Dr. Auzenne-Curl spent Monday, August 5th with the MSD Faculty to help encourage them how important it is to understand poverty and the students they teach. “I enjoy presenting this material because of emphasis Dr. Payne places on the various dimensions of resources that we can encourage our young people to build upon. This dynamic helps us design interventions that really work.”  

This workshop gave the MSD Faculty in-depth information to help them understand class differences and 10 actions they can implement in the classroom to achieve impact. This workshop was based on the book A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D.  Teachers were equipped with concrete actions on how to: 

• Better understand how economic class affects behaviors and mindsets.

• Develop stronger relationships with their students to impact behavior and achievement.

• Identify several key instructional strategies that meet the needs of the under-resourced learner.

• Understand the hidden rules of economic classes and how they apply to their classrooms.

• Reduce their discipline referrals.

• Use concrete strategies that impact the achievement of students from poverty.

“Being in Marion with the high energy group was fantastic. So many came to me during the break and after the day was done that I know this is the beginning of your journey.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for Marion schools. Remember that we approach springboards, not finish lines!”

For more than 15 years, Dr. Chestin Auzenne-Curl has served students, teachers, and administrators in public school systems and higher education. Chestin’s professional roles include various critical teaching and program leadership roles in K–12, as well as teaching and mentoring in higher education. Through aha! Process Chestin provides training and consulting services for Emotional Poverty, Academic Coaching, Rich Instruction, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and Research-Based Strategies.