Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay This essay will discuss the importance of partnership with parents/whanau, providing responsive relationships and interactions with children and biculturalism on society. Research shows that children who attend an early childhood centre providing care of high quality succeeded more at school, stayed at school longer and kept achieving more in their early adult years. They grew up with a sense of belonging within their community and society and had the skills needed to take control of their own lives (Beaver, Brewster, Jones, Keene, Neaum, Tallach, 2001). 1. Early childhood centres play an important role in helping families function effectively. They combine their role of supporting families while encouraging children’s development in partnership with parents. Each child, each family is unique. In an early childhood centre each one of the children is unique as well as their family. Research shows us that those parents, through parental involvement early on in a child’s education that they are more likely to maintain this through all their educational years (Beaver et al. , 2001). Effective communication is one of the most important principles when forming partnerships with parents. Parents are the most knowledgeable when it comes to their child and if they feel they can share this with staff of the early childhood centre the child will benefit from this (Beaver et al. , 2001). Throughout our lives we know it is hard to part from people we love and some parents find it hard to leave their child in a centre. We therefore need to be sensitive to this issue and work in partnership with parents and help them to build on what they want for their child. Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett Farmer (2001) state that â€Å"Early childhood educators should recognise that every setting is a source of learning for young children, with the home acknowledged as a particularly powerful influence† (p. 11). 2. Children need to experience reciprocal and responsive relationships to develop and learn. Infants are very dependent and require emotional security to develop an attachment with another person other than their parent(s). A quality learning environment is one where teachers respect each child individually, and are positive, warm, supporting and encourage good self confidence, and initiate meaningful interactions with children. It is essential to create an environment where each child feels appreciated and valued. It is through forming these important adult: child relationships that they will feel a sense of their own identity and develop positive self worth. Nurturing relationships are developed when positive interactions occur. The constant talk with infants, encouraging eye contact and being held in a calm and caring way, active listening, positive language and noticing signs/gestures are some ways that infants develop trust and form a bond with us. The Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 state – â€Å"Every child is given positive guidance, using praise and encouragement, and avoiding blame, harsh language, and belittling or degrading responses† (Ministry of Education [MoE] , 1998, p. 22). Early childhood teachers need to ensure care giving routines are unhurried, meaningful and a peaceful experience. Take the time to sing songs, read books, follow their interests and extend them, be interested in what they are doing, keep conversations open, enrich their language, allow them to explore and discover, play with them and alongside them and allow yourself to be another person in their lives that interact and are responsive to them. If an infant is crying and they are responded to in a calm and gentle way, treated in the reliable and respected manner they are entitled to they will build a positive image of themselves. Centre policies should reflect this. 3. It is important for all New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand to be aware of, and sensitive to the bicultural nature of New Zealand society which consists of pakehas and the indigenous people – the Maori – who were here some hundred years before the arrival of Europeans. We need to respect and understand the Treaty of Waitangi which is the formal agreement between the Maori and the British Government which gave the latter the right to establish settlement and a system of British Government subject to certain rights being assured to the Maori. A bicultural perspective promotes the value of both cultures. We as a society need to understand and respect Maori views on child development and the role of the family. In Quality in Action Te Mahi Whai Hua, Implementing the Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices in New Zealand Early Childhood Services it says teachers need â€Å"to understand how whanau values affect behaviour and influence the ability of children and adults to engage in meaningful purposeful relationships† (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1998, p. 18). We must enable Maori children and their families to be active in their community which will allow their children to learn and grow and develop a strong sense of self-worth. Te reo Maori is a living and relevant language and very significant to Maori. We need to assure Maori families that their culture, beliefs and practices are fully valued, appreciated and supported. We can learn a lot from these and implement them into the curriculum. Early childhood services play an integral part in society. They are an extension of home for children and their parents/whanau therefore we need to consider the cultural heritage of Maori and provide learning experiences for the children that reflect their culture. It is a requirement of the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 that state â€Å"Encourage children to become and remain confident in their own culture and to develop an understanding of and respect for other cultures of Aotearoa/New Zealand† (MoE, p. 21).

The Universal Soul in The Parable of the Chariot, Katha Upanishad 3.3-3

The Universal Soul in The Parable of the Chariot, Katha Upanishad 3.3-3.12 The word â€Å"Atman† is translated into English as â€Å"soul† or â€Å"self.† Yet Atman in Hinduism has a much richer meaning than our standard western concept of soul. For example, Atman is understood as divine and equivalent to Brahman, the ultimate reality. Each person’s Atman is the same, and each is identical with Brahman. Therefore Atman could also be translated, â€Å"Universal Soul,† â€Å"Eternal Soul,† or â€Å"All-Soul.† The Katha Upanishad speaks at length about the nature of Atman, how one might attain to it and thereby attain to Brahman. Attainment to Atman is dependent on the control of those aspects of the person that are transitory and not eternal like Atman; these include the body, the mind, the intellect and the senses. The parable of the chariot in the Katha Upanishad illustrates the nature of Atman by means of an allegory. According to this parable, the way to Brahman is through Atman; the way to Atman is through control of the body, the senses, the mind, and the intellect. Each of these aspects of the person, including Atman itself, is likened to some part of the chariot. It is thus shown that Atman or the soul is what gives the body purpose and life, and that control of the mind and the senses results in a knowledge of the universal soul and, likewise, ultimate reality. The parable of the chariot begins simply with a basic comparison between two opposite aspects of a person, body and soul (Katha Upanishad, 3.3): Know thou the soul (atman, self) as riding in a chariot, The body as the chariot. In this passage the soul is not only shown in control of the body but also protected by it and dependent on it for its interaction with the world... ...hings, That Soul (Atman, Self) shines not forth, But He is seen by subtle seers With superior, subtle intellect. The parable of the chariot shows that Atman is the supreme entity among the many parts that make up the person, yet it also shows that the various parts have relationships with and dependencies on one another. Through the subordination of the many parts to Atman, we may come to know Atman, the royal passenger in the chariot. All the aspects of the person which are not Atman (body, mind, etc.) give us the impression that we are unique individuals. Only by subordinating these things to Atman do we see otherwise. We all suffer from the illusion that we are distinct, yet when we begin to see that we all are in fact the same, then we begin to know Atman and therefore Brahman as well.

High School and Lateness Essay

This paper is a review on lateness in public schools, which has posed a major problem to school administrators in Delta State, Nigeria; especially at the primary and secondary school levels. The author delimited his focus on students, staff and supporting staff in the school system. The salient point is that, lateness to schools plagues school administrators, bringing about inefficiencies at work by way of administration. Therefore, this paper highlights the meaning, causes and effects of lateness to schools as related to the school administrator in Delta State, Nigeria. The study also highlighted various remedies to the sordid situation. This review will therefore help school administrators alleviate lateness, a hydra-headed monster plaguing schools in Delta State, Nigeria, and as such bring about easy administration of schools in the region. Key words: Lateness, school administrators, discipline, environment, punctuality. INTRODUCTION Amongst other components of any organisation, human beings are the most difficult to manage. Folks pose the most problems to administrators anywhere in the world, not excluding school organisations as learning factories in Delta State, Nigeria. Many authors have posited as a matter of fact that, it is easier to manage the financial and material components of any organisation than to manage the human component. They insinuate that â€Å"it is easier to manage even animals than to manage human beings† (Nakpodia, 2006; Peretomode, 1991; Peretomode, 2001; Ubogu, 2004; Emore, 2005; Ukoshi, 2004). Thus, in the school system, the school head, which is usually the headmaster/headmistress or the principal, is confronted with numerous problems posed by staff and/or students. These problems include: sleeping on duty, negative attitude to tasks, lack of motivation to tasks, sexual harassment, theft, quarrelling, malice, jealousy, envy, absenteeism, lateness, etc. But Lauby (2009) stated clearly that: ‘As a Human Resource professional, I have dealt with a plethora of employee issues: sleeping on the job, theft, sexual harassment†¦ but I have found over the years, that there is one issue that plagues managers more than all these other issues combined†¦ attendance and punctuality. That is, people not showing up at all†¦ people not showing up on time. It could thus be deduced from the excerpt that in the school system, which is the focus of this paper, both staff’s and students’/pupils’ lateness to school pose the greatest problems to school administrators in Delta State. What then is lateness? DEFINITION OF LATENESS Literally, the term â€Å"lateness† implies a situation where an individual arrives after the proper, scheduled or usual th time (Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, 5 ed. , 1995). Furthermore, Lauby (2009) puts it as a term used *Corresponding author. E-mail: kosdaf80@yahoo. com. Tel: +2347033941918. Nakpodia and Dafiaghor 59 to describe â€Å"people not showing up on time†. Breeze et al. (2010) contributed by saying that, lateness is synonymous with â€Å"tardiness†, which implies being slow to act or slow to respond, thus not meeting up with proper or usual timing. It is obvious therefore that, lateness could be seen as a system of network breakdown (Peretomode, 1991), a situation of not meeting up with programme†¦ a function of time†¦ time is the criteria and determinant of lateness. Having therefore known the meaning of lateness, the causes of lateness should be highlighted. CAUSES OF LATENESS There are numerous causes of lateness to school. Amongst others, the following are the major causes of lateness to school. Going late to bed This is one of the major causes of lateness to school. Going late to bed could result in waking up late, as could be deduced from the literal meaning of the saying â€Å"early to bed early to rise†. Watching films and late-night movies The individual involved in watching films and home videos may be so captivated and hypnotised by it that, he/she forgets that he/she has to be in school; and at sudden realisation, he/she hurries off and likely may not be punctual (Ukoshi, 2004). The habit of waking up late Some folks find more pleasure in early morning sleep than the overnight sleep. These kind of people always wake up late to hurry off to school but most times, situation may not really be in their favour, thus they are irresistibly late to school. Distance/Location of school The further the location of the school from the student/pupil or staff, the more distractions, obstacles, friends to say high to, hold-ups to beat, go-slows, etc are there that tend to hinder his/her punctuality to school. For instance, consider a situation where an individual working in DELSU Secondary School, Abraka, leaves Eku or Igun every day for work. This individual is likely not to be punctual when compared with some one of the same status living in Abraka, possibly even close to the school; he is more likely to be punctual because the level of distraction would be lesser. Keeping friends of different status Friends and acquaintances that are not of the same status with an individual tend not to understand the responsibilities of the individual, most especially those of lower status. For instance, a teacher spending most of the leisure time with a motorcyclist; the motorcyclist is likely not to motivate the teacher in the aspect of punctuality as compared with a fellow teacher. Engagement in untimely domestic chores/activities These activities are necessary but doing them at a wrong timing is what cause lateness to school. In some cases, most parents even oblige their wards to help carry their goods to the market and other such kind of chores before going to school. Activities like these inevitably cause lateness to school, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Furthermore, Oghuvwu (2008) concurred to this when he opined that â€Å"lateness is common as a result of students’ involvement by parents†. Innate anxiety level Most people always have that relax mind in anything they do; they do not even care if they are running late or not; they just do not beat that their relax temple or mood of doing things. Even when a little hurry could make them punctual, they prefer to be late than beat their innate temple; this is a glaring situation. Family background In some cases, the habit of lateness is being copied from family members. For instance, the child that sees the father always going late to work could also either voluntarily or involuntarily learn the habit, thus go to school late also. This is supported by Peretomode (2001) and Egbule (2004), when they elaborated the concept of NATURE-NURTURE as it affects an individual’s habits. Cultural background We live in a society where the culture does not frown at, or rather say anything about punctuality as ethics in a work environment, thus to most individuals, punctuality is not really a serious matter, compared with how punctuality is being perceived in Western cultures and developed countries (Breeze et al. , 2010). 60 Int. J. Sci. Technol. Educ. Res Religious background Every individual in this world is loyal or faithful to one religion or the other. Even the atheist is loyal to his own beliefs, thus he/she is his/her own religion. Individuals tend to swallow hook, line and sinker, whatever their religious leaders teach, and those which the religious teacher does not teach is considered less or not important by them. The salient point is that, if religions frown at lateness, it would reduce; and if they do not speak of it or speak encouraging it (they may say, no matter what happens, God will always favour you); the tendency is that lateness would be on the increase, most especially in Delta State, Nigeria, Africa, where religion is tenaciously adhered to because of the fear of witchcraft and wizardry (African Science). Lack of functional and effective punctuality policy Obviously, individuals could come late to school, if they perceive that there are no consequences to it. It is a consensus that â€Å"if black man no see strong thing, e no they hear†. This consensus is more pronounced in Delta State, Nigeria, where the probability of misdemeanour and stubbornness is high. Furthermore, school head’s fairness or equal treatment between different subjects, as perceived by individuals, could cause lateness. Individuals are likely to be more punctual, if they perceive obvious â€Å"rule of law† in terms of punctuality (Clackmannanshire Council Online, 2010). Too much body care and excessive facial/body makeup In some cases, individuals are obsessed by their appearance to the detriment of timely engagements in school. Oghuvwu (2008) agreed to this when he opined that â€Å"lateness is common among females more than males†. This could be as a result of the fact that, females require more time for their body and facial care and make up. EFFECTS OF LATENESS TO SCHOOL There are various effects of lateness to school. Many writers have pinpointed many of these effects. Amongst others, some are outlined and briefly discussed as follows. Lateness disorganises and causes distraction to the individual and the whole system The individual that came late to school is both a problem to him/herself, fellow students, teacher, and others in the school system†¦ he/she walks in when teaching is going on†¦ both teachers and students turn to look at him/her†¦ the system and flow is distracted and distorted†¦ he/she thinks where do I start from to catch up?.. asks a fellow student â€Å"is he just starting?.. how long has be been teaching?.. what has he/she taught?†¦ let me see your note. From this simple analogy, it is glaring that the late comer is both a problem him/herself and the entire school system. In addition, according to â€Å"Clackmannashire Council Online†, â€Å"lateness is disruptive to the individual and to the work of the class and may be an early warning of other difficulties†. Lateness inhibits the process of achieving the goals of the school The basic reason for the human component is to enable easy achievement of the goals and objectives of establishing the school. Thus, if the employers’ goal is to make money, and the individual’s contribution to the organisation could bring the school N20 per h. If he/she then comes 30 min late every day, thus N10 is lost every day as a result of lateness. The point is that as small as this, multiplied by the days of the years and a good number of employees with this habit†¦ this would be a very great loss to the school. Thus, Ali (2007) clearly posited that â€Å"†¦ showing up 10 min late could add up to lots of lost revenue for the company (school) and the individual. † Furthermore, ETC’s (2009) attendance and punctuality policy clearly states that â€Å"regular and punctual attendance is of paramount importance in ensuring that all students have full access to the curriculum†¦ valuable learning time is lost when students are absent or late†. Lateness leads to absenteeism and general failure in life Pupils/students and/or staff could sometimes feel the extent of their lateness and very often they just decide to be absent. This has a very great effect on the individual’s academic and other achievements. According to Ali (2007), this could lead to loss of confidence and engagement in premature sexual activity for students, leading to pregnancy, resulting in a phenomenon called storm and stress among adolescents. Also, Catt F found out that â€Å"it is always the same group of people showing up early and the same group of people showing up late†. REMEDIES TO LATENESS 1. Schools should operate strict functional punctuality policy. One of the major responsibilities of the school head is to implement policies and/or even possibly make some†¦ as whatever happens in the system would be credited or blamed upon him. Thus, the school head Nakpodia and Dafiaghor 61 needs to carry out the function of maintaining punctuality policy without favouritism. 2. Staff and students in the school system should be sensitised and made aware of the effects of lateness to them and the entire school system, and also the benefits of punctuality to them first and then to the entire school system. This should be carried out by both school heads, governmental and non-governmental agencies, religious bodies, and other such bodies and individuals. 3. The school administrator must teach punctuality by example†¦ he/she must act as a model for all to copy. 4. School administrators should impose compulsory beginning and closing of the day meeting of staff and students. In the meetings, there should be strict attendance register. 5. School administrators should build in staff and students, the virtue of â€Å"time-consciousness†. For instance, putting wall clocks in conspicuous locations for all to see could instil the time-consciousness attitude in individuals in the school. 6. As an individual, try to be 15 min early to school, as this could help you make friends and say hello to alreadymade friends; get one’s self prepared for the day’s activity; possibly even read a book, and most importantly could help make up for unforeseen causes of lateness, and still be punctual. 7. There should also be activities /acts to motivate and reinforce punctuality. For instance, awarding prizes for punctuality could go a long way in enhancing punctuality. 8. Parents and school administrators should join efforts in enhancing punctuality. UK Government (2010) stipulated that â€Å"on the first day absence, contact should be made with parents of the child to find out why the child is absent†. 9. Truancy patrol†¦ is a situation where members of the community are sensitised to seize or report students found outside the school environment after stipulated times. In this kind of situation, the pupil would likely be punctual since the only convenient environment would be that of the school†¦ if he/she comes late, would be punished†¦ he is then forced to come early. 10. Parents involving students in domestic activities should be mindful of punctuality. 11. Government on its part, should improve transportation and other economic activities in the country†¦ as some students walk/trek to school, as a result of fair†¦ even those that have the fair, sometimes no transport service or no good roads, causing hold-ups and go-slows. help identify and proffer solutions to this quality and disturbing problem that could lead to students’ drop-out from school, and also inefficiency and ineffectiveness on the part of the school administrators, by way of school administration and management; knowing fully well that lateness could be reduced by providing free education counselling and discipline among students, in addition to the use of electronic systems, truancy sweep by school heads. It should also be noted that, lateness is common among female students, and as such they should be of more concern to the school administrator in Delta State. Finally, the remedy to any situation is in the situation; thus, the school administrator, should study the peculiar situation and respond as the situation suggests. The fact is no two situations are the same, no matter how similar. REFERENCES Ali M (2007). Attendance and Punctuality cost companies big money. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://bizconvering. com/business-law/attendance-andpunctuality. cost†¦ Breeze S, Woosh C, Batt C, Fine M (2010). â€Å"How to be punctual†. WikiHow: thehow to manual that you can edit. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. wikihow. com/Be-Punctual. Catt F (2010). The lateness game: Coincidence or equilibrium? Retrieved 20th September, 2010 from: http://expertvoices. nsdl. org/cornell-info204/2010/02/27/the-game-ofpunctuality-coincidence-or-equilibrium/. Clackmannanshire Council Online (2010). Attendance and Punctuality (Secondary Schools). Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. clacksweb. org. uk/learning/attendanceandpunctualityss/ Egbule JF (2004). Readings in Educational Psychology. Owerri: Barlos Publishers, pp. 234-241. Emore C (2005). â€Å"Causes of students’ lateness to school in Uvwie L. G. A. of Delta State. † Unpublished Post Graduate Diploma in Education Project, Abraka, Delta State University. ETC (2009). Attendance and punctuality policy. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. etc. org/attendanceandpunctuality/policy/†¦ Lauby S (2009). Attendance and Punctuality. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. hrbartender. com/2009/comp/attendancepunctuality/. Nakpodia ED (2006). Educational Administration: A new approach. Warri: Jonokase, pp. 66-72. Oghuvwu PE (2008). â€Å"Absenteeism and lateness among secondary school students in Nigeria: Profiling causes and solutions. † Academic Leadership. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. academicleadership. org/empirical_research/384. shtml. Online J. , 6: 3. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (1995). 5th ed. , Oxford: University Press. Peretomode VF (1991). Educational Administration: Applied concepts and theoretical perspectives for students and practitioners. Lagos: Joja Educational Research and Publishers, pp. 25-26. Peretomode VF (2001). Sociology of Education: An introductory text for Nigerian undergraduates, 2nd ed. Lagos: Obaroh and Ogbinaka. Ubogu RE (2004). â€Å"The causes of absenteeism and dropout among secondary school students in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, Abraka: Delta State University. UK Government (2010). Fourteen approaches to improving attendance. Retrieved 23rd September, 2010 from: http://www. education. gov. uk. Ukoshi RE (2004). â€Å"Absenteeism in Nigeria work organisation: A comparative study of private and public organisation in Ondo State. † Unpublished M. B. A. Thesis, Benin: University of Benin.

Poverty And The Glass Castle - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1118 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Glass Castle Essay Did you like this example? An estimated 39.7 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure (Current Poverty Rate). Poverty has negatively affected people and their families. Sadly, anyone of any age race or culture can experience poverty. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Poverty And The Glass Castle" essay for you Create order Unfortunately, as Jeannette Walls experiences living in poverty in her memoir, The Glass Castle, poverty can have a big impact on families living conditions and their childrens education. Poverty affects the family for when the parents dont have any job to bring in money for the rest of the family has no one to rely on for basic life needs including food, water, and shelter. Though Jeannette Wallsrs family had no support to help them while they lived in poverty, tools are available to help families in poverty. There are many tools available to support poverty like Jeannetters family in The Glass Castle, including welfare services and food banks. First, welfare services developed to help support families in poverty like Jeanetters family. In the article Welfare programs shown to reduce poverty in America produced by Jana Kasperkevic reports that without tax credits like the federal earned income tax credit, poverty for children under 18 would be 22.8% instead of the official poverty rate of 19.9% (Kasperkevic). With the help of tax credits, the rate of people in poverty has decreased. Tax credits like the federal earned income tax credit are a tax incentive that reduces the amount of money that people owe the government. With this help, people do not pay high amounts of money to the government but are able to pay low amounts that help support their financial struggles. This is a major help to people in poverty for if they had to pay more money to the government in taxes they would lose all they have that help support their daily lives. This tax credit allows them to eliminate most or sometimes all the money that they owe. In Wallsrs memoir, she states the although [they] were the poorest family on Little Hobart Street, Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity (Walls 159). Like a few people in poverty, Jeannette Wallsrs family doesnt want help from the government to help support their family. This is not the best way to approach poverty though because without help from welfare services families are less likely to be able to overcome their financial struggles. In addition, neither parents of the family looked for a job they just learned to live with their lives as they were instead of trying to get help and change the way they live. With the help of welfare services, they would not have to run form the gov ernment each time they could not pay tax fines or be struggling for a job. Jeanettes family could have also benefited from food banks in their quest to relieve themselves from their hunger. Food banks were developed to help support families in poverty like Jeannetters family. In the article, Hunger in America states that Millions of people struggle to get by because of underemployment, stagnant wages and rising costs of living. In fact, more than 46 million people still turn to the Feeding America network each year for extra support (Hunger America). With the help of food banks, people can get the support they need to keep their families from starving. Food banks are widely known in America as locations where food is given out for free to families in need. These food banks are extremely important because they allow families to eat when they might have starved otherwise. With this help, people living in poverty dont have to worry about if they will have a meal that day or not. Food banks help people in poverty more than people would expect because they are allowing people to not have to worry about finding money to buy food but can keep saving and live better lives. In W allsrs memoir, she states Mom gave me a startled look. Id broken one of our unspoken rules: We were always supposed to pretend our life was one long and incredibly fun adventure (Walls 69). Like a few people in poverty, Jeannette Wallsrs family does not want to believe that they are in poverty and are having hard times they try to pretend that everything is okay and that their lives are great. Though the children are starving and there is nothing the parents can do because they do not have the money to pay for food. With food banks, families like Jeannetters family dont have to worry if family members are going to have food that day and parents dont have to feel guilty when their children ask them for something to eat and they have nothing to give them and no money to buy anything with. Jeannette Wallsrs family had so many opportunities to have a better life it was just whether they were taking the chances they had been given. In conclusion, there are many tools available to support poverty like Jeannettes family in The Glass Castle, including welfare services and food banks. Welfare services offer a lot of support for people in poverty and help them on their path of recovering. Each type of Welfare service whether its public housing programs, tax debt relief or credit card settlement enables people to get the support they need to be able to maintain healthy lives. In addition, welfare services make it possible for families to be able to save the little money they make so that it can help them when they need it. Unfortunately, Jeanetters family refused to get support from the government and therefore they did not have funds to support their daily lives. Even though Jeannettes family was able to save some money for food and shelter, without major tools they were not able to have enough money to support the family. One of the major tools available for someone in poverty is a food bank. Food banks are extremely helpful to people in poverty for they make it possible for families to have something to eat when they would have starved otherwise. With the help of a food bank, Jeannetters family would have been able to have food for the whole family and the children would no longer have to find thrown away food at school to be able to eat. Sadly, the familys mistrust of the government and not allowing themselves to be helped did not allow them to get the help they needed and the remained in poverty. Finally, though Jeannetters family never got help from the government, a hunger-free and financially supported life is possible, and there are many tools and supports that are available to help people in poverty live better and healthier lives.