Remember Our Golden Rule As We Return to In-Person Learning
The nation has taken wide strides to ensure that educators and scholars begin to promptly and safely return to our school buildings. As we collectively begin to do so, we charge you to remember the Golden Rule of Teaching & Learning. “Students do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” For a few of us, iterating this rule is like preaching to the choir; while for others it is a much needed reminder. Jumping back into the swing of things will certainly be an exciting endeavor, and it will also prove to be a challenging one. The biggest challenge will require educators to model patience and empathy with our scholars.
This picture was taken in October 1995. Stephanie was eight years old and her sister, Rachel, was not even a year old. Rachel was Stephanie’s biggest joy growing up. She was also her biggest responsibility. This picture is such a powerful representation of what and who Stephanie was tasked to do and be, at a very young age. If you look closely, you will see that Stephanie is holding Rachel in her lap, with a pencil in her hand and her homework to her left. Stephanie took care of her sister. She clothed her, she fed her, she bathed her, she did her hair, she made sure Rachel was safe, and she tried to be the best role model she could be (although Stephanie fell short many times) —all while trying to be a kid and student herself, simultaneously. Stephanie was inherently positioned to fulfill a responsibility that children should not have to carry. Stephanie wouldn’t change a thing about it, though she has come to realize the trauma their dynamic has caused them both in the short and long run.
“Extend them some grace and patience. Wrap around them. Get them services and support. Love and learn them all over again. ”
I feel obliged to share this narrative as I think about my fellow educators who are preparing to return to the school building and welcome students who have been experiencing this same trauma everyday for over a year. Students have been at home engaging with the challenges of remote learning for quite some time —in some districts, more or less. While remote learning has forced us —teachers and students —to take an innovative approach to “doing school,” returning to in-person learning will be no different. Teachers will still need to be innovative in their approach to reacclimating students into the classroom. It will require us to channel awareness and patience with students who have been facing some extenuating circumstances while at home, and familiarize ourselves with some of the best practices Social and Emotional Learning has to offer.
Teachers and leaders, I task you to be mindful that many of your students have forgotten —or have been forced to deprioritize —how to be a child. They have been playing the role of parent, caretaker, and teacher —and every now and again they have welcomed the opportunity to be a kid and student. Extend them some grace and patience. Wrap around them. Get them services and support. Love and learn them all over again. When you find yourself feeling frustrated or tempted to exert your power over them, remember that many of our students have been at home doing the same thing you see me doing in the picture above. They have been on an accelerated path of growing up and upholding responsibilities that should be unfathomable for a child. So, of course they might return to your classroom having forgotten how to focus on their studies, follow directions, and pay attention. After all, they have been conditioned to prioritize something entirely different. Every day. For over a year. Acknowledge this. Show them that you care. Remember our Golden Rule.