As part of the
recent Clare-Gladwin RESD Regional Professional Development Day, approximately
90teachers, support staff, administrators, and paraprofessionals from Clare and Gladwin County school districts participated in a poverty simulation, provided by Dr. Deborah Bailey and Dr. Norma Bailey of Central Michigan University (CMU).
With the help of
more than 30 trained staff and volunteers from CMU conducting and facilitating
the workshop, the 2.5 hour experience took place at Harrison Community Schools
and was designed to sensitize participants to the realities low-income people
face on a daily and monthly basis. In the simulation, participants assumed the
roles of different “families” facing poverty with varying circumstances.
“Participants
experienced four 15-minute weeks with five-minute weekends as they worked
through their month of poverty and tried to accomplish their objectives -
feeding their family, paying their bills on time, maintaining housing, and
maintaining safety,” said Clare-Gladwin RESD Assistant Superintendent for
General Education Deb Snyder. “The simulation was conducted in the gymnasium
with ‘families’ seated in groups in the center of the room. Around the
perimeter of the room were tables representing community resources and services
for the families.”
According to a
local teacher, “The poverty simulation was very eye opening for me. In my
scenario, I was given the role of a single father who got fired, lost his home,
and whose son became ill because of lack of food, and was ultimately taken in
by social services. The one-hour experience left me stressed and wanting to
cry. It was crazy considering I knew it was all pretend. I can’t imagine what
families in these situations go through. I am completely humbled by this
experience.”
Snyder thanked Drs.
Bailey and their staff for their work in providing the simulation, as well as
Harrison Community Schools and Chartwells for providing the venue and food
service.
Clare-Gladwin RESD
will offer a repeat poverty simulation to local educators in October 2014. 
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