Curr 509-The Real Cost of Living

The Actual Cost of Living article was an eye opener for me; I never really considered that the cost of living in NJ was so high. NJ is an expensive state to live in, especially when compared to other states in the South and Midwest. I believe this is mostly due to our property taxes being higher than most states including New York. NJ is also too divided within itself, there are counties such as Bergen whom have very high property taxes and their school systems can afford to give the students Ipads, while other counties such as Camden have kids that are short on essential supplies such as books, causing great disparities. The division is becoming more visible as time progresses, and other factors such as the recession and Sandy come upon us. In NJ the recession caused the unemployment rate to increase, and both it and Sandy caused monetary losses to a lot of people, leaving some in a worst situation than in 2008.

This data helped me visualize the kind of struggles some of my future students might be going through, and how these shortcomings might affect their development in school. I will always try to be more understanding, and relate to them in a human level before anything. The best way to shine through the struggles one has to endure is to have someone always encouraging you, saying you can do it.