Homelessness Reflection

Poverty is an issue that is important to me because of the personal struggle I have had with it. Throughout the school year, the topic of poverty and/or homelessness is touched on in many of the stories we read. As a result, I like to bring up the issue of homelessness and poverty to my students so they are more aware of the world around them. A lesson that defines me as a teacher is titled Contemporary Issues. This lesson allowed my students to become better aware of the society that they live in by having them research information about current homeless populations and poverty populations within their community, state, and the U.S. They were also required to research what programs their community, state, and the U.S. offer for these populations while comparing them to a different country of their choice. After this research was conducted, the students worked in small groups to come up with a program to help the homeless and/or those in poverty.

They were required to work together to develop every aspect of their invented program such as who will be allowed to participate in their program, how much assistance each household/individual would receive, how the program would be funded, and if their program would be a short or long term solution for those individuals/families. The students were also required to develop a name and mission statement for their program. After their programs were completely worked out, the students were required to work together to make a digital presentation to present to the class. This project kept my students engaged by allowing them to research something that is happening right before their eyes and use that information to work with a small group of peers toward a common goal. They were also able to think of ways to better the world around them while still thinking