A Full-Time JobDescribeIn preparation for this reflection paper, I read the texts, reflected on my life experiences, and then identified the following key theme. In "The Working Poor" by David Shipler, the fact that people on welfare work in menial jobs and not necessarily because welfare requires them to do so, shows that most people want to contribute and be part of the working society. . As I read the history of New Hampshire families, I was reminded of the classism that existed between the two worlds of the rich and the poor. Unlike rural New Hampshire, southern New Hampshire, where I grew up, is an hour from Boston, so the area I lived in was filled with pilots and executives. Besides being rich, everyone expected their child to go to college. My town looked like a Norman Rockwell painting and, considering its size, had two country clubs. At the age of sixteen, teenagers were given the latest sports car. This contrasts with the rural New Hampshire residents in Shipler's book, who are a captive audience of the plant's opening, closing, or downsizing and, ultimately, victims of the financial results of the company. Likewise, what struck me was how people in my town referred to people from the North, making fun of them (and those were the adults). Now I see that a strong connection between making money and being good was established for me growing up. where I did it and with the class of people I associated with. Also, when I read "Glass Castles" by Jeannette Walls, the family had moved to Welch, one boy in particular was determined to put Jeannette and her siblings in their place by shouting "Garbage!" You live in garbage because you are garbage! » What does this have to do with “The Working Poo…… middle of paper…… we move everywhere? To which his sister responds: “We would get caught.” » Why is this important? Any nation that wants to call itself civilized has a responsibility to ensure that those who need help receive it. What will I do in the future in light of this learning? Going forward, I will continue to address the dignity and responsibility of the individual on a case-by-case basis. The working poor illustrate that there are too many social services and people in the system and even today, with the level of fraud and the infant mortality rate being where they are, it seems that even the experts don't know not exactly how to repair the system. I believe Shipler's and Walls' books both illustrate my point that we in social work would do better to address each individual without pigeonholing anyone to their situation...