Sunday, October 21, 2012

Appalachian Region



 Multicultural Education 2120

For this week’s blog post I chose to look at a state in the Appalachian region, West Virginia.  Some of the stereotypes that are in the Appalachian region are names like hillbillies and mountaineers.  Some of the unique physical characteristics of states in the Appalachian region are it is very mountainous, hilly, and out in the country.  West Virginia is known for not maintaining the same amount of progress as the rest of the country educationally.  There are also states in this region that are known for being severally poor which also effects the type of education the children in this area will receive.  The schools receive a substantial amount of financial aid because this area is known for being so underdeveloped.  Schools in the Appalachian region also have some of the lowest school attendance records than other parts of the country.  The average teaching salary in West Virginia starting out is “$34,410 and it is ranked 44th in the country for average salary (National Education Association, 2011).
If I was a teacher in this region the first thing I would focus on is getting the students attendance up.  If kids are not attending school it could mean they are not being engaged or challenged in the classroom. I would go over my lesson plans and make sure that they are having fun and also participating and hopefully that would solve the problem and make the kids want to come to school.  Also with it being severally poor you could have students who are not getting enough to eat, come from a broken home, or do not feel safe being at home.  As their teacher it is your job to get to know your kids and also know the needs they may need in their life and be there to help anyway possible. 
Bibliography
National Education Association. Teaching Portal. 2011.  http://www.teacherportal.com/salary/West-Virginia-teacher-salary

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