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.

Post 1 - Chapters 1 & 2

Children dealing with poverty is something that we, as educators, want to say we consider and recognize in our classrooms. We want to say this and we do say this, but that does not always mean we know why it is happening or how to deal with the students affected by a lack of income. With everything else teachers deal with in the classroom environment, poverty may easily have gone unnoticed. Instead, we go around treating all students the same and expecting all students to complete the same tasks by the same due-date. 


That's not to suggest that we should start treating children affected by poverty differently than the rest of the room. In reality, it is more important to treat these poverty-stricken children as if they didn't have these life burdens.  Calling them out (even unintentionally or privately) can have devastating results. The child will feel alienated (or further alienated if that feeling is already there) from the rest of the class. Jensen makes it very clear that we do not want to show pity for these students; rather, Jensen suggests we feel "empathy" (p. 12) as this will invite the student into the room with causing a scene. 


I continue to think about those who deal with poverty, trying to come up with a plan for successful education when the first thing on their mind is typically not parts of speech. How do we teach to those who go straight to work after school lets out? We demand homework as a way to practice skills; they perform life-skills instead as a way to survive. 

As educators, how do we acknowledge without labeling; how do we assist without patronizing; how do we encourage without pitying? When it comes to poverty in education, situations can change and new students can be on the other side of the "haves" and the "have-nots." It is up to us, as professionals, to keep them engaged (or as engaged as possible) because after they leave our classrooms, they have a different assignment to fulfill. It's not about pity; it's about empathy. And it's about presenting opportunities for these students that they can, in fact, be something...be someone...other than poverty-stricken.