What to Watch For
The single greatest difference in the brains of those who live in poverty is the effects of chronic and acute stress. Stressed brains go either aggressive or passive. When you see kids acting out in the classroom- being hyper responsive, aggressive, angry, profane, disrespectful remember this: don't take it personally. This behavior is often symptomatic of stress disorders. When you see kids in the class- room acting sluggish, unmotivated, hypo responsive, spaced out, and disconnected, remember this: don't take that personally, either. This is also symptomatic of stress disorders. Kids from poverty are also more likely to have disabilities (dyslexia learning delays, and ADHD are most common). Just roll up your sleeves and remember that brains can and do change and adapt to experience. If bad things happen to impair the brain, good things can help correct the problem.
Creating the Right Factors for Poverty-Stricken Students
Children who live in poverty often develop impoverished brains with a variety of difficulties. Is there hope for something good? Yes is the emphatic answer. Environmental enrichment can help overcome many of the problems. How do we know? Studies show that IQ goes up with an improved environment. For example, one study selected 65 highly deprived children, defined as abused or neglected during infancy, because they met two criteria: they were severely impoverished and had an IQ below 86 before adoption (suboptimal environment; Dumaret Tomkiewicz, 1999). Yet after eight years of enhanced upbringing, this group of kids had an average IQ gain of almost 14 points and nearly a 20-point gain when they were adopted into higher-income families. This study is one of many that suggest an enhanced environment can ameliorate the effects of poverty n other words, the brains of poverty-stricken children are not lost forever. Smart educational interventions can change the IQs of children living in subpar conditions, and these kids can meet and exceed all forms of standards. But five factors are required to significantly change the lives of these kids: skill building. hope, accommodations, relationships, and enrichment.
Skill Building Teachers are busy and have multiple, conflicting priorities for academic, social, and emotional skill building. But kids from a low socioeconomic back ground need more skill building because they are less likely to have exposure to those skills. Put your energy into building these five core skills: reading (provide the materials so that students can take them home) vocabulary (make this an ongoing strategy) writing (make this a daily habit) social emotional (e.g., courtesies, conflict resolution) life skills (e.g., goal setting, organization, study skills)