Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

5-24-2019

The Socioeconomic Status: An Autoethnography

Richard Bernal
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, rbernal100583@laleadership.org
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Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

Abstract

The socioeconomic status can drastically impact the future of low-income students. After

extensive research, it is clear that the future of their academic, physical, and mental health is

negatively affected. Through websites and authors such as the ​Child Fund International a​ nd

Jessica Sharpe, who spoke on TedxGreenville about the negative effects of low-income.

Illnesses such as chronic stress and food desert environments can be seen to make it difficult for

a student in low-income to thrive.

Keywords: ​Socioeconomic Status, Chronic Stress, Food Deserts, Low-Income

Acknowledgements
Thank you Mom and Dad, for being the motivation to my education. I am grateful for having
such patient parents.
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The Socioeconomic Status: An Autoethnography

Richard Bernal
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Los Angeles, California, USA

The socioeconomic status can drastically impact the future of low-income students. After

extensive research, it is clear that the future of their academic, physical, and mental health is

negatively affected. Through websites and authors such as the Child Fund International and

Jessica Sharpe, who spoke on TedxGreenville about the negative effects of low-income.

Illnesses such as chronic stress and food desert environments can be seen to make it difficult for

a student in low-income to thrive.

The Incident

It was June 2015, I was a 14 year old 8th grader. I had a few more weeks left of school

until graduation. I was excited about vacation, especially our camping trip. Almost every year

my family and I would go camping at Lake Lopez during the summer. As vacation time was

approaching, I could already taste the sweet, warm smores and hear the oak trees rustling in the

wind.

It was now July and my parents had not said anything about this year's camping trip so I

assumed we were not going. As the days passed by, I began to notice that my father's lunch box

that he would take every day to work had not been moved in days. This observation made me

realize that my father had stopped working. My hard-working father who would work as a
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janitor at a nursing home across our street had injured his arm while pushing loads of heavy

soiled bed sheets into the laundry room; which is what I overheard while my father discussed

with my mother, sister, and brother about his job situation.

As time went by, I realized that my parents were becoming more stressed because of all

the bills they had to pay. Those stupid bills ate our money and the leftovers were ours. Drastic

changes were made. I noticed that our fridge became more and more empty. Our television was

interrupted by the words “no signal” as it hit the corners of the T.V. screen. Slowly we all

adapted and are still adapting to our new life. We were now considered a low-income family

according to the federal government’s economic standards.

The struggles that my family has faced has not only affected my parents but me too. My

relationship with my parents has also changed throughout the years as well. Due to my parents

stressing over how their money will be distributed for bills, I have become afraid of asking for

things such as clothes and money, and later worrying if they will be able to pay for home

utilities, even though we live in a low-income apartment we still need our money to stretch as

much as possible. I have also realized that my fear has transferred to my school life as well. I

have noticed that at school I struggle to socialize with others. For example, I am not able to ask

questions and speak up because I am afraid of how the teachers or staff will react to my

questions or if they understand my requests. I am now worried about the small things such as

spending the money that my parents give me and wondering if I should give it back to them

because they need it or spend it on myself for something I want. All of this piles up and creates

stress for me. This stress feels like I have lived with it all my life. To add on to this stress, my

mother who is also disabled and ill, like my father, is unable to work.
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I often imagine that when I get older, I will be able to help my parents with bills and

help them as they helped me grow. I am very hopeful and have set goals for myself. As a child

and even now, I still believe that my goal in life is to help my parents out in any way that I can.

I dream of one day buying a home for me and my parents to live in so that they are no longer

stressed about paying bills and instead treat themselves with their money.

Analysis

Introduction

As I became more aware of my family's living conditions, I noticed how the status of a

low-income family can negatively impact the future of a students ability to succeed in life. It is

insane how in society, status is measured through education, income, and work field if any.

With the label, of low-income, my family and I would suffer long periods of uncontrollable

stress because we felt that we would not have enough money at the end of the month. According

to ​Child Fund International,​ “Children who grow up poor in the U.S. are more likely to be in

poor health”(2012, para. 8). My family and I live in an urban area where it is very difficult to

find affordable fresh food which ultimately contributes to how our health plays a role in how we

live. Throughout my research, I was able to relate to many of these topics because I have

experienced most of the effects.

Study of Focus

The socioeconomic status of people has been one of the most talked about topics in

recent years, but what is not really talked about is the effects it has on students and children.

The effects of the socioeconomic status is often measured through education, income, and
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occupation. This all generates negative effects on many students and children across the United

States.

Throughout my research, major contributors like Jessica Sharpe, as well as the ​Child

Fund International ​website​,​ talk regarding the major effects on the ability for students to

succeed in their health and academics. As a result, from examining the socioeconomic status of

low-income students, it is clear that the future of their academic, physical, and mental health is

negatively affected.

Academic Effects

The socioeconomic status can affect the academic skills of a student’s ability to thrive in

their education. According to ​Child Fund International​, “Despite being one of the most

developed countries in the world, the United States has one of the highest rates of childhood

poverty globally. Children born or raised in poverty face a number of disadvantages, most

evidently in education,”(2012, para. 13). Students who face poverty and its disadvantages are

more likely to struggle in school and find it difficult to graduate. If students continue to face

poverty, there can be serious long term effects for our country. For example, higher levels of

drop-out rates may make life more difficult for families living in low-income because it will be

challenging to grow out of that socioeconomic status. In ​Help-Seekers and Silent Strugglers

Student Problem-Solving in Elementary Classrooms b​ y Jessica Calarco, who claims “As

children get older, they become less likely to ask classmates for help in understanding concepts,

but far more likely to get “‘expedient”’ help like copying homework” (2014, p. 28). The reason

why this affects low-income students is because they are afraid to ask the teacher for help in the

classroom and instead they rely on others for help. If this continues, low-income students will
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not be able to call out for help when they need it and may leave them stranded, and on the road

to failure in their academics.

Through education, socioeconomic status is divided by the class gap, which is

considered to be a separation between the rich and poor. In the video “The Impacts of Social

Class: Crash Course Sociology #25” Sweeny talks about how “education is sometimes called

the ‘“Great Equalizer.”’ The more people who have access to quality education the more equal

society gets.” (Sweeny, 3:13), which illustrates that if there are low-income students who go to

a school in a not so great of an area their education may be limited because of the programs that

the school may not be able to offer. This type of low-income education can affect how a student

develops his ideas such as a major or the school he or she would like to attend in the future.

​ ercent of Low Income Students in All Public Schools 2011 (Southern

Figure 1. P

Education Foundation, 2013).

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In the image above, it shows a map of the United States with percentages of low-income

students in public schools in every state. It also shows 17 states with a high average of

low-income students making the national average “51%”(Southern Education Foundation,

2013). In the website ​A New Majority Update-Low Income Students in the South and Nation,​ it

claims that “Over the last 10 years, the number of low-income students have grown 3-4 times

greater than the growth of per pupil expenditures in 3 of the 4 regions of the country”(Southern

Education Foundation, 2013). What this is saying is that the amount of low-income students is

growing quicker compared to previous years. Children are born into this world as low-income

and it is not their fault that they do not receive the quality of education that other students

receive in a wealthier area.

Physical Health

The socioeconomic status can also effect the physical health of a student, by not

receiving the proper foods to live a healthy lifestyle. In many urban areas, such as Lincoln

Heights, access to healthy food choices is minimal or in other words is a food desert, meaning

that it is difficult to buy affordable and good quality foods. This type of problem can impact the

future of students, such as living a much shorter life compared to other students living in a

richer area. In the video, ​“The Impacts of Social Class: Crash Course Sociology #25”, Nicole

Sweeny talks about the average lifespan of a person living in low-income. Sweeny lectures

throughout the video saying, “Low-income Americans tend to eat less healthy food”(Sweeny

6:39). Due to the fact that many lower-income families tend to eat fewer healthy foods,

increases the chances of developing illnesses in the future such as obesity, diabetes, or high

blood pressure. In my distant family, many of my uncles and cousins suffer from diabetes and
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high blood pressure which is most likely caused by how the environment they grew up in

impacted them.

In the book ​Preventing Childhood Obesity: Evidence Policy and Practice,​ R. Uauy,

Elizabeth Waters, Boyd Swinburn, Jacob Seidell. claim that:

There is evidence that the food environment, the availability and cost of food, may

increase the likelihood of those on low-income or living in poverty becoming obese.

Studies of the food environment indicate that the idea of poor neighborhoods having too

little and too expensive healthy foods holds true only in the USA. (2011, p.133)

What this quote is saying is that many neighborhoods are living in a food desert and may be the

reason why there is a high range of obese students living in the United States alone. Families

want what is best for their children's future, but if the cost of nutritious food is too expensive

they will more likely purchase cheaper and less healthy food.

Mental Health

Lastly, the socioeconomic status of low-income students can affect their mental health.

Chronic stress, according to “What are the Health Effect of Chronic Stress?”​ b​ y​ A
​ aron Kondola,

“Chronic stress puts pressure on the body for an extended period. This can cause a range of

symptoms and increase the risk of developing certain illnesses,”(2018 ,para.6). It is important to

know that chronic stress can increase our levels of cortisol, which according to a video titled

“The Brain on Poverty”, this means chronic stress can “​increase the level of cortisol, decreases

our ability to fight infections, is linked to weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and early

death,”(Sharpe, 5:05). With all of the issues that families go through with efficiently trying to

spend their money on necessities, it leaves students stressed that they will not be able to receive
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money to go out and enjoy themselves or even purchase school supplies. In addition, according

to​ Child Fund International,​ “​Children feel alienated from society; suffer insecurities because

of their socioeconomic status; fear the consequences of their poverty; endure feelings of

powerlessness; and are angry at society’s inability to aid in their struggles,”(Child Fund

International, 2013, para. 14). In other words, students have a difficult time adapting to their

living conditions and are upset that society is not able to fully help students as well as families

to the point that the student may not want to continue their education. There have been times in

which I have felt upset and a disturbance to society because my family needs a lot of support

from the government. It terrifies me thinking that one day programs such as SNAP, affordable

housing, Medicaid, etc. will be discontinued and leave thousands of families including mine

helpless.

In addition, children do not only suffer because of society’s view of poor individuals,

but because of the parents as well. In ​ “The Brain on Poverty,”, Sharpe talks about how, “the

first three years of life are critical to brain development because about 80 to 85 percent of our

brain develops during that time,”(Sharpe, 3:17). Toddlers who grow up in a household with

busy parents that do not have time for their children will most likely struggle with their

vocabulary because they do not hear many words, a child may also feel neglected or unwanted

at home.

Opinion

The socioeconomic status of a student living in low-income can have long-lasting

effects. I have been affected and can relate to most of the problems many other low-income

students face. Food deserts exist and I live in an urban area that is affected by it, for my family
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to get healthy, affordable, and fresh foods they must spend more money and travel away from

our home. I believe that chronic stress does affect low-income families and students because

they stress on trying to pay for their bills with their low-income salaries. Coming from a

low-income family my parents did their best to encourage me to stay in school, even though

they did not go themselves, they knew it was the right choice.

Furthermore, at the previous school I attended, there have been many incidents in which

I have copied off my peers because I am afraid to ask the teacher for help. I have also

experienced a lack of support in the school I currently attend because it did not offer many

programs or resources when I started my education there. Resources such as counselors were

not really offered at my school for a long period of time. I would have desired to receive the

help from a counselor, in order to enroll in programs that can help students like myself who are

undecided in their major.

Conclusion

Low-income status has negative effects on a student and it may be difficult for them to

get out of the low-income class if they see their future in a negative way. The negative effects

that develop from being low-income are the abilities for a student to thrive in their academic

skills, as well as their physical and mental health. Throughout the years, there has been a drastic

increase in low-income students in the United States alone.

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References

A New Majority Update-Low Income Students in the South and Nation. (2013). Retrieved from

https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/newmajorityupdate/

Calarco, Jessica. ​Help-Seekers and Silent Strugglers Studnet Problem-Solving in Elementary

Classrooms​. 2014, ​www.aft.org/sites/default/files/calarco.pdf

Kandola, A. (2018, October 12). "What are the health effects of chronic stress?." Medical News

Today. Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323324.php.

Sharpe, ​Jessica. “The Brain on Poverty”. TEDxGreenville. 17 May 2018,

https://youtu.be/6HVsjpu4vQw

Southern Education Foundation ​(2013). Percent of Low Income Students in All Public Schools

2011. Retrieved from

https://www.southerneducation.org/publications/newmajorityupdate/

Sweeny, Nicole, “The Impacts of Social Class: Crash Course Sociology #25”. CrashCorse. 18

September 2017.​ https://youtu.be/0a21mndoORE

“The Effects of Poverty on Education in the United States.” ​Child Fund International ​, 2013,

www.childfund.org/Content/NewsDetail/2147489206/​.

Waters, E., Swinburn, B., Seidell, J., & Uauy, R. (2011). ​Preventing Childhood Obesity:

Evidence Policy and Practice.​ Somerset: Wiley.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ricardo_Uauy/publication/223988809_Preventing_
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Childhood_Obesity_Evidence_Policy_and_Practice/links/5a742f40aca2720bc0dc82a1/P

reventing-Childhood-Obesity-Evidence-Policy-and-Practice.pdf#page=148