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“Sometimes school spirit is really just belonging, made visible.”~ Dr. Catherine V. Addor Homecoming week is full of noise, color, music, packed bleachers, pep rallies, banners, dress-up days, and traditions that can look, from the outside, like simple fun. Underneath it all is something much more important. Belonging. For students, moments like these can help turn a building into a community. They create shared memories, common experiences, and small opportunities to feel co

Schools are surrounded by people. Families come through the doors. Community organizations attend events. Businesses sponsor programs. Students sit in classrooms every day. Teachers work side by side. Leaders meet with teams, committees, councils, and stakeholder groups. There is a lot of proximity. Proximity, though, is not the same thing as partnership. I first heard Dr. Amanda Crowell use this idea in the context of business networking, but it immediately landed differentl

One of the most important truths in education sits quietly behind nearly every conversation about student success. The majority of a child’s development happens outside the walls of school. Students spend roughly 2% of their time in formal classrooms over the course of their childhood. The other ninety-eight percent of their lives unfold in homes, neighborhoods, recreation fields, libraries, community centers, and around kitchen tables. That ninety-eight percent is where char

One of the most important lessons teachers help students learn has little to do with content standards or assessments. It is the lifelong skill of accountability. Learning to make one's own choices, reflect on actions, and understand consequences is part of becoming a responsible member of any community. Teaching accountability in schools rarely happens in a simple environment. Teachers work at the intersection of student needs, family expectations, school leadership prioriti