Neuroplasticity and Hope

Alright Folks... this is my first of many (I hope) research related posts.   I will do my best to keep my opinions out of my writing.  But I am not promising anything. :) So here goes...

Perhaps the most influential belief that drives my philosophy of education and daily classroom practice is this...

 A teacher's expectations for her students proves to be the most influential factor in their success.

Over the past five years, I have dedicated my time as an educator working in schools with high percentages of lower socioeconomic students.  Teaching in these communities makes my job seem even more significant and powerful.  There have been children who have entered my classroom with less than desirable attitudes, work ethic, ability, family, hygiene, or language, but these children tend to be my "babies."  The ones who tug at my heart strings each and every day.  The ones that make my eyes water when I think back to their successes and the transformations they made in my classroom.  You'll read later that I firmly believe there are not expert teachers.  Teaching is a profession that is truly dynamic and constantly changing. It is impossible to leave a lesson and think, "That went perfectly.  There isn't anything I could of done better."  So by no means do I think their success is a result of my expert teaching.  However, I do believe their success is a result of my HOPE and my BELIEF in them.

Below are the links to three related articles.

Each article links the effects of poverty to brain damage, while illuminating the idea that HOPE and HIGH EXPECTATIONS can be more than a mere possibility for change, but can facilitate the change for these students.   

The Effects of Poverty on the Brain

Down and Out in Children's Schools

Study: Poverty dramatically affects children's brains

"Paige's" Notes:  

• Neurons are designed by nature to reflect their environment.
• Students who are exposed to chronic poverty often display problems in these areas:
• working memory
• impulse regulation
• language
• visuospatial 
• goal-setting
• decision making
• planning
• attention
• concentration
• higher-order thinking
• problem solving
• 9-10 year olds living in poverty show brain damage equivalent to the damage caused by stroke
• Four factors have been linked to the experiences and effects of growing and living in poverty
• Exposure to toxins (artificial additive, noise, carcinogens, lead, smog)
• Chronic stress
• Chronic exposure to substandard cognitive skills
• Impaired emotional-social relationships
• Students living in poverty are more likely to develop emotional problems, have a lower IQ and lower reading scores, and suffer from memory loss
• The effects of poverty can cause anger, aggression, passivity, and even helplessness
• Educators should realize these behaviors are not the problem, but a symptom of the problem
• A study shows that children who are active in environments that stimulate the brian and are filled with hope and high expectations were able to raise their IQ 22 points over the course of 8 years.  
• TEACHERS CAN FACILITATE CHANGE: Be the CHANGE
• Hopeful kids are more optimistic and they try harder.  They persist longer and perform better. 

Have hope. 

Have hope for every child who walks through your door.  Look past their clothes, their attitudes, their speech, and their families.  Remember that our neurons reflect their environment.  Create an environment that is positive and nurturing.  Create an environment that instills that belief of "Yes. I can."  Force their neurons to reflect hope, courage, persistence, and love.  Be the factor that changes their lives.  Be the teacher that they quote ten years later, the teacher who they remember as the one who cared, and the one who facilitated the change.  

Create hope.