A lot of my student teaching and practicum practice took place in low-income areas with at-risk youth. It was not uncommon for me to encounter children who lived in shelters, pay as you stay hotels, or in cars. I think children are very strong and resilient. I think that the children that I worked with coped/survived because they had to, it was second nature, and they were surrounded by people in similar situations. Although the survived, there were plenty of behavioral infractions, fights, and young children feeling the need to be strong and tough at all times. I think the ramifications of these children having to protect themselves, and be tough impacted their ability to experience childhood to its fullest.
Bullying is a major issue in German schools, as is the drop out rate. Although it is not explained in the resource below, I think that the drop out rate has plenty to do with the level f bullying that takes place. Specific organizations have been put in place in order to combat the dropout rate in addition to decreasing the level of violence and bullying in schools.
I think it is a major key that children feel like school is a safe place. Not feeling a sense of safety impacts a child's willingness and desire to attend school.
https://germanyglobalissues.weebly.com/major-social-issues.html
I think that being a teacher, guide, or source of support in an area of low-income is an interesting experience. Not only have I done this, but my family and I have lived in these areas, because of not achieving the financial stability of living in a "middle-upper" class area. I must say though, I have not always lived in conditions such as these, and spent the majority of my life in an average living area. I was blessed to see both sides of the spectrum and learned many survival skills that I did not know as a young child. Learning to survive with a family has allowed me to relate to many groups that would assume I know nothing about struggle, and it has also allowed me to inspire others how to make it when they never thought they could!
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