Learning Together, an Ode to Hard Mornings
Dedicated to our teaching faculty - with you, everything is possible.
When no-good-very-bad mornings roll around, children deserve to find themselves in community environments where patience is drawn from a central source, like water from a well. No single adult will be able to provide the volume of empathy called for to grow a generation of kind children into compassionate adults. Together we are able to balance the challenge while bringing enough grace and humor from our own lived experiences to light up a path forward. In the process, we show our young people that the world can handle the normal up's and down's of rough mornings and rocky days without exploding in frustration or turning away in resignation.
The United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. It provides the reminder that "the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity". We honor children's right to grow and learn in community with other children of all ages, alongside trusted teachers and guides, by recognizing that our time spent together each day will form the foundation of their sense of how to live together in peace and cooperation.
To the student who overslept and forgot their homework - we are happy you are here.
That is enough for this morning.
To the student skipping in with a smile, belting out a song from your heart - we love sharing in your joy.
To the student carrying the weight of an early morning argument at home - we are better for hearing your thoughts and ideas in our class discussions.
Your voice is essential.
To the student who is always moving, talking, thinking, creating - we can't wait to see what new ideas your bright and busy mind brings to the world.
To the student who put every ounce of energy into walking through the front door - we will be here to welcome you as a whole person.
On good days and no-good-very-bad days too.