People need to understand that poverty impacts a child's (or even an adult's) way of life and ability to learn. If a child comes to school hungry or scared, they will not be able to learn. Learning only occurs once someone's basic needs are met. It is important as a teacher to recognize when a child is needing their basic needs to be met.
For people to understand poverty, all they have to do is think how upset and touchy they feel when they are hungry and asked to do something. This is a daily occurance, unfortunately, for some children. One cannot focus on learning if hungry. If they are concerned where they will sleep for the night, they will not learn.
All basic needs need to be met before someone can learn. There are way too many hungry, homeless and abused children in our country. Focus and funds need to be brought back to our schools so we are able to assist this population better.
