The Secret Life of the Brain - Keeping Connections

I always knew the brain was a powerful thing but wow! The complex processes that take place are truly amazing. As a mom of two small children I found myself enthralled in the video, to think that all of this is taking place in the brains of my children and others. What I found most interesting and yet disturbing is that experience determines which connections to leave and which to take away. Take a look around any classroom, we all know the experiences are not the same and we all know that economics plays a role in that. I always knew that poverty affected what children are exposed to but I am now left with the realization that the limited experiences that can come with poverty can determine what connections are left in the brain and what are not. As educators, we must remember this. Our students need to be exposed to as many experiences as possible (AT being one of them) and we have a responsibility to provide these experiences. What we do not only provides our students with knowledge but shapes how their brains will develop. A powerful thing! PBS has created an excellent resource that I believe all teachers should watch as it is easy to get caught up in the everyday and forget the importance of every task we provide our students no matter how small. I think of those comments you hear in every staff meeting or school when discussions come up around school events and you hear teachers saying "but I don't want to..." It is not about us! It is about developing every child in our school as a whole, about keeping those connections.