Join the Club

The Quiet Harm of Othering in the Classroom She sat at the edge of the group, close enough to hear, but not close enough to belong. No one said she couldn’t join. No one had to. Othering in the classroom rarely announces itself. It does not always come in the form of exclusionary language or overt bias. It lives in the subtle patterns. Who gets called on. Whose stories are reflected in the curriculum? Who is described as “those kids”? Who is constantly “supported” but rarely

“Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien Strength is not found in what is visible. It lives beneath the surface, built over time through reflection, persistence, and purpose. Frost will come. In classrooms, in leadership, in life. It arrives as a challenge, uncertainty, and moments when progress feels slow. Yet it only reaches what is shallow. Deep roots hold. When learning is grounded in inquiry, identity, and meaningful engagement, it endures beyond the