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Poverty ‘the great scourge of mankind’ says Hiebert

At the Sept. 12 Living Sky School Division board of education meeting, school board trustee Richard Hiebert gave a presentation about poverty. Hiebert has a PhD and wrote a thesis called The Education of Students From Poverty.
poverty

At the Sept. 12 Living Sky School Division board of education meeting, school board trustee Richard Hiebert gave a presentation about poverty.

Hiebert has a PhD and wrote a thesis called The Education of Students From Poverty.

Hiebert called poverty “the great scourge of mankind.”

Among the poor in North Batleford are about 50 homeless people “who survive on panhandled spare change, the Lighthouse shelter and the food bank.”

Hiebert also wrote about the “large numbers of people who live in poverty in our communities, and in some of our schools.”

Hiebert spoke of two broad categories of poverty: situational and generational.

Situational poverty involves being in an environment or experiencing a change in environment “that causes someone to be thrust into poverty.”

“For example, a hard-working breadwinner loses her job and suddenly finds herself in poverty without enough money to pay the rent and buy food for her children.”

Most people in these circumstances find a way out, Hiebert wrote.

The kind of poverty relevant to some Living Sky School Division schools is generational poverty.

“Generational poverty refers to poverty that is handed down from generation to generation,” Hiebert said, adding such poverty was cultural and not ethnic.

People connected to “our high poverty schools provide a daunting challenge.”

Hiebert wrote, “adults from generational poverty are powerless and often do not have the skill sets necessary to successfully compete in the job market.”

Lack of confidence, emotional pain and racism are factors too, Hiebert said.

Living Sky Superintendent of Learning Tonya Lehman said children aren’t ready to learn “unless basic needs are met.”

Working toward such a goal, educators say, involves health and social services, although board members said workers in those organizations are overworked.

Much of that work falls onto teachers and educators, according to Living Sky staff.