Evaluating Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in the 'Poor Kids' Documentary

This assignment critically examines the application of Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs within the context of the documentary "Poor Kids." The student analyzes how the needs of children from specific families (Brittany and Roger Smith; Kaylie and Tyler Hegwood) are not being met, providing detailed examples from the documentary to support their claims. The analysis addresses the relevance of Maslow's theory to education, exploring the impact of unmet needs on children's school performance. The assignment also delves into the reasons behind Brittany Smith's bullying and its effects on her academic life. Additionally, the assignment includes a summary of student grievances from the article "Students In Detroit Are Suing The State Because They Weren’T Taught To Read," highlighting issues related to the quality of education, constitutional rights, and discrimination faced by students. The paper utilizes the provided documentary and article as primary sources to fulfill the assignment requirements.

Running head: CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
Assignment A
The paper intends to evaluate the implementation of the hierarchy theory of needs
invented by Maslow in a specific documentary, entitled, “Poor Kids” (Neumann and
Mucciolo). The documentary is an instance of how the poor kids mentioned in the
documentary are victimized of poverty without being able to utilize the benefit of Maslow’s
hierarchy theory of needs.
Examine Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in the graphic below. While watching
the documentary, explain how at least three needs of children in one family (Brittany
and Roger Smith; Kaylie and Tyler Hegwood; OR Jasmine, Joshua, Jaylan, and Johnny
Davis) are not being met. Provide specific examples from the documentary to support
your answer. Respond in complete sentences and in your own words.
Roger and Brittany are victims of unfulfilled psychological needs and their basic
needs are also not met. The family income was abruptly affected by the action of their father
of giving up his job. However, the children were at an advantage of getting secured food
everyday from their school because there was a provision of distributing meals in schools and
fortunately they were in a school like this. They also had a privilege to join the nutritious club
of their school that helped them to save some food for the weekend. They ran out of money to
refrain from paying electricity bill that stopped them from taking shower in hot water. A
regular shower in cold water also became the reason for them to fall sick. They started facing
new problems everyday along with time.
All the students bullied Brittany in her school that gradually made her socially
awkward. Her victimization was so extreme that she had to be thrown away from her school.
Kaylie and Tyler Hegwood have safety needs. Their psychological needs are in common with
that of Roger and Brittany. After paying the last electricity bill, their mother went bankrupt

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CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
therefore they had to shift to the filthy condition of a motel leaving their old place. The
location was unsafe and congested. It was not even spacious to accommodate all of them. The
floor became the bed for one of them while the food had be kept inside the bathroom. Their
psychological security was deeply hurt because they had to abandon their treasured
possessions.
Fig 1: Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Why is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs relevant to the field of education? How could not
addressing basic needs affect children’s performance in school?
The theory of hierarchy of needs as shown by Maslow is the very basic needs that
would be required by any human being. The needs are not only applicable for survival but
also justified for educational field. A student who had been starving for few days and
dragging himself without sleep cannot put himself together in the class. Therefore, it is
important for a student to have a proper diet and a sound sleep of minimum eight hours. For
instance, providing breakfast at the starting of the lesson not only will attract more number of
students in school but also give them energy for the rest of the day to pay more attention.

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CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
Why was Brittany Smith bullied in middle school? How did the bullying affect her
performance in school?
Brittany was constantly bullied in her school for her poverty-stricken condition. Her
condition made her cornered in the school where she mostly found herself alone that finally
led her to be expelled from the school.
Assignment B
The students are found to be complaining about the poor condition of the education
system that they are availing. The education that they are provided with does not even feel
like school rather it is very inferior in quality which does not add anything to their lives
(Wong). The state is also not providing them with the constitutional rights that are hindering
their liberty and they are subjected to constant discrimination.

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CRITICAL VIEW WITH MASLOW’S THEORY
References
Neumann, J, and L Mucciolo. Poor Kids. PBS: Frontline, 2017, Accessed 17 Jan 2020.
Wong, A. Students In Detroit Are Suing The State Because They Weren’T Taught To Read.
The Atlantic, 2018, Accessed 17 Jan 2020.