Welcome back to the new school year! I couldn’t be more thrilled to launch into a year of in-person learning after our year of separation. While I know that this transition will be anything but predictable as we implement strict procedures for quarantine in order maintain the health and safety of our communities, it still comes with a great deal of relief that we have entered this year together. Our journey over the past eighteen months has been a tremendous one. I first and foremost want to give a big THANK YOU to all our staff, school partners and families. I want to acknowledge all that we have collectively endured and know that we all have experienced varying levels of loss that, for some of us, was quite profound. I have been humbled to witness the tremendous levels of ingenuity and perseverance across our community. So often, we have needed to call upon one of the most important interventions in our Seneca toolbox – the intentional cultivation of HOPE and persistence even in the face of immense challenge. I also know that in this past year, I have been fueled by the support of our extended Seneca Family and found purpose in our shared commitment to this work for the students and families we serve.
If nothing else, this past year has challenged many of our assumptions about education and schools, and we have done some incredible learning together. I hope that as we enter this new year, we can take some of those learnings with us to create schools that truly serve all students.
- Leveraging Technology for Connection - While we are all tired of connecting only virtually, there are many ways in which we have learned to use technology to bring us closer together. Whether it’s connecting with colleagues in other geographic locations, or with clients and families in the comfort and convenience of their own homes, video technology will continue to allow us additional flexibility for collaboration and support.
- The Central Role of Families – In our move to distance learning, families became increasingly central and connected to what was happening at school, and educators and practitioners have had a new insight into the lives of their students. This mutual awareness can continue to support children’s wholistic experience between home and school and increase accountability between schools and the families they serve.
- Real Individualization – While many students struggled with pandemic learning, some students actually did better with new models that promoted greater flexibility and individualization. We can continue to challenge the notion of what “school” should look like to best meet the varied learning and social emotional needs of students.
- Community Wellness - For the first time, we are having a real conversation on the wellness of whole school communities, including the adults within them. As a nation we have begun to reckon more broadly with racial and socioeconomic inequities upheld by our public institutions, and the ways in which community wellness interplays with systemic power, particularly along the lines of race and class. We must continue to address how both individual actions and systemic change are ongoing and build schools that engage in anti-racism work alongside a full and complete cultivation of JOY.
While we have returned to school, largely in person, the pandemic and its impacts are far from over. To provide healing spaces for students, school professionals need emotionally attuned communities and support in implementing practices that promote personal sustainability. School partner, Kyndal Easter offers these tips for administrators on How to Build Emotional Support for Teachers. In the year ahead, emphasis on wellbeing and connection will be paramount as we build on what we have learned to create schools where all students are truly welcome and can thrive.
Best wishes for a safe and happy launch to the school year and beyond!
Best wishes for a safe and happy launch to the school year and beyond!
Blog Post Written By: Robin Detterman, Chief Program Officer, Education Services
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