By: Kellie Tetrick, M.A. Ed.
 Welcome! (Background and why we are learning about
this?)
 Who is Ruby Payne?
 She is sometimes controversial with her research and
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techniques
She admits this does not qualify as “research” against
university standards because it does not have a “clean”
methodology.
This is a cognitive study – it looks at “thinking” or “mindsets”
created by one’s environment.
Some criticize her as being “classist”… you may too but it is
not the intent of hers or my message to you today.
Dr. Payne does not want to or for us to make EXCUSES for
behaviors of people/students in poverty.
Raise your hand if you identify
with the following:
 I know which grocery stores’ garbage bins can be
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accessed for thrown away food.
I know how to get a library card.
I fly in my own plane or my company plane.
I know how to get a gun, even if I have a police record.
I know how to place an order in a nice restaurant.
I can read a menu in French, English and another
language.
I have at least two or three “screens” that keep people
whom I do not wish to see away from me.
Raise your and if you agree with
the following:
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Only minorities live in poverty.
There is no way out of poverty.
People who live in poverty never work.
Most children living in poverty have both parents.
Most children whose parents who are immigrants live in
poverty.
Fewer children of native-born parents live in poverty.
59% of poor renters spend 50% of their income on shelter.
47% of daughters born to parents in poverty stay in poverty
compared to 35% of the sons. (!!!!)
Education has no effect on births out of wedlock.
What is Poverty??
 Please talk with the person next to you
and jot down:
 How would YOU define poverty??
 Who is affected by it?
 How do you think a person can get out of
it?
 How do you think poverty affects education?
Poverty is…
 Lack of money or material possessions (The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary).
 Poverty is relative – if everybody around you has
similar circumstances, the notion of poverty and
wealth is vague. (We was poor but we was rich?)
 Poverty occurs in all races and in all countries.
 Not a clear-cut distinction – in 2006 the poverty line in
the U.S. was considered to be $20,444 for a family of
four.
What Causes Poverty?
 Talk with your neighbor and jot down what you think
are the causes of poverty.
 Behaviors of the Individual
 Human and Social Capital in the Community
 Exploitation
 Political/Economic Structures
WHAT CAUSES POVERTY?
Behaviors of the
Individual
Human and Social
Capital in the
Community
Exploitation
Political/Economic
Structures
Definition:
Research on the
choices,
behaviors,
characteristics,
and habits of
people in poverty.
Definition:
Research on the
resources available
to individuals,
communities, and
businesses.
Definition:
Research on
how people in
poverty are
exploited
because they
are in poverty.
Definition:
Research on the economic,
political, and social
policies at the
international,
national, state, and local
levels.
Sample topics:
Dependence on
welfare
Morality
Crime
Single parenthood
Breakup of families
Intergenerational
character traits
Work ethic
Racism and
discrimination
Commitment to
achievement
Spending habits
Addiction, mental
illness, domestic
violence
Planning skills
Orientation to the
future
Language experience
Sample topics:
Intellectual capital
Social capital
Availability of jobs Availability of
wellpaying jobs
Racism and discrimination
Availability and quality
of education
Adequate skill sets
Childcare for working
families
Decline in neighborhoods
Decline in social morality
Urbanization
Suburbanization of
manufacturing
Middle class flight
City and regional
planning
Sample topics:
Drug trade
Racism and
discrimination
Payday lenders
Sub-prime lenders
Lease/purchase
outlets
Gambling
Temp work
Sweatshops
Sex trade
Internet scams
Sample topics:
Globalization
Equity and growth
Corporate influence on
legislators
Declining middle class
De-industrialization
Job loss
Decline of unions
Taxation patterns
Salary ratio of CEO to
line worker
Immigration patterns
Economic disparity
Racism and
discrimination
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Model for Classes:
Intergenerational transfer of knowledge – it takes 3
generations out of poverty to become college
educated.
GP – SP – MC – NM – OM
(Generational and Situational Poverty are very different,
how?)
Three generation rule – wealthy families lose their
money by the 3rd generation
(GP) generational poverty
(SP) situational poverty
(MC) middle class
(NM) new money
(OM) old money
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MENTAL MODEL FOR POVERTY
What It’s Like Now
Research done by Philip DeVol in 2004 with adults in poverty—welfare to work transition program.
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People in Poverty …
• Busy trying to solve immediate,
concrete problems
• Believe in FATE above all
determines the future
• Few have a “future story”
• When something bad happens,
everything tends to pile up…
MentalMODEL
Model for
Middle
ClassCLASS
MENTAL
FOR
MIDDLE
Research done by Ruby K. Payne (2004).
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Talk with your neighbor, how are
the mental models different for
middle class and poverty?
• Higher resources give those with economic stability
the “luxury” of choice and future story.
• Education and achievement are driving forces that
glue the elements together.
• Relationships are not about survival, but they are
expected to incorporate stability.
• When a crisis does occur, there are usually significant
amounts of resources, including social capital,
available to stop a downward spiral into massive
instability.
MentalMODEL
Model for
Wealth
MENTAL
FOR
WEALTH
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Other ideas on class:
• People in poverty have personal power,
strength, and fighting ability, but they can’t stop
bad things from happening in the
neighborhood or community.
• People in middle class have the power of the
institutions because the institutions are run on
middle class rules and norms.
• People in wealth have the power to influence
and shape policy and the direction of the
community.
Where do you fit in class??
Most teachers are usually from
middle to upper middle class
families.
We are idealistic and want to help
others, rather than make a fortune.
Most schools operation on Middle
Class norms and language.
Identity:
Of the following which how would
many of your male students
identify himself?
Worker?
Smart?
Lover?
Fighter?
Characteristics of Generation
Poverty
 Background “noise” – Almost always the TV is on, no
matter what the circumstance. Conversation is
participatory, often with more than one person talking
at a time.
 Importance of personality – Individual personality
is what one brings to the setting – because money is
not brought. The ability to entertain, tell stories, and
have a sense of humor is highly valued.
 Significance of entertainment – When one can
merely survive, then the respite from the survival is
important. In fact, entertainment brings respite.
 Importance of relationships – One only has people
upon whom to rely, and those relationships are
important to survival. One often has favorites.
 Oral-language tradition – Casual register is used for
everything
 Matriarchal structure – The mother has the most
powerful position in the society if she functions as a
caretaker
 Survival orientation – discussion of academic topics
is generally not prized. There is little room for the
abstract. Discussions center around people and
relationships. A job is about making enough money to
survive. A job is not about a career.
 Identity tied to rescuer/martyr role for women – A
“good” woman is expected to take care of and rescue
her man and her children as needed.
 Importance of non-verbal/kinesthetic
communication – Touch is used to communicate, as
are space and non-verbal emotional communication.
 Ownership of people – People are possessions. There
is a great deal of fear and comment about leaving the
culture and “getting above your raisings”
 Negative orientation – Failure at anything is the
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source of stories and numerous belittling comments.
Discipline – Punishment is about penance and
forgiveness, not change.
Belief in fate – Choice is seldom considered
Polarized thinking – Options are hardly ever
examined. Everything is polarized; it is one way or the
other. (“I quit” and “I can’t do it”)
Mating dance – The mating dance is about using the
body in a sexual way and verbally and subverbally
complimenting body parts. If you have few financial
resources, the way you sexually attract someone is with
your body.
 Time – Time occurs only in the present. The future
does not exist except as a word. Time is flexible and
not measured. Time is often assigned on the basis of
the emotional significance and not the actual
measured time.
 Sense of humor – A sense of humor is highly valued,
as entertainment is one of the key aspects of poverty.
Humor is almost always about people – either
situations that people encounter or things people do to
other people.
 Lack of order/organization – Many of the
homes/apartments of people in poverty are unkempt
and cluttered. Devices for organization (files,
planners, etc.) don’t exist.
 Lives in the moment – does not consider future
ramifications: Being proactive, setting goals and
planning ahead are not a part of generational poverty.
Most of what occurs is reactive and in the moment.
Future implications of present actions are seldom
considered.
Even in telling me some of those stories that involve a
great deal of humiliation at the hands of hospital or
welfare personnel, she usually manages to find
something that’s funny in the madness of it all and
keeps on saying things that make both of us laugh.
- Jonothan Kozol
Amazing Grace
Resources
 Some would debate the definition of
poverty is “the extent to which an
individual does with out resources.”
 With your students you can best help
them by identifying what resources they
DO have and how to build on that.
 Then, try to build their resources so s/he
may be more successful upon entering
society.
Key Resources
 Financial – money to purchase goods.
 Emotional – Being able to choose and control emotional
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responses.
Mental – Having the mental abilities and acquired skills
(reading, writing, computing,) to deal with daily life.
Spiritual – believing in divine purpose and guidance.
Physical – having physical health and mobility.
Support Systems – friends, family, backup resources.
Relationships/role model – having frequent access to
adults who are appropriate who are nurturing.
** Knowledge of Hidden Rules** - knowing the unspoken
cues and habits of a group.
Hidden Rules:
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Hidden rules are the “unspoken cues and habits of
a group.”
These rules become part of your belief system and
guide how you behave.
Relationships can be broken when you do not know
the hidden rules.
Hidden rules can limit your interaction with people
who are different from you.
*** Hidden rules should not predict other people’s
behaviors .
HIDDEN RULES FOR ECONOMIC CLASS
POVERTY
MIDDLE CLASS
WEALTH
POSSESSIONS
People.
Things.
One-of-a-kind objects,
legacies, pedigrees.
MONEY
To be used, spent.
To be managed.
To be conserved,
invested.
PERSONALITY
Is for entertainment.
Sense of humor is highly
valued.
Is for acquisition and
stability.
Achievement is highly
valued.
Is for connections.
Financial, political, social
connections are highly
valued.
SOCIAL
EMPHASIS
Social inclusion of the
people they like.
Emphasis is on selfgovernance and selfsufficiency.
Emphasis is on social
exclusion.
FOOD
Key question: Did you
have enough?
Quantity important.
Key question: Did you like
it?
Quality important.
Key question: Was it
presented well?
Presentation important.
CLOTHING
Clothing valued for
individual style and
expression of personality.
Clothing valued for its
quality and acceptance into
the norms of middle class.
Label important.
Clothing valued for its
artistic sense and
expression.
Designer important.
TIME
Present most important.
Decisions made for
moment based on feelings
or survival.
Future most important.
Decisions made against
future ramifications.
Traditions and past
history most important.
Decisions made partially
on basis of tradition
decorum.
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HiddenRULES
Rules of
Economic
Class CLASS
HIDDEN
FOR
ECONOMIC
POVERTY
MIDDLE CLASS
WEALTH
EDUCATION
Valued and revered as
abstract but not as reality.
Education is about facts.
Crucial for climbing success
ladder and making money.
Necessary tradition for
making and maintaining
connections.
DESTINY
Believes in fate. Cannot do
much to mitigate chance.
Believes in choice. Can
change future with good
choices now.
Noblesse oblige.
LANGUAGE
Casual register. Language
is about survival.
Formal register. Language is
about negotiation.
Formal register.
Language is about
connection.
FAMILY
STRUCTURE
Tends to be matriarchal.
Tends to be patriarchal.
Depends on who
has/controls money.
WORLD VIEW
Sees world in terms of
local setting.
Sees world in terms of
national setting.
Sees world in terms of an
international view.
LOVE
Love and acceptance
conditional, based on
whether individual is liked.
Love and acceptance
conditional, based largely on
achievement.
Love and acceptance
conditional, related to
social standing and
connections.
DRIVING FORCES
Survival, relationships,
entertainment.
Work and achievement.
Financial, political, social
connections.
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Hidden rules can limit your interaction with people
who are different from you.
• Don’t try to discuss or reframe hidden rules
unless there is a relationship of mutual respect.
• Use the understanding of hidden rules to create
relationships of mutual respect.
• The more rules one knows, the more “middle
class games” someone from poverty can play.
• The wider the range of your responses, the more
control you have over your situation—and the
more opportunities become open to you.
Registers of
Language OF LANGUAGE
REGISTERS
REGISTER
EXPLANATION
FROZEN
Language that is always the same.
For example: Lord’s Prayer, wedding vows, etc.
FORMAL
The standard sentence syntax and word choice of
work and school. Has complete sentences and
specific word choice. (What we use at school and
work)
CONSULTATIVE
Formal register when used in conversation.
Discourse pattern not quite as direct as formal
register. (Mix)
CASUAL
Language between friends, characterized by a 400- to
800-word vocabulary. Word choice general and not
specific. Conversation dependent upon nonverbal
assists. Sentence syntax often incomplete.
INTIMATE
Language between lovers or twins. Language of
sexual harassment.
Adapted from Martin Joos
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• You can go up or down one register
in a conversation and it's socially
acceptable. But if you go up or down
two registers or more, people are
often offended.
• Maria Montaño-Harmon, a linguist
in California, found that in
generational poverty virtually all
that the adults and students know
is casual register.
 Use the registers of language as a teaching
tool. Many times when students say, "I
don't know what that means," they
cannot say it in your words. How much
time do we give them to translate
something from casual register to formal
register? Try translating the Pledge of
Allegiance from frozen to formal. See how
difficult that is?
Students may get referred for discipline because of
language issues when they're in the wrong register.
A sixth-grade boy was sent to the office because he told
the teacher that something "sucked." Well, part of his
discipline was to find two ways to say "sucked" in
formal register. His first translation was, "I don't like
this work." His second translation was, "There's no
longer any joy in this activity.”
Idea: When students speak in casual register, have
them come up with two other ways to say it in formal
register. Give information to parents and students in
story form.
Formal
Casual
To survive in poverty, one must rely upon nonverbal,
sensory, and reactive skills
To survive in school or work, one must use verbal,
abstract and proactive skills. (PLANNING)
(Think about how the modes of class restrict some
children from success…)
The Paper World of the Middle
Class
 Middle Class Abstract Items:
 Grades
 House deed
 Address
 Social Security Number
 Daily To-do List
 Clock or Calendar
 Homework
 Driver’s License
 MRI
 ***Teacher Contract***
KEY POINT
Two things that help a person
out of poverty:
 Education
 Relationships
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KEY POINT
Four reasons one moves out of
poverty are:
 Too painful to stay
 Vision or goal
 Key relationship
 Special talent/skill
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What does this mean to us as
educators???
 Consider the kids you work with and where they come
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from
Think about words/hidden language they do not
understand
Make things visual
Teach them the social cues/norms they do not know.
Reflect
ALWAYS start confrontation in the tone you would like
to end it.
We Make a DIFFERENCE!!!
Locate a resilient kid and you will
also find a caring adult – or several
– who has guided him.
- Invincible Kids
U.S. News and World Report
 Thank you so much for your time
 Please feel free to email me at
ktetrick@access.k12.wv.us if you have any questions or
would like to discuss this further!
 I’m just down the road!