Chapter 3

HIDDEN
By:
RULES
Haidee Garcia
AMONG
Casta Garcia-Rosen
CLASSES
EDUG 863

April 2, 2015

THE TWO THINGS THAT

MOVE A PERSON OUT OF
POVERTY ARE EDUCATION
AND RELATIONSHIPS
-RUBY PAYNE

HIDDEN RULES AMONG CLASSES

Hidden Rules:
Unspoken cues and habits of a group.
Derived out of situated learning environment.
Learned among classes.
Social Learning:
Taught by parent
Learned from the environment
Students from poverty come with a completely different set of hidden rules and
do not know middle class hidden rules.
Educators need to teach students the hidden middle class rules that will make
them successful at school and work.

HIDDEN RULES POVERTY QUIZ

COULD YOU SURVIVE?
Do you know which churches have the best rummage sales?
Do you know which stores garbage bins can be accessed for thrown
away food?
Do you know how to get someone out of jail?
Can you physically fight and defend yourself?
Do you know how to keep your clothes from being stolen at the
Laundromat?
Could you live without a checking account? electricity? phone? car?
I know how to use a knife as scissors?
Pay your cable bill before your rent?

HIDDEN RULES MIDDLE CLASS QUIZ

COULD YOU SURVIVE?
Do your children know the best name brands of clothing?
Do you know how to get your children into little league piano
lesson, soccer, etc.?
Do you know how to order in a nice restaurant? Can you use a
credit card? checking account? savings account?
Do you know how to help your child with homework?
Do you decorate your house for different holidays?
Do you talk to your children about going to college?
We have more than one computer in our home
We plan our vacations six months to a year in advance?

HIDDEN RULES WEALTH QUIZ

COULD YOU SURVIVE?
Do you have several favorite restaurants in different
countries of the world?
Do you have two residences that are staffed and
maintained?
Do you fly in your own plane, the company plane or first
class?
Are you on the board of at least two charities? And/or
contribute to at least four or five political campaigns.
I know how to enroll my children in the preferred private
schools?
Can you read a corporate financial statement and analyze
your own financial statements?

TURN AND TALK

Discuss with your partners which hidden rules you know?
Reasoning:
If you fall mostly in the middle class, it is assumed that
everyone knows these things.
The quizzes points the things that each class takes for
granted.
The hidden rules of each class will influence the ways the
members of the classes will make decisions.

Hidden Rules Among Classes

POVERTY
POSSESSIONS
People.
MONEY
PERSONALITY

SOCIAL
EMPHASIS
FOOD

MIDDLE CLASS
Things.

WEALTH
One-of -a-kind objects, legacies, pedigrees.

To be used, spent.

To be managed.

To be conserved, invested.

Is for entertainment. Sense of

humor is highly valued.

Is for acquisition and stability.

Achievement is highly valued.

Is for connections. Financial, political, social

connections are highly valued.

Social inclusion of people he/she

likes.

Emphasis is on self-governance Emphasis is on social exclusion.

and self-sufficiency.

Key question: Did you have

enough? Quantity important.

Key question: Did you like it?

Quality Important.

Key question: Was it presented well? Presentation

important.

Clothing valued for individual

Clothing valued for its quality
style and expression of personality. and acceptance into norm of
middle class. Label important.

Clothing valued for its artistic sense and

expression. Designer important.

Traditions and history, most important. Decisions

mode partially on basis of tradition and decorum.

EDUCATION

Present most important. Decisions

made for moment based on
feelings or survival.
Valued and revered as abstract but
not as reality.

LANGUAGE

Casual register. Language is about Formal register. Language is

survival.
about negotiation.

Formal register. Language is about networking.

FAMILY
STRUCTURE

Tends to be matriarchal.

Tends to be patriarchal.

Depends on who has money.

DRIVING
FORCES

Survival, relationships,
entertainment.

Work, achievement.

Financial, political, social connections.

HUMOR

About people and sex.

About situations.

About social faux pas.

CLOTHING

TIME

Future most important.

Decisions made against future
ramifications;
Crucial for climbing success
ladder and making money.

Necessary tradition for making and maintaining

connections.

Mental Model For Poverty

Mental Model For Middle Class

Mental Model For Wealth

MOVING ALONG THE CLASSES

Moving from one class to another consists of using current rules and
learning the new rules of the class they are moving into.

The rules that are kept or discarded depend on the survival issues you
had growing up.
Rules that are kept usually have to do with identity or deep emotional
issues (coping/survival skills)
The world is viewed differently within each class:
Wealthy(international)
Middle (national)
Poverty (immediate locale)

MOVING ALONG THE CLASSES

The Difficulties Of Moving Up In Class:
Individuals who have been in a given group two generations or more
experience difficulty adapting.
The way money is handled and viewed:
Poverty Class: money is an expression of personality, used for entertainment and
relationships
Middle Class: security
Wealthy Class: investment-more money

Disparity in the number of tools (resources) available to each class.

Tools are used to identify the class (the more tools available is dependent upon their class)
Example: scissors, pencils, papers, rulers etc.

HIDDEN RULES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Impacts schools, work, organizations and personal

relationships.
Relationships with different classes (Bridging Social Capital)
are affected when hidden rules are broken.
When rules are broken it leads to assumptions of the
individuals character (stupid/rude)
In reality, the individual did not know the rules.

EDUCATION AND THE ROLE OF

EDUCATORS

HIDDEN RULES AND

THE SCHOOL SETTING
Influences our judgment of an individuals intelligence and capabilities.
Important to not imposed middle class solutions.
For Example: Resources and homework help

Understand the attitudes that students and parents show in the school
are a part of their culture and belief system.
Teachers Must:
Learn the hidden rules of poverty.
Be open-minded and flexible to find the best solution.
Not get frustrated and angry when dealing with students and parents
from different classes.
As educators it is critical to teach our students the hidden rules that will
help them succeed in school, work and in life.

THE END