A Book Review  By Kim Williams

 A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D.

          If you were lucky enough to attend this year’s National Middle School Association Conference in Atlanta, Georgia this year, you probably listened to the author’s keynote.   Her book is on its third revision at this point, published by aha! Process, Inc.  It is an extremely interesting view of the culture of poverty.

          Dr. Payne begins by pointing out some key things to remember.   Poverty doesn’t seem like poverty unless there are people around you who are not poor!  Poverty is everywhere…every race, every country has poverty.  In fact, the Bible states this very idea “The poor will always be with us.”  There are different types of poverty, some poverty lasting for generations that we often refer to as cyclical, and poverty that is caused by death, divorce, illness, etc and lasts for a shorter period of time.  Poverty has its own culture, its own “hidden rules” for behavior.  Most of our schools and communities use the “hidden rules” of the middle class and are unaware of the “hidden rules” of poverty.  These “hidden rules” that Dr. Payne describes are one of the most interesting aspects of her book.

          As a reading and language arts teacher, I found the second chapter of her book fascinating.  She discusses patterns of discourse or how people communicate with each other.  The primary method of discourse for most students is casual.  Formal discourse is what we teachers require for writing and other schoolwork.  In casual discourse, or discussions between friends, the tendency is to work up to the point of the story in a round about way, building the suspense.  It has only a 400-800-word vocabulary and depends on a lot of gesturing, facial expression, syntax, and so on.

As teachers, we need the students to get to the point; we emphasize structure, story elements, plot.  Because the two types of discourse are so dissimilar, Dr. Payne suggests a number of ways to address the problem of synchronizing the two ways of story telling. 

          Chapter three deals with some of the “hidden rules” of poverty.  These are the unspoken hints and ways of behaving each class uses.  She has some quizzes to take that reveal some of the “hidden rules” of each class.

Would you know how to get someone out of jail? How to live without a checking account? How to move in half a day?  These are some of the things people living in poverty automatically know because they are a part of the culture of poverty.  Middle class people know how to get their children into Little League, piano lessons, and soccer.  They know how to order in a nice restaurant and they talk to their children about going to college.  Wealthy people know how to ensure confidentiality and loyalty from their domestic staff, are on the boards of at least two charities, can read menus in French, English and another language.  One chart that Dr. Payne provides in her book lists the poor, the middle class and the wealthy and then compares them with words or phrases in categories from possessions to education to love.  The comparison she makes between them for possessions was, I felt, revealing.  In poverty, peoples’ most important possessions are other people.  In middle class peoples’ most important possessions are things and for the wealthy the most important possessions would be one-of-a-kind objects, legacies and/or pedigrees.

          This book has some extremely good information for teachers.  There are definite suggestions and pointers to help us deal with students in more affective ways.  Dr. Payne has some insights that absolutely flabbergasted me.  As most teachers come from the middle class, especially teachers in Idaho, I think it would be well worth the time for everyone to take an evening and read this book.  It is quick reading because it is enthralling, it gives us so many aha! moments.  However, it is certainly worth the second and third reading because digesting the import of her material takes more than just an evening.  I highly recommend this book to every educator.  The children deserve this much of your time!