Thursday, January 8, 2015

Chapter 3 - A Mindset for Change

For me, the line from Chapter 3 that struck me most occurred within the first paragraphs of the reading:

The reason things stay the same is because we've been the same. For things to change, we must change!

In a conversation regarding students and poverty, this is definitely not the line I would have expected to stick out. In all honesty, this line rings true for the issue facing poverty-stricken children; for so long (or for most of their lives), they have been labeled due to their Socioeconomic status. We try to teach kids at a young age that it is not nice to point and call names. However, teachers have no problem picking little Timmy out due to his parents' lack of money. We are sometimes the worst perpetrators when it comes to labeling. The worst part of it, however, is our blinded reality or our own urges to insist that we are only trying to help.

Chapter 3 brings to light the idea that change is in fact possible. Students can change. It is particularly interesting how this book and Mindset correlate as changing a students perception of their own situation is dependent upon their ever-changing mindset. Jensen cites several studies showing a mind's ability to alter and change. However, many of these studies relied on placing SES students into a more positive environment or introducing a group of variables otherwise unavailable. What is doing the changing in these situations?

That is not to say that SES students not in these experiments are incapable of changing; however, it is unrealistic to expect them to make the changes independently. The experiments conducted proved that change is possible. Students born in difficult circumstances can learn. Should they be forced to change on their own? I think of even adults' desires to change. How many adults change completely independently from everyone? How many require some help or guidance? For SES students, that is where the teacher plays a vital role. The teacher's job for every student is to foster an attitude that learning is possible no matter what. For SES students, especially at a younger age, that is all they want.

I direct back to the opening quotation. "For things to change, we must change!" (Jensen 46). I may offer a slight revision: For things to change, we must offer and accept help to change. For our SES students, change is a possibility. Jensen proves this time and time again. What we, as teachers, must do is offer to our students the map to change. We are dealing with 5-18 year old students; none in this range are capable of transformation completely on their own. Let's change our attitude regarding SES students. Perhaps this is the first change that must occur.

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