contributing to the poverty cycle.

S.C. Ruling for Poor School District Funding Positive: Moody’s.” The Bond Buyer 21 Nov. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

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Even as Sunbelt Cities Grow, Many Are Left Behind

In “Even as Sunbelt Cities Grow, Many Are Left Behind”, an article in the National Journal Daily written by Ronald Brownstein, sets out to speculate the city of Houston, where ethnicities remain rich and diverse, yet poverty still manages to taint the lives of their students. Brownstein expresses the lack of educational skill the students fail to attain, that could be detrimental to their true potential. The educational disparities that the students face steal their opportunity. Looking at the current racial achievement gap, Brownstein noticed the distinctions between the Asians, whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics. Yet while they achieved to close the racial achievement gap, the economic gap remains open. Schools that are in high poverty areas have not improved.  While Houston can put out many new jobs and employment opportunities, if their students are not succeeding in academics, how will they be prepared to perform their jobs? Brownstein argues that opportunity has to be equally available for high poverty schools, and without this the achievement gap would not come anywhere close to a close.

I agree with Brownstein’s view that diversity is not a challenge, it is an advantage. Diversity brings unity between many different cultures. As a state that carries a robust economy, the residents of Houston can build their families, and also create new employment. Brownstein also mentions Billy White, Houston’s former mayor, stating, “ we have a fantastic opportunity, because we have such a young population.” The youth today, can be the adult role models of the future, if they are educated properly, and molded as one. Regarding the lack of improvement in high poverty schools, are a result of low taxes, and do not supply enough for the schools. This causes the states to look for employees that are out of state to perform jobs. Indigence can, become a category to be identified as. Hardly are those who are under the poverty line, seen as valuable because of their education.

Brownstein, Ronald. “Even as Sun Belt Cities Grow, Many Are Left Behind.” National Journal Daily 24 Sept. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

South Carolina Public School Funding 2009-201.2009.

Thevoiceforschoolchoice.wordpress.com,n.p

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One of the statistics given in the video by the Annie E Casey Foundation, was 22% of children living in poverty, do not graduate. Poverty is one of the first challenges that afflicts children at a very young age. The speaker, expresses the need to be exposed to successful role models, that can motivate them to break the grasp that poverty had over their lives. Those who live in communities that do not have sufficient resources for education, even market places, don't have the drive to change their lives. They are constantly surrounded by the idea that they don't have the capabilities to reach out for more in their lives, which contributes to the cycle poverty. Even for those who do graduate, are not graduating with the proper tools to succeed in the workforce. The education pipeline, has to be strengthened within the nation, to create a shift in the economy and a shift that can help those in need. 

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Summary 8 and 9

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

11/4/14

Summary 8

            A short story by Katie Ashford published in TES magazine, to encourage educators to remain supportive of their students who's lives have been affect by poverty. Katie Ashford portrays in her story the hardships that the child and parents both face, and the result of a never ending cycle of none achievements, or success. Ashford claims that the central problem is that these families in poverty are at a disadvantage, but teachers and educators have to be persistent in keeping the children going to school, and finishing their education. Ashfor suggests that the families also have to keep close range with their kids to make sure they have the best support system to keep them going.

Summary 9

            To Have and Have Not; Crime and Povery by The Economist Magazine dives into the link between incomes and criminal behavior. The article discusses the work of researcher Amir Sariaslan who dissects the causes of Scandonavion povety and crime. Family income had indeed made the impact on the kids lives in the future. Sariaslan came to the conclusion of the start of the downfall from 15 year olds to jail imprisonment. He also came to the conclusion that families who become more wealthier still were at risk of having imprisoned family members. His research brought further questions about self-reinforced poverty, and a possible solution of raising family income.

Works Cited

To Have and Have Not; Crime and Poverty. The Economist. N.p., 23 Aug. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.

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Essay 3

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

11/10/12

Jasmine:  Choose one topic.  Make sure you have a clearly stated arguable thesis statement.  Make sure all the sources are related to what you are writing about.  Do you want to schedule a meeting with me?

Poverty in All

One of the most crippling facts of life that can affect opportunities, education, and financial status is the burden of experiencing poverty. (Don’t start sentence with numeral.) Fifty 50 million American families live their life below the poverty line. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, poverty entails the outcomes of the lives of both Wes Moore's  in the book—Does it—there are two different outcomes?  Also did author Wes Moore live in poverty?. For most American families who are below the poverty line, early on the children experience the misfortune of this heavy weight on their shoulders through their behavior inside and outside the classroom—What do you mean?  All children?. For some, poverty simply is just a vicious cycle that has been on repeat before the thought of their own existence, before the chance for anyone to change certain circumstances. For the other Wes Moore, this was the case.  Marriage, as one of the most sacred rituals two people can partake in, can commonly fail and fall prone to poverty resulting in single parenthood. In this case of adversity, both Wes Moore's had fallen under the category of children who were raised by single mothers. Poverty can be the ultimate cause of a high school dropout, a convicted crime, or even the under development of children.   Choose one topic….what are you writing about? 

The other Wes's decisions was the ultimate product of poverty. From the start he was dealt the hand of an absent father, exposure to a drug based neighborhood, and lack of sufficient enough financial funds to keep him from illegal activity. According to Catholic Insight Magazine, married couples have a poverty rate of 6.8% and single parent families face a poverty rate of 37.1%. A factor of higher rating was because most of the single mothers, were un-educated or dropped out of high school. Study by Robert Rector concluded that the fact of the low educations levels these single parents had indeed affected their risk of poverty. The other Wes' mother was unfortunately not able to finish school, as a result of cut financial rewards. This affected Wes and his mothers financial situation immensely, which soon drove a tired of old-and-out-of-date-clothed Wes to take matters into his own hands, and falling prey to fast money and the drug game.

Family environment is also affected by poverty. Most times families who struggle to put food on the table, are out busy trying to make ends meet. Again, in this case, the other Wes Moore had experienced this firsthand. The absence of a father and father figure, or lack thereof gave Wes the idea that by default he was the "man of the house" yet he was poorly guided.  In a BBC News article David Lammy MP says absent fathers 'key cause of knife crime'  Lammy concludes that most convicts who commit heinous crimes stem from a single parent household. It was also theorized that this fact essentially deprived neighborhoods for an extended period of time. With no father figure, and a busy mother, Wes had missed on lessons of right or wrong, although his older brother Tony tried to teach Wes how to use his potential in a healthy and life-long beneficial way. Unfortunately Wes had already adapted to his independent lifestyle that he was born with. With this, Wes didn't receive sufficient enough nurturing, and was under developed mentally and educationally.

The author Wes Moore, shared with the other Wes Moore the experience of living in poverty touched neighborhoods. For both Wes' the start of their involvement with the educational system was not the greatest. They both lacked the self motivation and outer motivation from a parent to strive and excel in their classes, that had not prepared them for the following courses. The author Wes, had experienced two types of setbacks in the educational system, before he was sent to military school as a last resort to help mend his ways. The first was his teachers at school, an incident where one of Wes' teachers, Mrs.Downs told him flatly, "...it didn't matter to her if I [he] showed up because the class ran smoothly when I wasn't there." Teachers that taught at public and non-funded schools did not care much for students who lacked motivation and showed no interest in academics, therefore the easiest way was to rid them of the class environment. If Wes had teachers or mentors who put in the effort to make sure that Wes got back and stayed on track, he might have avoided his educational adversity at the time. Disadvantage Does Not Have to be Destiny, an article by Katie Ashford in TES Magazine argues the importance of a educator who makes themselves known and aware in their students lives, especially those kids who have already been tainted by poverty.

The second incident was the environment. The author Wes, faced the difficulty of fitting in, and finding a middle ground between his school environment, and his neighborhood environment, but the most important aspect was his reputation, similar to the other Wes. Because the author Wes had attended a private school, the majority of students were white. Wes became friends with a student who attended the same private school, Justin, who had come from the same neighborhood, and who was also black. At school, Wes had to act a certain way that was different compared to how he acted with his friends back at his neighborhood. Wes experienced teasing from his neighborhood friends because he attended a "white" school, and he experienced internal humiliation from his school mates fortune. A brief article by Mark Warren, Roland Fryer's Big Ideas, discusses the affects of poverty on student social behavior. Warren discusses the idea of " 'acting white' " a social phenomenon. Warren defines this as " a set of social interactions ... for investing in behaviors characteristic of whites." Warren then proceeds to a set of statistics of the racial achievement gap, including the gpa's of Hispanics, Whites, and Blacks. Wes' experience of having to mask his true identity resulted in the fall of his grades, but most importantly his confidence.

Each and every aspect of both the Wes' lives had been altered by poverty.  Everyday situations in their home and outside home life measured their opportunity to remain in the cycle poverty or utilize the strength to escape it. Poverty had held a power grip on both Wes'  adolescent life. It had affected their social behaviors, financial decisions, and most importantly their academic success. As children they had experienced feelings of inadequacy and poorness. The absence of both their fathers had left a dent in their emotional development, specifically forcing the other Wes to become independent at a very early age. The author Wes had experienced social trauma, when poverty had affected his socializing skills forcing him to play two parts that had humiliated him and his self confidence. Ultimately both Wes Moore's lived under the poverty line. This reality affected how the other Wes conducted himself, and his perversion of decision making. Although the author Wes, had turned over a new leaf upon entering military school, if he had continued his behavior he would have entered the never ending spiral of heartache, adversity, and struggle that the other Wes had blindly welcomed. There are no grey areas once poverty in added into the equation. This expanding economic plague allows for less opportunity, less change, and more failure.

      Works Cited

Ashford, Katie. "Disadvantage does not have to be destiny." TES Magazine 12 Sep. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

Simmons, Andrew. "Not Everyone Can Afford the All-American On-Campus Life." Nationaljournal.com 8 Sept. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

Warren, Mark. "Roland Fryer's big ideas." Esquire Dec. 2005: 229. General OneFile. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

"Marriage decreases poverty." Catholic Insight Nov. 2012: 25. General OneFile. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

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Summary 10

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

11/4/14

Summary 10

            MoneyLife Magazine focusses an article on Tarang and NGO who works to provide support for underprivelaged children. The article opens with the founding of Tarang's program for equal education opportunies. His goal is to release programs that will help kids who have the strive to educate themselves, while caring and nourishing their needs. Tarang portrays that the future of a child always begins with the development of their education. He has not only founded an educational program but also programs that provide children with resources that they can utilize to further their study.

Works Cited

Money Life 19 Aug. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.

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Exercise 2

Jasmine Glover Professor Bieber ENG 115 11/5/14 Exercise Two: Argumentative Proposal Important Claim: "Crime and poverty; To have and have not" evaluates the connection between income and criminal behavior. Research by Amir Sariaslan, dives into the legal responsiblity age of children in Sweden, at 15 years old. He finds that kids who didn't have sufficient enough income in their families were more seven times more likely to be convicted of violent crimes and drug misuse, as opposed to those who received higher income rates. Surprisingly he found that children of families who later on increased their earnings, still misbehaved. Sariaslan then theorized that criminal behavior is more possible at the bottom of society because of the lack of impulse control, resulting in a person's capacity to earn income. Opposing Claim: Although children who were born into poverty did not result into well rounded citizens, a school system must have been present, nonetheless. These children as well who have older siblings, can take on a part of a role that parents may not be able to fully set in a childs life. Poverty can not be an excuse to be self-detrimental to one's own future. Although it may be harder to make a living in poverty, it certainly isn't possible if one does not have the drive to earn sufficient enough income to support and provide for their family. Questionable or Problematic: The claim from the article, can be questionable because it is not an overall statistic of poverty around the world, just a statistic from one area that is Sweden. Poverty, can be different in many regions of the world, because countries range from first and third world countries. The opposing claim is more a lesss, difficult to support as it's more of a bias than a concrete argument. It does not consider all factors, as well as outside factors that may or may not affect the future of children who are born into poverty. My Claim: In my perspective, I do agree with the article's main idea that poverty affects the outcome of children through their behavior and ability to earn income later on in life. Poverty affects the resources and necessities that humans, importantly children's need to make a livelihood. The independence that a child may gain through life lessons or sibling mentoring will not be adequate enough for them to use throughout their lives as the grow, mature, and develop. Poverty affects most aspects of a child's future, as opposed to children who are fortunate enough to have access to needs, and moreso luxuries.

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Exercise 1

Jasmine Glover

Professor Bieber

ENG 115

11/5/2014

Exercise One: Argument and Analysis

            In "Education for Poor Children through Night-schools; Tarang believes that education is every child's birthright as it brings about a transformation in the child's life" an NGO, Tarang, provides educational programs that develops curriculums to educate kids who have been effected by poverty. The children who are involved in the program are taught how to achieve the means to secure their necessities of life, such as sources of income, sustenance, and nourishment. Tarang creates resources for children who have the educational drive to further their learning, through sponsorship and nightschool, providing them with facilities and learning materials. Most children who cannot afford to go to school, turn to adult-like responsibilities like taking part in hard labor work, or looking after their younger siblings, if their parent is not available. Tarang's overall goal is to motivate children who have the goals to contribute to society, and to take full part in providing the financial needs of those children.

            The article discusses the work of Tarang, expressing his successes in providing for slum children, and children below the poverty line, but only goes into depth about purpose of the programs that Tarang sponsors. The lack of effectiveness, raises question of if his programs actually help mold the children and impacts their future lives. This lack of program statistic lessens the credibility of the article as there is no proof that children are indeed given a better chance at escaping the poverty they were born into. He believes that education tranforms a child's life but provides no evidence that his programs have proven effective.  Another problematic issue is that Tarang sets out to only, to help children who want a better life, " Tarang would like to motivate those want to give something back to society,..." It is questionable as to what happens to the other children, who have accepted the fate of poverty's grip on their life. Does he mean that these children, are just simply a lost cause, and helpless? Or does this fortune of equal opportunity only apply to those who are willing to grasp it? Tarang does not clarify what happens to the kids that he will not provide for.

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Exercise 2

Jasmine Glover

Professor Beiber

ENG 115

16 October, 2014

Imposed Gender Roles of Society

Morals and values alter over time due to developments in society and culture influence. We’ve experienced the progression of culture beliefs that have given us prominence today, such as equality in treatment and opportunity, religious freedom, and gender differences and roles. In the early 1980’s, the status quo was that men were the supposed providers of their family, and that women were primarily responsible for homemaking and childrearing. In this ethnography, we will identify why these beliefs are still alive, and the different responses that are given concerning gender roles.

For this observation assignment, I chose to work with Stephanie Ayala, to conduct our polls. The time span of our polling did not last more than 24 hours. We decided to survey students who went to CSUN, some of who few close friends of ours, and family. When I surveyed the 5 I chose, I had asked them follow up questions from what they said, and brought to their attention feminism and traditions from as early as the 1950’s. The idea was to get opinions of people who were not all the same age, and examine the differences and opinions and perspectives. But also the similarities of our surveyors were unified on the aspect of an equal share, but I had also noticed that regardless of this, a few of them were specific in what both sexes should regulate and be in charge of or tend to.

Because of convenience, the first person I surveyed was my older brother, Joseph. I thought that interviewing him was actually pretty interesting, considering the fact that I had never wondered if our views clashed or intertwined with one another. But I had never wanted to challenge his views, if they did clash. Considering his personality, his answer blended harmoniously with his character, which was what I had expected. He answered my question with, “We still do hold these values, but they’re slowly transcending gender roles. Similar to people’s opinion on tradition and whether they chose to uphold it or not.” He went on explaining the need of a balance between the man and woman in a household, and gave me any analogy: “When people look at trees they only see the leaves never the roots.”

Following after my brother, I went to my 59 year old father, and asked him the same question. I was surprised, but not shocked with my fathers’ response. “I believe in the 20th century beliefs. Back then, one persons’ income was sufficient because it was enough to support a family with two children. In the real world, men earn more than women.” My discussion with my father also included his religious views, as they are the basis of most of his perspectives on life. This survey made me think about the economic differences between the 20th and the 21st century.

I then consulted one of my closest friends, who also attends CSUN, Pratanporn Endinjok. I interviewed her as I know that she is Thai, and they have different traditions in her culture as opposed to American views. She answered my question with a straightforward, yet vague answer, “I believe so, but it’s not as out there like back then. Since women are speaking up more and fighting for equal rights, in a way we’re slowly throwing away that belief.” Although American raised, I realized from her response that her culture did not play much part in her views. Whether they were established or not, unfortunately I could not tell.

Following suit, I asked my other friend, Ryan Fernandez, who similar to Prat, attends CSUN. As a young adult male, I was fascinated by his answer. Of course, I had my presumptions about what the common guy thought, but it was nothing compared to what Ryan’s response was.  In our brief discussion, he answered, “Yes this belief is still held, but it may be altered in some ways. It’s in our culture. In reality, females can bring home more money and can earn just as much, or the husband can be the cook or clean. I guess it’s a part of our culture, our tradition. I suppose it was made the mans’ job to support and sustain a family and a woman’s job to care for the baby and work inside the household. It’s changed a little in our society but that’s how it still is, and still applies today. It gives a man something to do.” His last thought, resonated in my mind.

Finally came Marie Arjona, a friend I had gone to high school with, but did not attend college. I had not had communication with Marie for a while, which made me feel like a real surveyor. Her response was distinct from the others, as she had mentioned something that had not come to mind. She began to answer the question with, “Yes, I do still believe that he majority of Americans, and most of other cultures expect for the man to be the main source of income. I feel that it is, in some extraordinary cases, is an unspoken rule the men should already take on the role of provider, and that women should tend to homes and children. For my preference, I do feel that the men should take on the role of ‘leader of the household’ but I also believe that women can also take lead, if the husband is absent.”

As a result of the survey, I came to the overall analysis of the responses I had gotten.  These beliefs still remain alive today, in the family circle. Although because of the change and evolution of man, the beliefs may not hold much weight. The economy also affects these beliefs through logic. If there is economic change there may also be social change. Along with religious views, this takes a hold on what gender is entitled to do what and tend to what.  The importance of balance between the genders was also brought up, but the importance what gender can perform based on their abilities also plays a part. Overall I’d say that these beliefs are upon each person themselves.