EDUC 2120 Lesson 3

In lesson 3, we talked about social status and what that means for schools and students. I feel like this is something that is necessary to know about as a teacher. In the lesson I learned about the good and the bad things about the SES statuses. There were two parts to this lesson, in the second part I learned about bullying and the harmful effects that it can cause.

How is SES measured? Explain.
- SES is measured by financial stability. This measurement comes from income, occupation, education, neighborhood, and political power. Sometimes the measurement given from SES can be flawed. A good example of this is some families are considered low income because one parent may be in school, unlike their neighbors who have very little hope of ever getting a better job.

Describe at least 2 negative effects of low SES.
- Two negative effects of having low SES are lead poisoning and fetal alcohol syndrome. Many of the kids from low SES families get lead poisoning from ingesting the old lead paint that is found inside of old buildings. It causes serious neurological disorders. Children who are born to alcoholic mothers can develop fetal alcohol syndrome. This syndrome can lead to mental retardation.

Describe some of the differences concerning education and student achievement levels in Low SES families versus High SES families.
- In the lower SES families and schools the teachers aren’t as qualified or as equipped to teach their students. These students are not considered to be college material so they are less likely to graduate. The teachers also give less opportunity for student involvement because they consider these students to not be capable. The high SES students are more likely to read and study out of class unlike the low SES who spend a large majority of time watching television. The high SES students also have mothers who have gone to college as well.

Describe some options that are available for Low SES families concerning education.
- One of the options given to improve the possibility of success for low SES families is the head start program. Head start was started to get these students to the same level as the high SES students upon starting school. In Michigan the high/scope preschool is used to help lower SES students stay up. North Carolina also started the Abecedarian Intervention program. The state of Illinois they have begun a Child-Parent center to help better the relationship between parents and children.

Explain how socioeconomic status determines the economic conditions of persons.
- The socioeconomic status determines the economic conditions of persons in many ways. In America the social status of an individual coincides with their economic condition. People are put into social groups according to their economic status.

Can a person change their SES? If so, describe how. If not, describe why not.
- Yes a person can change their SES. A person can pursue higher education and get a better job. People also have the ability to better themselves and become whoever they want to be. In America today the opportunity has been given to everyone who is a citizen.

Concerning the YouTube video, describe what you learned
- Through watching this video I never realized how large the gap is between the richest then the lowest income in America. I was also very shocked at the fact of the top one percent of America holds nearly forty percent of the wealth in America. I can’t believe that the CEO in most corporations makes in one hour what it takes for the average worker to make in one month.

The author uses a strong metaphor, describing high school students as "wild beasts roaming the plains," hunting each other. How would you describe your high school experience?
- I feel like there are some pretty mean people in high school. This is a time in a person’s life when they are in a sense trying to find who they are and experiment with different things. For some high school students this could be bullying. Some people find that bullying may bring them a feeling of accomplishment or that they feel empowered by belittling others. For me, I never really thought that people were that mean but I have seen bullying done to people in a high school environment. I always tried not to be the one bullying anyone else and I feel like I really have not been a bully but I have seen some of my friends be mean to others. I don’t know if I would say that high school students were wild beasts but some of the students can be really harsh at times.

The author says she has "been a victim of harsh words and stinging insults." Why do you think she would help inflict the same kind of harm on another person? Why would the author feel worse as the "hunter" instead of the "hunted"?
- I think that being the “hunter” would make a person feel in control. Even though she said that she had been a victim, maybe she wanted to see what it felt like to be on the other end. She may be trying to find a sense of authority and she may have felt this while she was bullying another person. I think that the bully is always the one who is hurt worse in bullying situations. Usually it is the bully or the “hunter” who feels the most unhappy and the most useless. I feel like this is why they have to be mean to others maybe to get some of their own anger out. I feel like bullying is very unnecessary and that the bully and the victim both suffer from the effects.

Name the superficial reasons that caused the clique to socially isolate Ethan. Are the reasons fair? Is there something Ethan could have done differently?
- There were a few superficial things listed that were “wrong” with Ethan. For one it said he had greasy, curly hair. This isn’t really one of the best qualities a person could have I don’t think but it’s no reason to treat him the way he was treated. Another thing the article mentioned was that Ethan had bad acne. Being a teenager I feel like this was a very unfair thing to pick on. From one time or other teens will have problems with their hair being just like they want or they may wake up with a huge bump. These are just things that young people have to deal with. I feel like these reasons to pick Ethan out were very unfair. He didn’t do any of these things to himself so I think that the students were just being really unfair and harsh to pick these things out about him.

Have you ever witnessed a classmate or peer publicly rejected? How did the person react? How did you react?
- I don’t think I have ever witnessed anything like a public rejection. I can only imagine how something like that would make someone feel. The person that is being rejected would probably feel like everyone has turned their backs on them and it would probably be a huge blow to someone’s self esteem. With high school students I feel like they may not publically say they are rejecting a person but they can do it by just ignoring a person and acting like they do not exist. It may not even be intentional for some but another student may think that it is. Rejection is something that I feel like everyone has to deal with at one point in time or another.

Why do you think the "Huggy Bears" felt sad after the prank? Why didn't they discuss what happened?
- I feel like after they pulled the prank on Ethan they realized it did not meet their expectations. I think that they thought it was going to be a hilarious event but they didn’t realize that they were just being cruel. I feel like after they saw how upset he got about the prank they realized what a mistake it was. I think they were all embarrassed that they allowed themselves to be so mean to another person. Especially someone who considered them to be a friend. I think this is why they chose not to discuss what happened. I think they were just ashamed of how they had acted.

Do you think the incident led to Ethan's difficulties with social anxiety and depression?
- I do not know if this event was the main incident that lead to Ethan’s social anxiety and depression but I do think that it may have caused him a lot of hard times. I feel like that to develop these things it has to be a sort of a build up. I don’t think that one event is the deciding factor on whether or not a person is depressed but I think that it could point them in that direction. I feel like social anxiety and depression are both things that have to be built on over time for a person to realize this is what is wrong with them. I feel so bad for the way that the students treated him, I don’t feel like anyone should have to face these things like he did.
When someone is hurt as badly as Ethan, is it important to apologize or to try to make amends? What makes an apology meaningful?
- I feel like when someone is hurt in this way, an apology is necessary. I think that it would help both the victim and the bully If they make amends with one another. The bully may realize they don’t have to treat others this way to make themselves feel better and the victim of the bullying may accept the apology and it can help them to move on and be happier as well. I feel like if maybe the “huggy bears” had apologized to Ethan that he may have been able to forgive them and to help himself stay away from the social anxiety and depression. I think for an apology to be meaningful that it has to be sincere. I feel like it should be thought out and that the person who is apologizing should be genuinely sorry for whatever they did to the other person.

Summary:

Through this discussion I’ve learned a lot about the distribution of wealth in America. I also wasn’t as educated concerning how much of a difference a child from a low income how faces in comparison to a student from higher income home. The fact of the parents becoming more involved in their child’s studies helps to better that child in the classroom. I’m also proud that in some states improvements are being made to better equip the ability of low SES students to be successful in the classroom.

Research Question: How can low income students go to college?

Reference: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/white_house_report_on_increasing_college_opportunity_for_low-income_students.pdf

Research Analysis:

In America it has been brought to my attention that the majority of the jobs are now requiring a person who has completed college education. Throughout this lesson I’ve grown concerned that students from low income homes and schools are less likely to be able to go to college so I’ve done some research into how lower income people can go to college. Through this research I found that things are being done to give low income students the opportunity to go to college. One of the main things done so far is that Obama has increased the maximum Pell Grant by nearly nine hundred dollars and by also making it accessible to nearly three million students.

An American Opportunity Tax Credit has also been enacted to help middle class families and lower class families be better equipped to pay for college. Pay as you go student loans have also been put into place to help students afford college as they go through. Through this attempt to make college more accessible this country has also been very helpful in making college more easily attainable for lower income families.

Research Summary:

Throughout my research I’m very pleased with my discoveries that are being done to make college more affordable for lower income families. I found that the Pell Grant has been upped by nearly nine hundred dollars. I’ve also found new loan requirements that will enable low income students to do better in school.