The Hidden Rules of Generational and Situational Poverty

As written by Ruby K. Payne in A Framework for Understanding Poverty, there are hidden rules to the wealthy class, middle class, and poverty class, that we all live by, but very few of us are aware of them.  As educators, it is important for us to be aware of these hidden rules because we have to be able effectively reach and teach ALL students, and we can't do that if we don't know the rules and can't effectively teach them and teach to them.  Schools and businesses are led and run by middle class rules, so schools are virtually the only place where students can learn the choices and rules of the middle class.

Generational poverty is defined by having lived in poverty for at least two generations, while situation poverty is defined by a lack of resources because of a particular event (or situation).

Managing money is one of the biggest difficulties in getting out of poverty.  Lower, middle and upper class communities look at money differently.  Those living in poverty see money as a source of entertainment and an expression of personality, while those in the middle and upper class more regularly view it as a source of security.  The differing views of money impact the spending habits of all communities differently.

There are also differences of the family patterns for each class, and there are even hidden rules for how introductions are made.  In generational poverty, the mother is the centerpiece and true matriarch of the family.  The men in generational poverty tend to have a pattern of coming and going, and usually between the houses of ex-girlfriends/ex-wives and their mothers, while the women tend to go between the houses of their sisters and their mothers.  Favoritism and who is in favor with whom at the time plays a big part in who is currently staying with whom.

In terms of introductions, you must be introduced by already in the circle of someone in the wealthy class, members of the middle class find it rude if you do not introduce yourself, and those in poverty have already talked about you before they meet you.

As stated earlier, this information is important because so many of us do not realize that we are living under such basic but different sets of rules or that they even exist.  The key to getting out of poverty is through education, and to effectively teach all students, we must be armed with this knowledge.  Poverty is rarely about a lack of intelligence or ability; many stay in poverty because they simply do not know that there is a choice or do not have anyone to teach them that there are hidden rules to each culture and they do not have anyone to teach them the hidden rules.