Building a compassionate community starts during these foundational first weeks of school, and this is a crucial time to dedicate ourselves to cultivating a sense of belonging for everyone. There is definitely a momentum, a unifying feeling that with the start of the new year we are embarking on change together.
As we buoy each other along, it’s helpful to remember some aspects of change that might not be paramount in our minds. New beginnings often involve leaving people and places behind, and it’s natural to miss them. We help children by reflecting on that passage. “You’re missing your teachers from last year, aren’t you? Let’s go back and visit.”
Some students in the new setting are new to our school and feel more vulnerable about being here. Children and their families need welcoming. This is the time to help children empathize with those who might not know anyone in the class. Ask them who is new in their class. Teach them that they can make a difference by greeting new children or inviting them to play. You can role-model these behaviors by talking to new parents. Introduce yourself in the hall or at back-to-school night or a preschool collage party. Many lifelong friendships start when parents meet during their children’s preschool or elementary years.
The term “new beginning” has such an energizing quality. Many parents take photos of their child on the first day or in the first weeks. It’s interesting to think as we look at those pictures that children will in some ways be different, more mature people when we transition to summer in June. Our community will also have grown with all the new relationships and ideas and projects that happen over the next months.
This will be especially true this school year, when we celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary in February with events that will include students and their families who were part of the school over the last five decades.
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