9: ‘Teachers Need to Understand the Position that They Have’: Discussing Poverty in Diverse Classes

Poverty is a pervasive issue, which has wide-reaching, negative impacts on a range of outcomes including health, wellbeing, and education. Understanding poverty is therefore critical for students preparing to work in public-facing roles, many of whom have little knowledge or direct experience of poverty. Drawing on a student’s account of their own educational experiences and reflections on the Widening Participation agenda, this chapter outlines key considerations for educators planning to teach about poverty. While greater diversity within classrooms can be an enriching experience, this chapter acknowledges the additional educational, social, and emotional demands placed on some students in further and higher education as a result of their backgrounds. The inadvertent exacerbation of poverty-related stigma through the expression of certain attitudes, assumptions and behaviours within classrooms is also discussed.