On September 2nd, accomplished educator Travis Wright delivered a compelling presentation at Bank Street titled “Reframing Resilience for Children with Challenging Lives” as part of the College’s 22nd annual Barbara Biber Convocation. Wright is an Assistant Professor of Childhood Studies, Multicultural Education, and Teacher Preparation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was on leave over the 2015-16 academic year to serve as Deputy Chief, Early Childhood Education for DC Public Schools.
Captivating the audience from start to finish, Wright spoke eloquently about his experiences working with children who have navigated complicated life circumstances. He told the touching stories of three children with particularly challenging behaviors whose journeys taught him to see strength instead of struggle, demonstrating how educators can use an understanding of children’s lives outside the classroom to inform their work.
“We have to recognize that children are not just students. They are people with full, complex, and often messy lives,” said Wright. “Children experience all of the emotions of adults, but may not have the words to express them. Do not underestimate the power of children’s lives in their emotions and development.”
Wright told the tale of one child, Goddess, a 16-month-old who had endured trauma and neglect in her earliest months of life that limited her capacity for displaying emotion. Spending her days sitting silently in the corner of her therapeutic preschool or gazing blankly out the window, she had been labeled as “failing to thrive” and became Wright’s first client during his clinical internship. He spent close to ten hours a week with Goddess in the classroom, on the playground, and in play therapy sessions, committed to connecting with her and building a level of trust that eventually resulted in her first ever laugh and an overall transformation in temperament and responsiveness.
“It was the most profound and magical moment in my teaching life,” said Wright. “What I’ve learned in years of revisiting that moment is that Goddess was not failing to thrive—she was fighting to live. That shift from viewing children as failing to thrive to instead viewing them as fighting to live has had the most profound consequences for my life as a teacher.”
Held annually, the Barbara Biber Convocation memorializes the late Barbara Biber, a leading researcher in child psychology and early education who influenced Bank Street’s mission and philosophy over several decades as chair of the child development faculty and, later, director of the Research Division. Wright’s presentation was heartfelt and inspiring, and his approach to working with children is very much in keeping with the legacy of Barbara Biber, who viewed education through a psychological lens and fully immersed herself in the lives of children she worked with.