Students feel safe when they feel like they belong within the school community. Adults can help by greeting kids by name, participating in community building activities like morning circles, having multiple options for demonstrating content knowledge on assignments and assessments, and teaching classroom routines like asking for help or using the bathroom as if they were part of the curriculum. This is especially important when kids are starting a new school, like transitioning from elementary to middle school.
Adults feel safe when they have reliable support from their coworkers. A solid team can accomplish so much working together; this is also observed by students and benefits them because they know all adults will have the same expectations.
Kids and adults feel safe when they feel noticed and appreciated for who they are and their goals for the future. A big part of this is recognizing and respecting the cultural, linguistic, gender identity, sexuality, and racial backgrounds within the diverse community. Sometimes, this means that school staff must examine their biases so they can relate better to kids that look different from them. This is a journey that can take considerable effort and self examination, but it is guaranteed to have a long term impact on the systemic barriers so readily apparent when looking at indicators such as reading proficiency, behavior referrals/suspensions, and school climate.
Author: Anonymous
Editer: Cole Schenck
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