Poverty in NJ

2. The Brindle and McAllister families would face large difficulties living the welfare payments these families receive would not meet their basic needs. The Essex County self-sufficiency wage for an adult plus a preschooler and school age child (as in the Brindle family) is $22.10 an hour without any support. For Atlantic County, which is slightly below the Essex County figure, even with all available support, the self sufficiency wage is still $9.73, something neither of these families would meet as the mothers are not working, and might find difficulty meeting even if they are working, as the minimum wage at the time of the report was only $7.15. The working class families, the Taylors, Drivers, and Yanellis, would still have trouble meeting the standard, as none of them make the Essex County self sufficiency wage or receive public support.

3. The two families on welfare, the Brindles and McAllisters, are both headed by single mothers. Both LSNJ reports state that poverty rates are higher for single mothers, and especially single mothers of color. Especially for Ms. Brindle, who has a preschool age child, the difficulties would be harder. The studies attributed lack of work to lack of access to child care during work hours, something Ms. Brindle would need for her youngest. As neither of Ms. McAllister’s children are working age, it would be difficult for her to support the family on her own. This could be compounded by her race, as the finding in both reports state that poverty is much higher among non-whites.

4. This information has limited use in the classroom. The most use would simply come from understanding the issues working class and poor families have. As an instrumental music educator, I might have to understand that some students would not be able to practice at home. This could be because of their living situation. For example, a student living in the projects or other apartment building might not be allowed to practice because the neighbors would complain. Or students might not want to take their instruments home, because they might not come back. In a family like the McAllisters, there would be a concern that the aunt might steal the instrument for money. So staying after school so that students who want to practice can would be an almost necessary thing, as would changing my assessments to reflect this reality. Another thing I might have to understand is how expensive playing an instrument can be. Many families simply would not be able to afford supplies such as reeds, practice pads, or valve oil. These are things I would have to put into my budget that educators in more affluent districts might not have to. From an pedagogical standpoint, however, I can’t see how this information might help me as a teacher. I feel that the way I teach my students would be same, but expectations and assessments might change. My goals for what I want the students to learn, however, would be the same.