Every start to an academic year is a time of hope and renewal in schools. September is an exciting and exhilarating time, an opportunity for a fresh start.
It’s also a time to refocus on the bedrock of healthy classrooms — the human connection between students, educators, and communities.
As I’ve traveled the state, speaking with educators and parents, this important connection has been a recurring topic of our conversations.
What keeps popping up are three recommendations for us adults to focus on as we work together to create classrooms and spaces where every student has the opportunity to thrive.
First, we must support our most vulnerable kids.
Teachers are always focused on what kids need, and this year they are particularly concerned about our students who are living in poverty, LGBTQ+ students, and children who have newly immigrated to the United States.
These kids, through no fault of their own, have been pushed to the center of partisan politics. They see and hear unkind things being said about them. They are aware of harmful policies like book bans aimed at erasing or rewriting their histories. And they face unique challenges as a result.
This year we must embrace the attitude of Superintendent Shannon Shine, whose Mohonasen district welcomed more than 70 new immigrant students this school year.
Teachers from around the region immediately donated their time, energy and expertise to ensure the smoothest possible transition for these children, and he wasn’t surprised. He said, “Staff are eager to welcome the new students. This is what we do best. We provide a nurturing, enriching environment for children.”
Within our classrooms, our job is to teach and care for ALL students – no matter their background. Full stop.
In the words of former New York State Teacher of the Year Rich Ognibene: “When teachers call a student by their chosen name and pronouns, or ask a student to tell us about their home country, we do so because it makes us better teachers and them better learners. It also models civility and makes our school a more humane place.”
If we want to increase the amount of learning and human connection that happens in schools, we need to make sure every student, especially the most vulnerable, feels safe and welcome.
Next, we must recognize how technology is impacting our kids in order to support their wellness and academic success in and out of the classroom.
It’s clear that cell phones – particularly, social media – have the power to wreak havoc in our classrooms. In small doses, smartphones can be helpful for educators. But both the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Surgeon General have recently issued warnings that excessive cell phone use harms both the psychological and physiological health of our kids.
Educators are witnessing this play out in real time. Elementary and middle school teachers have told me about students who can’t stay awake during class because they’ve been up all night on their phones. Secondary teachers note the explosion of anxiety and depression related to smartphone use. Students are tired, stressed, and coming to school with a reduced ability to learn.
What’s more, our educators – the very people dedicated to ensuring our students have a safe and supportive learning environment – are grappling with an increase in dangerous and disruptive behaviors, often sparked by social media posts, including bullying, harassment, harmful viral trends, and more.
Cell phones aren’t going anywhere. But part of our job as educators is to help kids learn to use technology wisely. If we want to increase the amount of learning and human connection in schools, then collectively we must create conditions to maximize both. Those conditions include considering purposeful limits on cell phone use among students.
Finally, in order to ensure the success of our schools, we must be fully committed to public education.
Public schools are essential to a functioning democracy. They are the glue that holds communities together. The recent trend of blaming schools and educators for the ills of society ultimately hurts children and their communities. This behavior only takes us backwards, making it harder for teachers to teach and for students to learn. Rather than attacking our public schools, we should support them and not be shy about it!
The good news is that celebrating public education is easy because educators do amazing things every day. We all have a story about a teacher who inspired us when we were young or an educator who went above and beyond when we needed them. It’s time we made sure educators across New York, and the entire country, know how much we appreciate them and that we understand how public schools unite us.
These last few years have been challenging – no doubt. But this new school year marks a time of new beginnings and a return to the promises of what school is supposed to be: Helping prepare our students for the future; supporting the whole child and giving them the skills they need to thrive. If we can do that, it will be a very good year indeed!
Melinda Person is president of the nearly 700,000-member New York State United Teachers.
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