This week I will ask my kids to tell me what they are thankful for. I will most likely get the usual responses – my dog, my video games, my doll, my Transformers. And when I ask them to reflect a little more I’ll get some answers I like better – my house, my family, my coat, healthy food. This year I decided that I will put a little thought into it before I sit down at the table. And as I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful I am for the compassion and empathy I have seen inside my children’s school this month.
Last week I witnessed a very young child erupt in a violent outburst at his teacher and school staff. Within a few short minutes the classroom changed from a room full of energetic and excited kindergarteners bundling up to play outside to a room filled with flying projectiles and ear-piercing screams. The teachers, staff, and administrators approached the student with empathy and a firm, calm discipline. Their compassion and training were immediately obvious as they focused their attention on calming the student, keeping him safe, and keeping the other students out of the room.
Sadly, this type of scene is not new to me. In my twenties I spent a couple of years working with children who displayed moderate to serious emotional and behavioral difficulties. Last week as I watched this young student lashing out at everything and everyone around him, I could almost feel the kicks in my shins and shoves I sometimes got from a student who just couldn’t cope with the day or was too tired to remember any of the calming skills she had learned. And last week I saw that same look of fear, anger, and shame in that student’s eyes. As he raged, the staff gathered around him, soothed him, and did their best not to add to his sense of fear or shame. They were there for him and his peers, and it reminded me of how much it takes to work in a school and the intense personal and emotional investment staff, teachers, and administrators put into our children.
The teachers, staff, and administrators of our schools take on much more than teaching our children academic skills. Often they become our children’s and our families’ support system. They guide our emotional development, teach us skills to channel our anger and express ourselves, show us how to respect ourselves and our peers, and link us to resources in the community.
This week when we say thanks around my table, I will say thank you to all the teachers, school staff, and administrators who devote their lives to caring for all the students in our schools and to making sure that every student has the support to learn when they walk through the door in the morning.