1. How is a flowing river and a beaver like a student of poverty and a teacher? You will find out in about 45 min!

2. Succeeding with Students in Poverty

3. Kids living IN poverty are different then kids NOT living in poverty! “I do not like that man, I must get to know him better.” Abe Lincoln

4. Define Poverty… Ruby Payne- ”The extent to which an individual does without resources” Resources include: Financial as well as Emotional Mental Spiritual Physical Support Systems Relationship/Role model

5. Eric Jensen- ”Poverty is the chronic and debilitating condition affecting the mind, body, and soul resulting from multiple synergistic risk factors. Chronic: Debilitating: Mind: Body: Soul: Multiple Synergistic Risk Factors

6. Persons in family/householdPoverty guideline For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,160 for each additional person. 1$11,770 2$15,930 3$20,090 4$24,250 5$28,410 6$32,570 7$36,730 8$40,890 Search: Current National Center for Children and poverty stats…

7. BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS… (WHAT WE WOULD LIKE)

8. What we often get… Why can’t these kids just do what they are supposed to do?

9. It’s a REASON not an EXCUSE! However we must understand the reason is real.

10. Very important Not all children that act inappropriately are living in POVERTY, and not all kids that live in poverty act inappropriately.

11. Kids (and adults) that act inappropriately have: been taught to act that way AND in someway it is working for them. they have not learned how to do things differently and if they have... they do not have a strong enough reason to make the difficult change.

12. Kids “download” the negatives of chaos, disharmony, poor relationships, foul language, poor manners, and weak vocabulary just as quickly and just as automatically as they would any positive or enrichment input.

13. I don’t deserve to be loved…I am worthless

15. If the Healthy Emotional Brain Was Represented by a Keyboard, Many Students Today Use Fewer “Keys” Sadness Joy Disgust Anger Surprise Fear

18. Early Childhood Experiences Influence K-12 Achievement Emotional Non-support Acute/Chronic stress Cognitive Impairment Health & Safety issues (these are often issues of poverty) The longer and more intense the influence from each of the factors above, the more it will take to mitigate the effects. Change can still happen. It just takes more resources and time. Source: Shonkoff and Phillips (eds.) (2000) From Neurons to Neighborhoods.

20. Based on a study of child-parent interactions, following children from 7 months until age 3, -the average child in a welfare family heard 616 words per hour. -the average child in a working class family 1,251 words per hour. -the average child in a professional family – 2,153 words per hour.

21. By Age 4 An average child in a welfare home heard 13 million words An average child in a working class family child heard 23 million words An average child in a professional family heard 45 million words

22. This is called the “The 30 million Word Gap” How can this affect their success in school?

23. Language Influences Cognition The link between language development and socioeconomic status is strong. Higher SES toddlers actually used more words in talking to their parents than low SES mothers used in talking to their own children. (Bracey, 2006).

24. Children of poverty come to school not only with a deficit in language but also EXPERIENCES (ALSO KNOW AS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE)

25. What a child of poverty may be behind in: What a child of poverty may have been taught: 1. 2. 3. 4. FIRST DAY OF KINDEGARTEN

26. Little Joey is so excited he gets to start school. His first week it becomes obvious to him, his teacher and his peers that he is behind in many ways. This makes him feel

27. A child that is not taught what emotions are, how to deal with them or any kind of impulse control the probably outcome is…?

28. Stress and Distress Chronic stress is known as distress Distress will shut down brain connections over time. Poor children are exposed to more stressors, more intense stressors, longer lasting stressors and have fewer coping skills than their higher SES counterparts

29. For those in poverty, nearly everything takes more time Transportation Food gathering and prep Getting medical help Information gathering Locating & securing school help This creates a “poverty of time” that impacts children -- more stress!

30. How Much Can Environments Affect Gene Expression? Plenty!

31. And now the good news… Old Paradigm: Brains Stay the Same; Kids Stay the Same New understanding: Brains can and do change everyday. But if the circumstances around a kid stay the same, so will his brain! We must change things.

32. Eric Jensen's School Wide Success Factors S.H.A.R.E. Model Support the Whole Child Hard Data Accountability Relationship Building Enrichment Mind-Set

33. Eric Jensen’s Classroom Success Factors S.H.A.R.E. Standards Hope Arts, Athletics & Advanced Placement Retooling of the Operating System Engaging Instruction

34. What Can Teachers Do? -Provide more personalized instruction -Use “inside out” rather than “outside in” teaching -Increase curriculum challenge and academic rigor-and let them know you believe in them an will support them. Make the increase challenging yet possible (think video games) -Add emotion to your lesson (stronger brain connection) -Provide extra support during school-to-school transitions -Help students help themselves -Be the one teacher who truly cares -Develop a real mentoring program -Careful monitoring of student work -Have students keep track and together, celebrate small and big success often! Have students talk or write feelings and consequences of success. -Give choices!

35. Help kids remember past positives: Focus on joys, successes, friendships, pride, fulfillment Present focus Focus on savoring the moment. Plan to do 1 savoring activity daily Celebrate often!!! Record and reflect often! Future focus Connect past successes to give future belief… Give them other peoples success stories to begin.

36. Continue to build relationship; without it, you they have little to go on. Find out their areas of interest and expertise- Keep track of this in your grade book. Engage peer pressure. Use multiple social structures- teams, partners, study buddies, project groups, jigsaws, trading spaces.

37. Angela Duckworth Ted talk

38. Just like it took time to download all the negative…it will take time to replace the negative with positive. Every little thing adds to building the dam to block the negative flow! Nothing is meaningless!

39. Never, Ever Give Up! Brains are designed to change Experiences at school can change student brains for the better The science supports the potential for change We are in the business of CHANGING BRAINS!