PAPER FOCUS!

DO MATERIALS REALLY MATTER? WHY OR WHY NOT.

I think that materials do really matter and this is because materials are aides that we need in order to learn. When a student is in school they need some help with their study be it by going to the library and being able to find a book to help them do their homework or even just having a basic crayon to do you painting. I remember back at home when we were in school and if you did not have a textbook you were chased out and definitely missed that class. This usually would not be the students’ choice not to have the book but circumstances made them not have it. The student ends up missing the whole lesson which in turn affects their whole grade and thus the process begins all over again where we try finding out what the cause of low performance is but we had it from the beginning which is lack of resources for them to use.

The materials do play an important role in the student school life because that is the only way the teacher would know if the student is making progress or not. Take a case where the student is not even able to do their homework since they do not have pencils or the textbook needed; this would demoralize the student and in so many ways affect their performance. In the book savage inequalities we see the length Ms. Hawkins goes just to get the students to have the materials they need and this way it shows us how important it really is to have materials in class. We may need to have illustrations like Ms. Hawkins with the bottles to show the students about waves. The students will need to know how the real world is and this is possible when they have things rather supplies that they can use and relate with on a personal basis.

Materials do really matter because the students are able to perform their tasks better and make the learning process easier for the teachers and students as well. Take a case where each time the teacher comes to class and the first 15 minutes he or she wastes on trying to send those who do not have certain supplies out. This leads to waste of time for the prepared students, the teacher and the whole class as whole. Students need to learn firsthand and at a certain school students were sent on a camp and they were  divided into two teams to build a roller coaster with school supplies and one of the teams had less supplies. The challenge was to use the materials effectively since they had less. One group was given half a semesters supply and the other was given a full semester supply, both teams took notice of how much supply they had and the challenge that lay ahead. This was to teach them what it is like to go without supply or even to have less supply. Those with more were able to perform the tasks easier than those who had less and in the long run their performance is greatly affected.

HOW DOES A CHILD FEEL WHEN HE OR SHE DOES NOT HAVE THEM?

When the students lack supplies then this means that they do have to share everything with everyone and even though we may be having everyone’s interest at heart then it might not be good. It may lead to bullying by students who feel that since they have the textbooks then they have an advantage over everyone else. I remember in high school how some students would put themselves in cliques just because they have some textbooks and those that did not have felt like they were in their mercy. This is very discouraging as some of the students lacking the supplies feel like they are not good enough. The students in a class ought to feel like they have a sense of belonging and this way take part in the whole learning process.

There is also the long term effect of not having enough supplies and this is the students get to miss gaps in the education and opportunities to learn firsthand. I remember in high school also at times students were sent home to pick the supplies or even bring their teachers to school to explain why they do not have learning materials. This ended up wasting the students’ time as they missed school the whole day because probably the parent is not at home to bring you back or even because they do not have money at that moment to get you the supply.  There was even a study that said in most states the students are becoming more kinesthetic learners which is when the student learns by carrying out physical activities rather than listening to lectures or watching demonstrations. If the schools lack the supplies to provide them with these opportunities then they are missing out on learning opportunities and these are opportunities that result in lack of knowledge and materials. Schools that students do not have to struggle for basic supplies performed better like in the case of Trier High.

Lack of materials also leads to behavioral problems with the students and this was because the students are not getting the experience to know how to behave themselves in a correct classroom setting. They are getting bored and involving in behaviors that are not good due to low self-esteem which is brought about by them always having to be the ones not having the supplies or going out every time the class is in session due to lack of  supplies. The students need to get these school supplies so that they can enrich their learning experiences and also to make sure that they are getting the right learning experience. We should keep in mind that the teacher is preparing these students to be able to function in the real world and someday be running our country as Jeff Bliss also tells the teacher how the students are the future of the country.

HOW DOES A CHILD FEEL WHEN SHE OR HE DOES AND WHY?

A student feels motivated to perform better in school when they do have the supplies and this is because all that they need is available to them and all they need to do is make the best out of it. The students feel obligated to perform better and this would be better if they knew what it is like to lack what you really need in your education. We see students at Trier High performing better in the district and this is because they have all the resources they need to enhance their study while their counterparts in Goudy have bad performances since lack of the basic supplies slows down their learning process and in the long run affect their whole school reputation.

A student who has supplies will have more time for themselves and be a better grounded person in general.  There is even a saying that goes work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The students life does not have to involve just worrying about school and what they do or do not have but if the supplies are available to them then the student has time to socialize and build relationships with his peers and this in end makes a whole rounded person who once they graduate can be able to interact with people in the outside world. In my sociology class we were told about how some students went to a school in an upmarket area and saw the students have access to a gym and music equipment and most of them had started to nurture their talents and what they wanted to be even before getting out in the real class. This means these students would be better rounded than those students who do not have bathrooms and a urinal is used as a class.

The students with access to all the supplies that they need feel the pressure to perform better and this is because they do not have any excuse not to. In Savage Inequalities we see students who do not have all the supplies they need and have to come up with ways to supplement themselves. This usually leads to a blame game since they do feel and actually say the reason they are under performing is because they lack this or that. The student with all supplies will not have anyone to blame when they perform bad and this would mean they are pressured to perform better since they owe their teachers, parents or even the school to show what they can do. Usually in schools where the teacher has to tell the student to share facilities a lot of time is wasted and this would have been used in learning but in a school where the student has the supplies the teacher goes straight into learning and thus they are able to cover a lot which the other unfortunate students wont and in even though they would still have to take the same standardized tests. This places the student with supplies on a pedestal as they are at an advantage over the less fortunate student who does not have supplies.