In 2014 I was on a school level team that was attempting to understand and install best practices on a school level. We noticed that there was a correlation between economically disadvantaged students, behavior, and learning disabilities. I was instantly taken by the thought that a child could be disabled due to economical hardship. The following July I heard about Toxic Stress on GPB, which started me on the first step in truly understanding parts of myself and my students.
I grew up with transitional adults who didn't buffer me from the unrelenting stress caused by being exposed to drugs, poverty, neglect, abuse, and depression. I had no idea that these experiences were weakening the architecture of my developing brain. Now at the age of forty-three, I can see the long-term consequences in my learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.
With that said, I want to be an advocate for my students and help build resilience in them. We know today’s best programs and practices can help support child development, and I consider it my calling to make every effort to make sure that my students are not left behind.
Each day my goal is to provide a healthy, safe environment that helps "tip the scales" with protective experiences and adaptive skills which can counterbalance significant adversity on the that they may be exposed to on a daily bases. Reducing the effects of significant adversity on young children’s healthy development is critical to the progress and prosperity of our rural community. I continue to experience post traumatic stress from my youth and time in the United States Marine Corp, but my hope is that my students will be given a skill set that will enable them with resilience to adverse early experiences and help more children reach their full potential.
Before kids can focus on dividing decimals, they must have an ability to improve their coping skills and adapt to new challenges. One of the things that we do to help shape a positive, safe learning environment is the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is just taking a few minutes to breathe and bring things back into perspective to help foster resilience.
[For more of this story, written by Scott Anderson, go to http://www.gpb.org/blogs/educa...the-resilience-coach]
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