By Jean Ann Hunt Measurement Incorporated

Put yourself in the shoes of an average 5th grader. Imagine being one that’s six weeks into a brand-new school year.

Many eagerly wait for their bus in the morning. Others bound into their classrooms shortly after drop-off - fresh faced, ready to greet their teachers and classmates. They aren’t concerned about the academic and social challenges the day may bring. They glide into their seats with a level of comfort, familiarity, ownership, and often with a smile. Those that face challenges, even the ones met with ease, know that they'll come and go. They know they can count on their teachers’ support to tackle the day head-on, feeling great about having what they need to rise to the academic and social demands of school.

As their day advances, several gaze around the room and see themselves reflected in the images posted. These same images are captured in the materials they peruse, read and explore. In the hallways, this reflection continues - and in the end they feel a sense of security and belonging.

And then there are those that simply feel that they don’t fit in.

Research teaches us that students with disabilities, students of color, English language learners, students whose caretakers struggle financially, and students who identify as LGBTQIA grapple with entering an unwelcoming and sometimes hostile environment every day.

Unlike the students above they often experience:

• A reluctance and a fear to enter the school grounds.

• Isolation; they are often left alone, or feeling alone

• Uncertainty

Imagine them shuffling down the hallways, eyes down or darting around, not feeling that same sense of belonging. For some, they experience days filled with boredom, frustration, and loneliness, without adequate, appropriate, or relevant support. Many are ostracized by peers, and others are bullied. What’s worse? With such interactions also come micro-aggressions and labels: slow, defiant, lazy, stupid, hyperactivate. If this is coupled with negativity outside of school, then they have no safe places.

Welcoming environments are the antidote to the above. They are the cornerstone for understanding, for inclusion, and acceptance.  They combat isolation, judgement, and inequities.

Inequity: The most serious problem in K-12

In 2020, the United Nations stressed that inequity is perhaps the most serious problem in education worldwide - calling attention to the differences in access to schooling, retention and, more importantly, learning.1

Welcoming and affirming environments go hand in hand with high expectations and rigorous instruction. Inclusive curriculum and assessment tools can aid in students feeling valued. Such safety leads to risk-taking. When we feel safe enough to try things out, to make mistakes, to share our vulnerabilities we are often in the best place to learn. Having even a single adult in a school acknowledge and affirm a student who feels marginalized or that they don’t belong has been shown to change the trajectory of a that student’s life. 

Our own perceptions and the environment we create.

Most teachers we know don’t go into teaching because they want to set up a negative dynamic for any of their students.

Yet we wonder, why are some of our students so excited about learning while others are at best simply going through the motions and at worse are in survival mode all day all, having no band width for academic engagement?

The teachers we need in schools are the ones who pay attention to context, content, and conditions.

The teachers whose classrooms reflect the world and the individual students in front of them. The ones that examine the instructional materials seeking representation of many perspectives and voices. Teachers who understand their own perspectives and biases, who work on understanding how their own views may need to evolve and change are able to cultivate strong relationships and often lead with empathy. They know that too many of our students experience only corrective or negative interactions with the adults in the school (i.e. don’t run in the hallway, take off your hat/hood/scarf, your eyes need to be on me, stop talking, put your phone away).

Corrective actions that need serious consideration

The good news is that the answer to this inequity lies in part in our own perceptions and the environment we create. All things we can control. Creating a welcoming and affirming environment is intentional. It embodies an emotional, social, physical, and intellectually challenging safe space for all students. Such an environment is created by teachers who are mindful to walk the talk of valuing all our students.

Welcoming and affirming environments coupled with interactions which are encouraging, engaging, and highlight who our students are at the core of their beings work against reducing them to someone who needs to be “fixed.” These interactions consist of teachers asking students about their thoughts and opinions; their interests; their views on the world around them; as well as their fears, hopes and dreams. Such an atmosphere focuses on students’ strengths, serving to meet students where they are and guiding them toward their future selves.

When students feel a sense of belonging, of ownership of their learning, of pride in their accomplishments they show up, suit up, and have a greater chance at successfully completing high school. Creating a welcoming, affirming, rigorously academic classroom means each student is greeted with unconditional regard and acceptance. And there are several easy and intentional ways to support your students’ sense of belonging. Equity practices do not add to the instructional load, they lighten it by engaging and encouraging students to succeed.

[1] https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/recognizing-and-overcoming-inequity-education

Resources for Information and Growth:

Germán, L. (2021). Textured teaching: A framework for culturally sustaining practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gorton, B. (2020). The joyful teacher: Strategies for becoming the teacher every student deserves. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hammond, Z. (2023). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin