Actionable Strategies for Schools to Address the Challenges of Poverty
by nancy morris
1. Build relationships
1.1. Resilience
1.2. Protective factors
1.2.1. One Caring Adult
1.3. Safe and welcoming climate and classroom environment
2. Creating a safe space for mistakes
2.1. Foster and encourage mistakes
2.2. Growth Mindset
2.3. Growth
2.4. Goal setting
3. Create opportunities for choice and control
3.1. Provide options for coping strategies
3.2. Choices for regulation
3.3. Choices for how students work
3.4. Choices in assignments
3.5. Teacher remains calm, models the strategies, reflects back the response needed from students
4. What do resilient people do?
4.1. Understand that there will be problems and challenges. It's part of life. You accept it and move on that it's what you will experience and get through.
4.2. They select what they focus their attention on. Don't diminish negative, but they have found a way to tune in the good. Focus on what they can change and have control over. Switch focus of attention to good.
4.3. Strategy - Think of three good things that have happened to them each day.
4.4. They Ask Themselves - Is What I'm Doing Helping or Harming Me?
5. Teach Social Emotional Skills
6. Teach empathy, hope, and mindfulness
6.1. Everyday Informally
6.2. Structured lessons or program
6.3. Morning Meeting?
6.4. End of Day Reflections
6.5. 1:1 conversations
7. Brains can and do change. 1. Schools can be the most positive place where the neuroplasticity of the brain can replace the negativity of poverty and trauma with hope and a real bright future for our students’ successes. 2. Let your students know you love them! 3. Do so by daring greatly!
