GRMS Hosts Community Workshop: Poverty Competencies

*REGISTER HERE: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/Vawx9nH5IBq1BP_EWjpvoA

Saturday, September 29, 2018 8:00a - 12:00n Breakfast and Snacks Provided $45 Per Person for Community Members/Organizations

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Join the faculty and staff of Guadalupe Regional Middle School for a half-day community workshop with national poverty expert Dr. Donna Beegle. ____________________________________________ Poverty Competencies: Breaking the Iron Cage Most information about poverty comes from three main sources. The biggest teacher of poverty is the media which often presents extremes and sensationalized stories that perpetuate myths and stereotypes. The second source is having a life experience of poverty. This can be problematic in that many people who have lived poverty, but not studied it, project their own experiences upon others who may be experiencing a different level and/or type of poverty. Lastly, people often rely on having worked with or gotten to know someone in poverty as their reference point. Again, problematic because there are many different levels of poverty. In this interactive segment, Dr. Beegle will provide educators with a poverty knowledge base necessary for improving educational success. Participants will gain tools for understanding how the many different life experiences of poverty impact educational success and what they can do to improve outcomes. Dr. Beegle will also share examples of schools that are implementing her strategies and having success in removing poverty-related obstacles. ____________________________________________ About Dr. Beegle: Headshot of Dr. Donna BeegleDonna Beegle was born into migrant labor poverty. She grew up not knowing the words her teachers used and didn't understand the examples that were provided to explain the words. She said “ain't” in almost every other sentence and did not know when to say “gone” or “went,” “seen” or “saw.” She didn't believe that education was for her or for people like her. So, she dropped out during her freshman year of high school and got married. But, after continuing to live in extreme poverty and homelessness, she returned to school at age 26 to get her GED, and—within 10 short years—achieved her doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her research for her dissertation focused on improving educational outcomes for students from poverty. It is this lived experience, plus many years of research, that she brings to these sessions. Each session is presented with interactive, engaging activities and allows participants to practice applying the concepts immediately. ____________________________________________