Common Good Research Paper
Serving the Common Good “Forty five percent of children in America live in low-income families” (Child Poverty 1). The many negative effects a low-income environment causes can greatly impact a child’s life. Keeping these children motivated to be successful and to get out of this negative environment can be difficult. As a Sport Management major, I plan to serve the common good by volunteering my time working with local high school volleyball teams located in Pontiac, Michigan. My goal is to motivate these young women to finish high school and get out of Pontiac. Pontiac is rated as one of the most dangerous cities to reside in Michigan. In 2010, the violent crime rate for Pontiac was higher than Michigan’s violent crime rate by 246.5
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percent and higher than the national violent crime rate average by 320.86 percent (Pontiac Crime Rate Report 1). (See Figure 1)
(Figure 1) The environment these kids are surrounded by is clearly not safe and can have a negative influence on them. This could be a reason why the graduation rates for both high schools in Pontiac are approximately fifty seven percent (Pontiac, MI 1). Along with that, it is proven that African American children who live in low-income areas have a 76 percent chance of graduating high school; compared to African American kids who live in affluent areas who have a 96 percent graduation rate. White children living in low-income areas have a 87 percent chance of graduating compared to white children who live in affluent areas have a 95 percent graduation rate (Children Living In Low… 1). Clearly regardless of race, living in low-income areas has a drastic result on graduation rates.
There could be many reasons why so many students do not graduate. For example, with Pontiac having twenty one percent unemployment rate and the income per capita being approximately 38.2 percent less than the national average, many of these high school students may have to work to help provide for their families (Pontiac, MI 1). This can cause stress and not enough time to focus on their studies. Therefore, resulting in them dropping out to work full time. Also, in some of these homes, education may not be a priority. Due to the fact that approximately sixty three percent of low-income mothers had their first child as a teenager, they most likely dropped out of high school as well (Gassman-Pines 19). So, it is not roll modeled for their children to push through and graduate regardless of the circumstances. With the very high pregnancy rate in Pontiac, many of the girls drop out as well feeling as though they cannot have a baby and finish high school (Pontiac, MI 1). Hopefully by me motivating these girls, the pregnancy rate on the women’s volleyball teams in Pontiac will decrease and they will focus on graduating. There is a significant amount of research being done on the effects low-income environments have on children and families.
In Anna Gassman-Pines article “Low-Income Mothers Nighttime and Weekend Work: Daily Associations With Child Behavior, Mother-Child Interactions, and Mood” she discusses the reasons why low-income mothers have such a difficulty maintaining a healthy family environment. Many low-income parents work at night or on weekends because those are the jobs available. These parents who work during these hours have less time available to spend with their family, especially children. This makes it very difficult for these parents to establish family routines. When family routines are disrupted, family relationships weaken and have negative consequences for the behavior and well being for both the parents and children (17). The absence of parental supervision can have a detrimental impact. According to the National Center For Children in Poverty’s article “Ten Important Questions About Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship”, children living in low-income environments are likely to have behavioral, emotional, and social problems. They also have an “increased chance of dropping out of school, having poor adolescent and adult health, and poor employment outcomes” …show more content…
(2).
While these effects are hard to change in high school, I believe with my experience coaching young volleyball teams, I can help better the kid’s behavioral problems. I also want to tell these kids they can get help for emotional and social problems they find themselves having. During an interview with Valerie Morgan who worked with low-income children in Detroit, she stated that one of the behaviors she noticed while working with these children were “attention issues” and many times they would “speak out of turn”. She did see some lack of motivation; however, she told me that if “you show you care, have a positive attitude, be patient, and have good management skills, it effects how the kids respond to you”. These are many skills I can use while working with the high school volleyball players. Being a Sport Management major and a coach, I have the experience and skills to manage a group of students. Also I believe my personality is suitable for working with these types of kids. By volunteering my time with a small group of students from each high school, hopefully I can influence and motivate these girls to stay focused and graduate high school. Motivating students to stay in school and be successful can be difficult. There are many factors that go into properly motivating children; especially low-income children who most likely have not seen much success in their lifetime. In their book, “Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology” Robert S. Weinberg and Daniel Gould explain how to properly motivate athletes. They discuss the importance of really getting to know the athlete to find out what motivates them. Also, it is important to create a positive environment because that will greatly increase motivation (52-53). While volunteering my time, I should really take the time to get to know the female athletes to find out what intrinsically motivates them. I can then use this not only to motivate them in sports, but also in their everyday lives. Keeping a positive environment will hopefully influence them to be positive as well. In Claudia Lann Valore’s article, “Spitting From Windmills: The Therapeutic Value of Effective Instruction”, she discusses proper ways to motivate children in the classroom. She emphasizes transforming failure into success by creating situations where the student can be successful. By doing so, the student then will experience “a burst of motivation” (85). This will personally help me teach these kids that success is possible. I will need to create environments and situations where success is possible so they know they can succeed. This will hopefully result in the kids feeling more motivated and a sense of well-being. As I do this on the court, I can also discuss with them that if they are capable of doing this on the court, they are also capable of doing this in the classroom and throughout their lifetime. Helping children has always been important to me.
I have been so blessed with a healthy and financially stable family and because of that I feel as though I need to give back. I have seen first hand the effects that living in a negative environment have on a child. My own cousin has been the victim of her mother’s poor decisions. Watching this first hand has been very difficult for me and sadly I’m seeing her actions resembling her mothers as she grows up. I know there are kids my age who feel they have no other choice but to do exactly what their parents have done. It always hurts my heart to see kids struggle because of the poor choices their parents have made. Of course, not all parents living in low-income situations have made poor decisions in their life, but the children who are suffering because their parent’s actions, I feel; need to know they can make a better life for themselves. Many of these high school students probably haven’t seen anything outside of Pontiac. I want them to know there is more out there for him. I want to see these kids
succeed. Helping kids living in poverty may not be easy. These students may think that since I did not grow up in the same type of environment as them that I don’t know what I’m talking about. They may not utilize the opportunity I am giving them to have a mentor in their life. However, even if out of all the girls I’ll be working with, if I only change a few of their mindsets or motivate only a few to work hard to be successful, it will be worth it. I know not to have unrealistic expectations. The chances of me changing every single one of these girls’ attitudes that they have developed over about 16 years are low, however; I believe that my skill set, experience, and personality can change some of these girls’ views. There is also the argument that some of these students are already intrinsically motivated because they do not want to live in this type of environment for the rest of their lives. Some of these students are already working hard to make a better life for their children. If this is the case, then I can still be there for these kids as a mentor in case they ever need someone to talk too. Children living in low-income families experience many negative effects. Some of these effects include stress, health issues, increased drop out rates, behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Keeping these children motivated to stay in school and be successful can be difficult, but it is something that will always be close to my heart and important to me. I can serve the common good as a Sport Management major by volunteering my time working with high school women’s volleyball teams in Pontiac, Michigan. My goal while working with these women is to intrinsically motivate them to graduate high school and get out of Pontiac.
Works Cited
"Child Poverty." National Center for Children in Poverty. Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
"Children Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods Less Likely To Graduate High School: Study." Huffington Post. Huff Post Business, 4 Dec. 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
Gassman-Pines, Anna. “Low-Income Mothers’ Nighttime And Weekend Work: Daily Associations With Child Behavior, Mother-Child Interactions, And Mood.” Family Relations 60.1 (2011): 15-29. Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Morgan, Valerie. Personal Interview. 10 April. 2013.
"Pontiac Crime Rate Report (Michigan)." City Rating. N.p., 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. .
"Pontiac, MI." Micah 6 Community. Micah 6 Community, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
"Ten Important Questions About Child Povery and Family Economic Hardships" National Center for Children in Poverty. Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
Valore, Claudia Lann. “Spitting From Windmills: The Therapeutic Value Of Effective Instruction.” Reclaiming Children & Youth 11.2 (2002): 85-89. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
Weinberg, Robert S., and Daniel Gould. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2003. Print.
percent and higher than the national violent crime rate average by 320.86 percent (Pontiac Crime Rate Report 1). (See Figure 1)
(Figure 1) The environment these kids are surrounded by is clearly not safe and can have a negative influence on them. This could be a reason why the graduation rates for both high schools in Pontiac are approximately fifty seven percent (Pontiac, MI 1). Along with that, it is proven that African American children who live in low-income areas have a 76 percent chance of graduating high school; compared to African American kids who live in affluent areas who have a 96 percent graduation rate. White children living in low-income areas have a 87 percent chance of graduating compared to white children who live in affluent areas have a 95 percent graduation rate (Children Living In Low… 1). Clearly regardless of race, living in low-income areas has a drastic result on graduation rates.
There could be many reasons why so many students do not graduate. For example, with Pontiac having twenty one percent unemployment rate and the income per capita being approximately 38.2 percent less than the national average, many of these high school students may have to work to help provide for their families (Pontiac, MI 1). This can cause stress and not enough time to focus on their studies. Therefore, resulting in them dropping out to work full time. Also, in some of these homes, education may not be a priority. Due to the fact that approximately sixty three percent of low-income mothers had their first child as a teenager, they most likely dropped out of high school as well (Gassman-Pines 19). So, it is not roll modeled for their children to push through and graduate regardless of the circumstances. With the very high pregnancy rate in Pontiac, many of the girls drop out as well feeling as though they cannot have a baby and finish high school (Pontiac, MI 1). Hopefully by me motivating these girls, the pregnancy rate on the women’s volleyball teams in Pontiac will decrease and they will focus on graduating. There is a significant amount of research being done on the effects low-income environments have on children and families.
In Anna Gassman-Pines article “Low-Income Mothers Nighttime and Weekend Work: Daily Associations With Child Behavior, Mother-Child Interactions, and Mood” she discusses the reasons why low-income mothers have such a difficulty maintaining a healthy family environment. Many low-income parents work at night or on weekends because those are the jobs available. These parents who work during these hours have less time available to spend with their family, especially children. This makes it very difficult for these parents to establish family routines. When family routines are disrupted, family relationships weaken and have negative consequences for the behavior and well being for both the parents and children (17). The absence of parental supervision can have a detrimental impact. According to the National Center For Children in Poverty’s article “Ten Important Questions About Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship”, children living in low-income environments are likely to have behavioral, emotional, and social problems. They also have an “increased chance of dropping out of school, having poor adolescent and adult health, and poor employment outcomes” …show more content…
(2).
While these effects are hard to change in high school, I believe with my experience coaching young volleyball teams, I can help better the kid’s behavioral problems. I also want to tell these kids they can get help for emotional and social problems they find themselves having. During an interview with Valerie Morgan who worked with low-income children in Detroit, she stated that one of the behaviors she noticed while working with these children were “attention issues” and many times they would “speak out of turn”. She did see some lack of motivation; however, she told me that if “you show you care, have a positive attitude, be patient, and have good management skills, it effects how the kids respond to you”. These are many skills I can use while working with the high school volleyball players. Being a Sport Management major and a coach, I have the experience and skills to manage a group of students. Also I believe my personality is suitable for working with these types of kids. By volunteering my time with a small group of students from each high school, hopefully I can influence and motivate these girls to stay focused and graduate high school. Motivating students to stay in school and be successful can be difficult. There are many factors that go into properly motivating children; especially low-income children who most likely have not seen much success in their lifetime. In their book, “Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology” Robert S. Weinberg and Daniel Gould explain how to properly motivate athletes. They discuss the importance of really getting to know the athlete to find out what motivates them. Also, it is important to create a positive environment because that will greatly increase motivation (52-53). While volunteering my time, I should really take the time to get to know the female athletes to find out what intrinsically motivates them. I can then use this not only to motivate them in sports, but also in their everyday lives. Keeping a positive environment will hopefully influence them to be positive as well. In Claudia Lann Valore’s article, “Spitting From Windmills: The Therapeutic Value of Effective Instruction”, she discusses proper ways to motivate children in the classroom. She emphasizes transforming failure into success by creating situations where the student can be successful. By doing so, the student then will experience “a burst of motivation” (85). This will personally help me teach these kids that success is possible. I will need to create environments and situations where success is possible so they know they can succeed. This will hopefully result in the kids feeling more motivated and a sense of well-being. As I do this on the court, I can also discuss with them that if they are capable of doing this on the court, they are also capable of doing this in the classroom and throughout their lifetime. Helping children has always been important to me.
I have been so blessed with a healthy and financially stable family and because of that I feel as though I need to give back. I have seen first hand the effects that living in a negative environment have on a child. My own cousin has been the victim of her mother’s poor decisions. Watching this first hand has been very difficult for me and sadly I’m seeing her actions resembling her mothers as she grows up. I know there are kids my age who feel they have no other choice but to do exactly what their parents have done. It always hurts my heart to see kids struggle because of the poor choices their parents have made. Of course, not all parents living in low-income situations have made poor decisions in their life, but the children who are suffering because their parent’s actions, I feel; need to know they can make a better life for themselves. Many of these high school students probably haven’t seen anything outside of Pontiac. I want them to know there is more out there for him. I want to see these kids
succeed. Helping kids living in poverty may not be easy. These students may think that since I did not grow up in the same type of environment as them that I don’t know what I’m talking about. They may not utilize the opportunity I am giving them to have a mentor in their life. However, even if out of all the girls I’ll be working with, if I only change a few of their mindsets or motivate only a few to work hard to be successful, it will be worth it. I know not to have unrealistic expectations. The chances of me changing every single one of these girls’ attitudes that they have developed over about 16 years are low, however; I believe that my skill set, experience, and personality can change some of these girls’ views. There is also the argument that some of these students are already intrinsically motivated because they do not want to live in this type of environment for the rest of their lives. Some of these students are already working hard to make a better life for their children. If this is the case, then I can still be there for these kids as a mentor in case they ever need someone to talk too. Children living in low-income families experience many negative effects. Some of these effects include stress, health issues, increased drop out rates, behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Keeping these children motivated to stay in school and be successful can be difficult, but it is something that will always be close to my heart and important to me. I can serve the common good as a Sport Management major by volunteering my time working with high school women’s volleyball teams in Pontiac, Michigan. My goal while working with these women is to intrinsically motivate them to graduate high school and get out of Pontiac.
Works Cited
"Child Poverty." National Center for Children in Poverty. Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
"Children Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods Less Likely To Graduate High School: Study." Huffington Post. Huff Post Business, 4 Dec. 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
Gassman-Pines, Anna. “Low-Income Mothers’ Nighttime And Weekend Work: Daily Associations With Child Behavior, Mother-Child Interactions, And Mood.” Family Relations 60.1 (2011): 15-29. Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Morgan, Valerie. Personal Interview. 10 April. 2013.
"Pontiac Crime Rate Report (Michigan)." City Rating. N.p., 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. .
"Pontiac, MI." Micah 6 Community. Micah 6 Community, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
"Ten Important Questions About Child Povery and Family Economic Hardships" National Center for Children in Poverty. Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .
Valore, Claudia Lann. “Spitting From Windmills: The Therapeutic Value Of Effective Instruction.” Reclaiming Children & Youth 11.2 (2002): 85-89. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
Weinberg, Robert S., and Daniel Gould. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2003. Print.