Back to School

When I was a graduate student at Fordham University, studying to earn a Masters of Science in Teaching, one of my favorite professors noted that the number one thing most students worry about before the first day of school is, "Will my teacher like me?" That has stuck with me throughout my time as a teacher and into educational leadership.

Will my teacher like me? It seems like such an absurd question, especially because students are legally compelled to come to school. And yet, it is something that students wonder about. My hope is that very, very few St Johnsbury students wonder about that.

Our focus this year is Visible Teaching and Learning for All Students. We will be looking for, and highlighting, the ways that the adults in our district demonstrate educational practices that make all students feel safe, welcome, and included. When our students are confident that they belong, precisely the way they are, they can begin to access their education in a way that will allow them to grow to their individual potential.

Through the power of Facebook and social media, I am connected to my former teachers, some as far back as elementary school. Some of my former students are in touch with me as well, students that I taught in my very first year of teaching in 1996. In both instances, as a student and as the teacher, the connections are about relationships - not content. And if content does come up, it is only in passing. If you take a moment to remember any of your favorite teachers, I will offer that you remember the name and the person first, then the content or grade level. Further, your memories are about how that teacher made you feel first, then the information you learned.

In the St. Johnsbury School District, we are about Visible Teaching and Learning for All Students. All of them...

For the student struggling with questions of gender identity,
For the student wondering when the next meal will come,
For the student worrying if they're wearing the right clothes,
For the student hoping for a lot of homework,
For the student hoping for someone to help complete the homework,
For the student questioning whether or not they'll fit in,
For the student avoiding the answer to the question, "What did you do this summer?"

These are all our students in St. Johnsbury. When they are with us, I want them to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, they belong here. With their unique gifts and talents, and with all the ways they need to grow and improve. They are all safe, welcomed, and included here.

Will we like our students? No, we will love them.