A Coach's Diary

"Locate a resilient kid and you will also find a caring adult - or several- who has guided him." -  Invincible Kids, U.S. News & World Report The key to achievement for students from poverty is in creating relationships.  Teachers and administration have always known that relationships, often referred to as 'politics,' make a great deal of difference - sometimes all of the difference - in what could or could not happen in a building.  In schools, we focus so much on achievement and effective teaching strategies, yet the most important part of learning seems to be related to the relationship. When a low performing student is asked how they made the journey, the answer 9 times out of 10 has to do with a relationship with someone who made a suggestion or took an interest in them as individuals. Covey uses the idea of an emotional bank account.  He indicates that in all relationships one makes deposits to and withdrawals from the other person i...

As written by Ruby K. Payne in A Framework for Understanding Poverty, there are hidden rules to the wealthy class, middle class, and poverty class, that we all live by, but very few of us are aware of them.  As educators, it is important for us to be aware of these hidden rules because we have to be able effectively reach and teach ALL students, and we can't do that if we don't know the rules and can't effectively teach them and teach to them.   Schools and businesses are led and run by middle class rules, so schools are virtually the only place where students can learn the choices and rules of the middle class. Generational poverty is defined by having lived in poverty for at least two generations, while situation poverty is defined by a lack of resources because of a particular event (or situation). Managing money is one of the biggest difficulties in getting out of poverty.  Lower, middle and upper class communities look at money differently.  Those livin...

Schools and businesses are run by a set of middle class norms, expectations, and hidden rules.  For all kids to have success in the classroom, it is important that they know and can follow these rules, and these hidden rules don’t naturally exist in the homes and lives of many of our students.  We have to be prepared and equipped to teach those hidden rules to our students so that they can be successful in school and in business as they get older. The notes below are from the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby K. Payne. Poverty of Resources Poverty can be defined by a lack of resources.  These resources are more than just financial and many are more important than financial resources.  When there is a lack in any of the resources below, it will be difficult for students (and adults) to become and be their best self:   What kind of resources?   1 - Financial (money )  2 - Emotional (grit)   ...