Opus 2014-38: Poor Children

I never minded being called “poor.” 

I assumed my family was poor.  I didn’t look at it as an indictment of our character or a limit to our future.  It simply meant that we didn’t have as much money as some people.  Not so today.

One way to get a hostile reaction from a student is to say “you poor child.”  When I say it I am not referring to financial condition.  I am talking about something in the moment that points out a lack in their life.  It could be an attitude.  It could be a lack of experience.  It could be an ignorant statement.  It is a word of many applications.

Not to the children of today.  They take it very personally when called “poor.”  They have a very limited, concrete vocabulary.  Part of that is their mental maturity.  Young minds tend to be black/white oriented.  Seeing shades of grey develops with experience, information and wisdom.  Some will never move beyond that level.  In eighth grade it is not a crisis.  If they don’t go beyond that it will be a tragedy.

You might say they have a “poor” vocabulary.  Lack of money in itself is nothing to be ashamed of.  Most of us have been there.  Many are there now.  The noun is a statement of fact.  It becomes a problem when it becomes an adjective and modifies your vocabulary, prospects, education, work habits or honesty.  It is too frequent when we talk about bloggers writing skills.

Just be careful who you call poor.

homo unius libri