Mrs. Brannan's Brainiacs: Kiawah, Team Time, and Good Learning

Last weekend, my team of teachers and I went to Kiawah Island Thursday through Saturday for the annual SCCTE conference. Initially, I had expected to enjoy the island and team time, but dislike the conference itself. I was pleasantly surprised as we began going to the sessions because I really enjoyed the speakers, their topics, and the knowledge they shared. The team time was great- I loved the opportunity to get to know my team members without their "teacher hats" on. We spent a lot of time sharing about our lives and learning about each other in ways that only bring about more respect for one another.

The villa we stayed in was beautiful and so close to the ocean you could hear and smell the beach from the patio! The two bedrooms consisted of two twin beds in one and a king size bed in the other. Therefore, two of us had to share the king size bed or someone would've had to sleep on the couch...thankfully, it was a king and neither one of us are used to cuddling at night :)

My favorite session was about teaching children of poverty. The speaker/teacher in that session had adopted a child when he was born. Later, she found out that the mother had not had any prenatal care and had possibly abused drugs and alcohol during the pregnancy as well. Poverty had effected her child before he was even born. She, the woman who adopted him, made it her mission to research the effects of poverty on children. We saw pictures of children's brains at different stages of development based on "normal"/adequate care and neglect. The differences are astounding. Poverty isn't just defined by a lack of money, but a lack of resources in general (time, money, relationships, access to care, etc.) Most of the students that I teach are living in poverty outside of school, so it's my job to ensure that those needs are met while they are in my care at school. I cannot change where they have come from, their pasts, or where they go "home" to after school, but I can make sure that they are cared for while they are at school.

Stress was another cause of altered brain development. Children under stress develop and perform at a fraction of the rate that others do. Children under extreme stress are not as motivated and are more likely to cause behavior problems because their reaction to stress is so different. Divorce and family dissention are one of the more prominent causes of stress for children and, sadly, those are getting more and more common in homes today. We learned some strategies for teaching children in these stressful circumstances and in poverty. Most of all, she addressed Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs and the fact that if students' basic needs are not met then there is no way they will be able to learn and positively contribute to the classroom environment. What a job we have as teachers?! The outcome of using these strategies and the privilege of teaching children in poverty can be so rewarding. I can actually make a difference!

Pictures from our beach walk...for educational purposes, of course!