Poor Students, Rich Teaching. Eric Jensen

THE RICH CLASSROOM CLIMATE MINDSET?

       10 Engage Voice and Vision

       11 Set Safe Classroom Norms

       12 Foster Academic Optimism

       Follow Through: Lock in the Rich Classroom Climate Mindset

       PART FIVE

       WHY THE ENRICHMENT MINDSET?

       13 Manage the Cognitive Load

       14 Strengthen Thinking Skills

       15 Enhance Study Skills and Vocabulary

       Follow Through: Lock in the Enrichment Mindset

       PART SIX

       WHY THE ENGAGEMENT MINDSET?

       16 Engage for Maintenance and Stress

       17 Engage Students for a Deeper Buy-In

       18 Engage to Build Community

       Follow Through: Lock in the Engagement Mindset

       PART SEVEN

       WHY THE GRADUATION MINDSET?

       19 Support Alternative Solutions

       20 Prepare for College and Careers

       Follow Through: Lock in the Graduation Mindset

       Epilogue

       References and Resources

       Index

      About the Author

      Eric Jensen, PhD, is a former teacher from San Diego, California. Since the early 1990s, he has synthesized brain research and developed practical applications for educators. Jensen is a member of the invitation-only Society for Neuroscience and the President’s Club at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies. He cofounded SuperCamp, the first and largest brain-compatible academic enrichment program, held in fourteen countries with over sixty-five thousand graduates. He is listed as a Top 30 Global Guru in Education and does professional development internationally.

      Jensen has authored over thirty books, including Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Tools for Engagement, Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind, Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain, Bringing the Common Core to Life in K–8 Classrooms, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, and Different Brains, Different Learners.

      To learn more about Eric Jensen’s teacher workshops and leadership events, visit Jensen Learning (www.jensenlearning.com).

      Preface

      This revised and combined edition of Poor Students, Rich Teaching and Poor Students, Richer Teaching represents an updated, best-of look at the seven high-impact mindsets necessary to reach students from poverty and help them succeed. How do I qualify to write a book about mindsets and poverty? I did my dissertation on poverty. I have worked successfully with over two hundred Title I schools in the United States. But there is something else you should know about me. This journey actually began in my early childhood. That’s when I learned firsthand about adversity and mindsets.

      You see, my mother walked out on my two sisters and me when I was two. My dad struggled to raise three children. He worked during the day, went to night school, and had busy weekends with the National Guard. My first stepmother (of three total) entered my life when I was six. She was violent, alcoholic, and abusive. She made my home life a living nightmare for nine years (from ages six through fifteen). She threatened me daily, and I became a survivor who focused on dodging continual abuse through hiding, staying away from the house, living with relatives, and eating dog food for snacks.

      No adult in my early life taught me or role-modeled healthy social or emotional skills. I was terrible as a student, both behaviorally and academically. Moving around was the norm, not the exception; I went to three elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools. At one count, I had 153 teachers. And this is the G-rated version. The viewpoint I learned from my father was, “Stop complaining, and focus on what’s important.” For me, that meant survival.

      I am telling you this because I know what it’s like to grow up in a toxic environment. I have had a loaded, cocked gun held to my head and heard, “Do what I tell you, or I will shoot.” I acted out in class and got in trouble often. My K–12 grades were poor, and I finished high school with a C+ average. The odds of me succeeding in life at that stage were not good.

      So how did I find a way to succeed? First, I was born with white privilege. I did not experience daily additional stressors from racism, gender inequality, or classism. Second, I was lucky. At age thirty, I started meeting amazing adult role models and, for years, I made them a part of my life. I started to learn what success in life was really about.

      This book is personal for me, and I am hoping to make it personal for you. You must make a choice to understand the mindsets of those who grow up with adversity and, more important, make a choice to learn the new mindsets to help your students succeed.

      Ultimately, that’s what this book is about: choice. Everyone gets knocked down; for some, it is more often and more traumatic than others. The next time you have a student in your class who acts out, who is frustrated by how your class is going, remember: I was one of those students, and I took it personally when a teacher did not help me succeed. When my teachers did not help me, I just stopped putting in the effort. On the flip side, when teachers cared about and helped me, I worked hard and had a good attitude. Although my own K–12 experience was not good overall, a few good teachers were different, and slowly, I began to get glimpses of hope. Their mindsets were different. I felt the impact of relationships and good teaching.

      Many of your students are in school mostly because it’s the law and their friends are there. It was that way for me. But my teachers chose to teach. They chose to be at my school. They chose the subject and grade levels. On top of that, they were being paid to help me graduate. The choices you make do matter. These choices come from