WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Happy New Year team! I hope this finds you smiling!
I was recently providing consultation and observation in a school district. It was a great two days, watching teachers in action, working with students, and supporting staff in providing the best possible environments for learning. I truly enjoyed assisting them with helping to make the “rubber hit the road” with their practices. While I love providing professional development, I equally love helping education professionals take their learning from my professional development training, and supporting them with putting it into practice.
In one of our sessions, I asked a group of high school teachers, “If I was to interview your students, what would you want them to say about their experience with you as teachers?” Their answers reflected their caring hearts and desire for their students to know that they mattered. As we circled the room, one of the teachers, a student teacher in fact, said, “I want my students to be able to answer, ‘Why does this matter?’.” I was so impressed by this answer. As educators, it is easy to lose focus on the impact we have on our students. While we ideally may want the best outcome for each individual who walks into our classrooms, this does not necessarily occur. We can let our frustrations with behaviors, lack of time to adequately teach, and the overall demands of our jobs get in the way of ensuring that ALL of our students know that they matter.
I spent the rest of the day thinking back to that question, “why does this work matter?” It matters a great deal and we still, in many areas of the country, have SO FAR TO GO! I reflected on some of my experiences over the years, my son’s high school experience included, and I am baffled by the lack of understanding (and at times blatant ignorance) and unwillingness to step up to 2025 that many of the staff in our country still possess. Over the years in education, we have come so far, and many positive changes have been enacted. Yet, there are still so many professionals (even outside the world of education) who remain stuck in the mentality of “this is the way we have always done it,” and would rather engage in trauma inducing practices than support the needs of their students/staff/families. Change has always been and will always be uncomfortable, and its effects are not always immediate. Positive change does not happen overnight, and at times it may feel like change means overcomplicating. So much is changing in our field, and remaining firm in the “why” of our profession can help make this change feel less intimidating and help us view it as an opportunity for positive growth. Now, more than ever, we need to start addressing the obstacles that are getting in the way of what matters. That means we as a whole need to have the willingness and courage to start having hard conversations and to start advocating for what we know is right for our youth.
Don’t get me wrong, I have also witnessed amazing things and seen amazing support provided to students, including at my son’s school. So many of you out there take such joy in what you do and work so hard every day to be the best in your role that you can be, and it is reflected in your students who come to school eager to learn and grow. I am constantly seeing creative and innovative ways to engage students to foster a love of learning! I am seeing trauma-invested practices being implemented all over the country with a renewed sense of energy and positivity with staff! It is flipping amazing!
Why does this matter? I was having a conversation with a colleague of mine recently and she put it frankly, “Trauma isn’t going anywhere. We must continue this work.” What a powerful and true statement. No matter the positive change we enact in this world, no matter the growth we see in our communities, trauma will always be present. It is a part of who we are, and because trauma will always be present, this work will always matter. We need to foster in our students an understanding about why their learning matters, why their growth into amazing young adults matters, and we also must ensure that what we do each and every day with our students matters. Using and implementing trauma invested practices is a journey not a sprint. It takes compassion, investment, time, and most importantly YOU.
I want to continue with this work with you all and new team members for years to come. I love engaging professionals in reflective practice, sharing the latest research and ideas around trauma invested practices and supporting you all in application to practice.
In closing, why does this matter to you? What keeps you going day in and day out? Is that at the forefront and do your colleagues, families, and students experience that with you? I truly hope so. Stay the course team! Let’s do this together!
