Instructional Philosophy:

Teaching with Poverty in Mind

Details on Experience: I led the staff at Coon Rapids Middle School through a book
study on Eric Jensens text eaching !ith "o#erty in Mind in order to support $y
colleagues as our nu$ber of students on free%reduced lunch increased significantly&
Early experiences shape brain functioning' but brains can change through the
hard !ork of effecti#e teachers&
(earners need $o#e$ent' exposure to $usic and art)$aking during learning
experiences !hene#er possible&
Students !ho experience po#erty are also experiencing stress and they depend
on a positi#e relationship !ith their teacher and !ith trusted adults at school&
Students !ho ha#e gro!n up in po#erty need $ore explicit instruction on
e$otional regulation& his $ay be e$bedded in acade$ic learning experiences&
*a$ilies experiencing po#erty need a positi#e relationship !ith teachers and a
great deal of respect& "lacing additional de$ands on these fa$ilies can har$
students and alienate the$ fro$ the educational en#iron$ent&
Students fro$ situations of po#erty need explicit instruction in social skills as
they learn to regulate their e$otions&
Students fro$ situations of po#erty need to experience enrich$ent
opportunities and challenges to foster a sense of autono$y&