The work of our schools has never been more important.
Many of our students are anxious and worried about lots of things. Some are problems we face as a society, like mass shootings, climate change, and a toxic political environment. Others are normal parts of growing up, such as feeling accepted, fitting in, and dealing with peer pressure toward risky behavior – but new dynamics such as the omnipresence and distortions of social media, the rise of vaping, and legalization of marijuana have made things more complicated.
Some of our students face discrimination and rejection because of how they look, where they are from, or whom they are attracted to. Some face the challenges of poverty, while others have financial means but are impoverished emotionally. Many perceive that their self-worth is tied to meeting expectations that they believe their families, their school, and society hold for them – i.e., getting good grades, performing well on the field or on the stage, getting into a “good” college, etc. – and live in fear of rejection if they don’t measure up. Others perceive that they are less worthy because a learning or physical disability hinders success as it is traditionally defined. Still others have experienced significant trauma, sometimes known to us and often unknown.
If we are to successfully educate all of our students, including those with challenges both visible and invisible, we certainly must attend to our duty of implementing the most effective technical elements of teaching. However, while strong curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices are necessary, they are not sufficient to truly meet our kids’ needs and fulfill our mission. All of our students first need to be:
accepted, unconditionally, for who they are;
respected by being treated with dignity and empathy;
included in the learning in our classrooms and the life of our schools; and
empowered through our belief in their abilities.
Accepted. Respected. Included. Empowered. We adults want to feel these things. So do our students. When they do, the impact of our schools is profound.
I am proud that our schools are focused on finding ways for all students to be meaningfully included in order to succeed in the classroom and beyond. One shining example is that our Shrewsbury High School Unified Sports program recently earned national recognition from the Special Olympics for its success, where “athletes with and without intellectual disabilities train alongside each other as teammates to promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect.”
I am also proud that our schools are focusing on ways to address all of our students’ needs by strengthening our approach to social and emotional learning. The research is clear that students whose social and emotional needs are met not only are happier, they also learn better, behave better, manage stress better, and make better decisions. We are becoming more intentional and comprehensive about teaching the skills and competencies of social emotional learning, and this will pay off for our students.
While we are making progress, we have much work to do in order to ensure that every student in our schools is accepted, respected, included, and empowered. In the coming months, we will be undergoing an “equity audit” to examine how our current practices and opportunities for students match our aspirations. It is our responsibility to determine areas of improvement, seek evidence-based best practices that match our needs, and implement them so that our students benefit.
This work is difficult. But, I am optimistic because I know our educators’ skill and dedication has and will continue to make a positive difference, and because they are working together to use best practices and increased supports to serve all of our students. To do this work well is indeed challenging, but it is surely gratifying, because it changes our students’ lives for the better and makes our community a better place.
And it has never been more important.
