On Friday, January 27th, 2017, I participated in the United Way Centraide of Windsor-Essex County’s “Living on the Edge: A Poverty Simulation” event held at the Caboto Club in Windsor, Ontario. The event simulated four weeks of a life of poverty experienced by low-income families as they struggle to accomplish daily tasks that include paying rent,  finding employment, and feeding their children.

My involvement in the simulation has allowed me to gain insight into the barriers and challenges faced by low-income families in Windsor and Essex County and how these struggles can hinder their children’s performances in schools. I believe that my participation in the simulation has allowed me to develop a better understanding of how poverty can impair students’ abilities to learn. Overall, this eye-opening experience has fostered my professional growth as an educator in the sense that I have learned to be sympathetic to students who may be struggling due to poverty and to take responsibility to reach out and help them.