By Megan Jensen, an employee of Raise the Future

Dear Teachers and Parents of School-Aged Children:

Well, the time has arrived again when we all feel that twinge of anxiety and anticipation as a new school year approaches. Besides the typical unease we all experience when starting something new, this year will be another for the record books as we navigate learning in schools during a global pandemic.

Last year was a doozy for all of us, but teachers and school-aged children endured more change in one school year than a melting ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day. We all pivoted to abruptly learning at home, to hybrid cohort learning, to masks and social distancing at school. Some of us even endured the dreaded quarantine precautions multiple times this past spring. While all of this is enough to make any adult’s head spin, I am fearful that our children suffered the most. Developmentally, adults have mature brains with fully formed frontal lobes, but our children’s brains are still being shaped and molded – and COVID-19 left its mark on all of them.

For this reason, I have an important request to every teacher, administrator, and school board as the new year begins. As we all enter the classroom of our “new normal,” perhaps we do not need to rush into academia, testing, and evaluating. Instead, wouldn’t it be amazing if we devoted our first few weeks of school to focusing on CONNECTING? From Trust-Based Relational Intervention ® (TBRI®), we understand that we must first connect with a child before we correct a child. In the classroom, this could be expanded to connecting with a child before you EXPECT from a child.

Our children have been living in uncertainty for so long. As they re-enter classrooms this fall, what can we all do to make children feel safe, understood, and part of a community? Can a morning meeting go a little longer and extend into a check-in question that allows you to gauge the pulse of each child? Can you devote time to rituals like morning high-fives and playful engagement? Maybe even allow a parent to linger just a little bit longer to help ease their anxiety? We all know the purpose of school is to learn, but I suggest that our first goal of school this year ought to be to CONNECT and make every child feel safe. Without this as a foundation, learning and growth will only be delayed.

Sincerely,

Megan Jensen
M.A. Early Childhood Education
Family Support Services Professional at Raise the Future