A MIND SHAPED BY POVERTY: Hidden Reasons for Generational Poverty We Don't Talk About

By Regenia M Rawlinson

Regenia Rawlinson intimately shares poignant insights from her own upbringing in poverty, illustrating how these experiences molded her worldview and propelled her transformative journey. In her groundbreaking book, she delineates ten pivotal ideas that shaped her mindset amidst adversity, offering a compelling narrative essential for anyone who

• Language: English
• Publisher: Village Concepts Consultants, LLC
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869344175

Regenia M Rawlinson

Rawlinson has an extensive background in education, having served as a teacher, school counselor, and district administrator. Since 1997, she has been sharing her insights on enhancing student achievement and teacher efficacy. As a local, state, national, and international presenter, she has also authored nine books. Residing in South Carolina with her husband David, they are the proud parents of three adult children and delight in their role as grandparents.

Book preview

Introduction

Iwas born and raised in poverty in the rural South. I grew up with sixteen siblings on a farm with our parents. Our house had no running water and no indoor plumbing; the toilet was an outhouse. We bathed in a foot tub or basin. In the winter, we did this next to a heater. The summer was filled with unrelenting heat as we worked in the fields, and we perspired profusely in the house because it didn’t have air conditioning. For most of my childhood and teenage years, the house was heated with one centrally located wood-burning heater, and we washed our clothes by hand. With so many people living in a six-room house (three bedrooms, kitchen, dining area, and living room), there was no space I could call my own, no place in the house I could go to be alone with my private thoughts. It’s a wonder my siblings and I completed our homework. Some of the most memorable and least stressful times included Christmas, when we had an abundance of oranges and apples, barbecued a whole hog, and my mother baked fruit and jelly cakes; Thanksgiving, when we had turkey; Sundays, when there was fried chicken on the table; basketball season at school; the last load of tobacco; the final picked cotton boll; the last row of cucumbers; and when I learned to drive.

According to the US Bureau of the Census (2012), 15.9 percent of Americans (one out of six) live below the poverty line (defined as having an income of $22,314 per year for a family of four). This is the highest poverty rate in two decades. It will take the effort of all who are interested in eradicating poverty, working together, to help individuals break free. The government, political forces, community organizations, foundations, philanthropists, and the business world all have a role to play. The government and politicians can act to eliminate historical, political, social, and economic structures that support, cause, and encourage poverty. Community organizations, schools, foundations, and philanthropists can provide educational and cultural opportunities through which individuals can grow and learn more about the world. The business world can focus more on creating jobs, so more people can go to work and earn a living wage.

What role do individuals living in poverty play in transcending their circumstances? There are several things they can do, including educating themselves about resources, seeking out opportunities to increase their standard of living, taking personal responsibility, and changing an inappropriate mind-set. In my first book about poverty, A Mind Shaped by Poverty: Ten Things Educators Should Know, I outlined how poverty can shape a child’s mind. I focused on ten things educators needed to be aware of in order to help students achieve in the classroom: fairness, access, scarcity, protest, entitlement, second-rate things, escape from stress, discretionary learning, haphazard assembly, and options. The overarching theme of the book was the importance of teachers recognizing the impact of poverty on the behavior and decision making of their students. Teachers were given guidance and suggestions on what steps to take when they identified behaviors and decisions inspired by a sense of poverty.

While I’m concerned about the immediate impact poverty has on one’s life, I’m quite aware of and troubled about the long-term effects that living in poverty have on the mind. When one’s mind is shaped by poverty, certain beliefs are adopted and come to be thought of as one’s own. These beliefs spring from one’s experiences and interactions with others while in poverty. They form a mind-set that governs how one thinks and behaves. Approaches to life, world outlook, attitudes about self and others, opinions, principles, and views all have their roots in this mind-set. This collection of ideas can hinder one’s capacity to break free from poverty. Or they can sabotage economic standing, social interaction, relationships, personal development, and professional growth.

The mind-set that became a part of my psyche traveled with me and, directly and indirectly, governed my thoughts and behavior. I realized that leaving my poverty-stricken childhood, getting an education, landing a good job, and being self-sufficient were not enough. They were not enough to put me in front of people with power and influence. They were not enough to help me move up the ladder in my profession quickly. They were not enough to keep people from judging me as unintelligent. They were not enough to ensure that my children would never know poverty or its mind-set. They were not enough to garner invitations to clubs or the important social gatherings of the year. They simply were not enough! I came to the conclusion that some of the ideas that contributed to my mind-set were hindering my economic advancement, social expansion, and personal development. The mind-set was not good or bad, but