Well, it's an old post, but hey! Although, modern sociology has condemned it as blaming the victim, the idea of the 'Culture of Poverty' has validity. If a parent is utterly discouraged and giving all his/her energy to staying afloat, what do they have left to give to education? And since schools in poor neighborhoods tend to get the least qualified teachers who the must interact with a high percentage of under-acheiving students... Well, maybe there is a culture of poverty in education as well! When I was a kid my parents never helped me with my homework; they didn't understand it. They avoided any school meetings because they felt intimidated. did I suffer because of this? You bet. Did they intend to hurt me or not care about me? Of course not! They also had interactions with teachers and administrators that soured them on things. If your average parents and students carry a lot of baggage that affects their attitudes toward schools and education, the poor carry double. Yes, the Culture of Poverty is a real phenomena and when we don't consciously opt out of it, it helps keep us down.
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Name : Vail, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, This reminds me of a study I read about somewhere. Somebody got some kids together, just average, I think they were middle school kids, about 60. They split them into two groups and put into separate classrooms, taught by separate teachers. The teachers were given the same curriculum to teach, but one was told the group had the absorption capabilities of rocks, the other that the children of the group were high achievers. This is kind of a nasty trick to play on a teacher, but can you guess the outcome? The teachers perceptions had a lot to do with the way the children turned out. I don't know how long they were in this situation, but the children taught by the teacher that said they were high achievers did extremely better on standardized tests than the 'under achievers' did.
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Name : Steve, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Atheist, Age : 43, City : Tucson, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Retired Military/student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, I too am a teacher in Georgia and am fighting the same battle. I think a lot of it comes from the sixties, seventies, and eighties. We created a culture of the victim. Starting the seventies we turned on teachers and started blaming teachers for children's poor performance. It's easier than to accept the responsibility that WE are responsible for what kind of education we get. Those parents learned to blame the schools for their failure. (I had a boyfriend that once blamed the school for not teaching him all he needed in one breath. In the next, he told me that he didn't read books.) Now that they are parents, they have decided to simply say, 'it's the teacher's fault' that my kid is doing poorly, not his and not mine. Danny
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Name : Danny Harbison, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Asatru, Age : 40, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Alot of parents look down on education because they don't see how exactly it can help their kids be better off. I mean, it costs an arm and a leg to go to college and to support yourself while you're there... it's not a cheap prospect. But it's not impossible, and I believe that's the biggest crime in this all. Alot of lower-classed parents make their children believe they can't get an education because they need to 'work to earn money in the real world.' If only they knew that real money isn't made by education, but through stock gambling and good timing. But I digress.
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Name : Ryan D, Gender : Male, Race : American Indian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I come from a long line of farmers and factory workers. I am the first in my family to obtain a bachelor's degree and am almost finished with a master's degree. My parents stressed education to me from a young age. Education = opportunity. My mother graduated from high school in the mid 60's when most women were destined to be housewives or secretaries. The guidance counselor at that time didn't bother with talking to poor farmers' kids about college. My father undoubtedly had a case of undiagnosed dyslexia, hated school, and dropped out in the 9th grade. They supported my teachers, even when I was in trouble at school for acting up. My mother forced me to do homework, stayed up late tutoring me in math, which I hated. They never asked me *if* I was going to college....they asked me *where* I was going to college. When that time came, we researched financial aid, scholarships, and other assistance. I have obtained the attitude 'if there is a will, there is a way' to go to college. I will be in debt up to my eyeballs for the next decade or so, but it is worth it. In addition to my degrees I feel that I have developed and learned as a person. We need more people in the schools to talk with lower class children and their parents about opportunities for education that they might not be aware of.
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Name : Sarah30512, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 28, City : Roanoke, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 
WBParticipant
I work in an early childhood setting. Even among that age, I see big differences between children. I've noticed that families who are relatively well off show more concern for their child's entire development. Families who are less well off, or have trouble at home, are concerned only with 'Being a good boy/girl' When basic needs are not being met with a degree of reliability, 'wants' such as a good education are marginalized.
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Name : WB, City : Winnipeg, State : NA Country : Canada, Anthropologists have tracked this and it is true that once a family reaches "middle class" status they have fewer children but are more concerned about the education of each and every child. I am from an area where many of the low income parents proudly stand up and say they're too busy working to bother with their kids' educations. These are also the parents who tend to encourage teenagers to drop out in order to work and help support the family. Not something we're used to hearing in the First World in the 21st Century, but then so many of them are not from the First World. Hopefully assimilation will make education easier for the next generation to obtain but at this point too many, mostly lower income, children are being discouraged from participating in the only thing that will pu
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Name : Dot, Gender : Female, Age : none, City : L.A., State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, I'm not saying all working-class individuals are dumb (I was raised by a single working-class mom most of my life who told me since I was 5 to go to college), but it seems that working-class individuals have a streak of anti-intellectualism. I was constantly harassed at a primarily working-class school for "acting white" (i.e. doing my work and participating in class) and "using big words" (is "disproportionate" a needlessly big word in 9th grade?). These individuals were not from wealthy or even middle-class families. These people came from minority working-class families that place more value on working as soon as you can than fomenting ideas and getting an education. However, I was in International Bacchalaureate classes with working-class (mostly illegal immigrant) students and they excelled. Most of them are in colleges across the US now when I look them up on Facebook. So it's not universal. It most likely has to do with the intelligence level of the parents.
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Name : NadyaB, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Bipolar disorder, Race : Swexican, Religion : Gnostic, Age : 22, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 
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