Hope and Learned Optimism

One of the biggest surprises for me when reading Teaching with Poverty in Mind was the role hope can play when working with students from low SES backgrounds. According to research cited in the book, having persistent feelings of inadequacy can take hold as early as 1st grade. Such feelings can lead to "learned helplessness" which is an adaptive response to life conditions. Students with learned helplessness believe they have no control over their situations and whatever they do is futile. So building hope and learned optimism become vital factors when working with children from low SES backgrounds.