Chapters 1 & 2

      I knew that students in poverty dealt with many responsibilities and concerns on a daily basis.  These concerns often do not include getting to school on time, finishing homework etc.  What I hadn't thought about was the extent that cognitive lags could effect these students because of their socioeconomic status.  These cognitive lags can cause a snowball effect......poor academic performance leading to lower expectations which in turn can undermine a student's self-esteem.

     Furthermore, Jensen caught my attention when he stated that even when low-income parents do everything they can for their children, their limited resources put kids at a huge disadvantage.  What choice do we have as teachers but to try and help these students as much as we can!

     The first two chapters of this book have helped me have a wake-up call of sorts to what some of our students may be dealing with in their lives.  I have attended workshops and read other books that discussed this subject, but I think it's easy to get too focused on ourselves.  We can get so caught up in our own lives (jobs, families etc.) that we can easily forget to think about what some of our students may be facing outside of school.

      For example, the students that display:

-"Acting-out" behaviors
-impatience and impulsivity
-gaps in politeness and social graces
-a more limited range of behavioral responses
-inappropriate emotional responses
-less empathy for others' misfortunes

Are we taking the time to think about why a student may be showing any of these types of behaviors?  I know there are times where I have to take a step back, and think about how I want to handle an inappropriate behavior in my class.

      I look forward to discussing what we can do to help these students......