Anyone who knows me or follows my blog knows that Belonging is one of my core values. It is my goal that every student in my school feels a sense of belonging, based on how they define belonging. In this post, I want to synthesize Elena Aguilar’s definition of Equity with the model Dr. Amante-Jackson uses to highlight the importance of Belonging.
In the video below, Aguilar provides a definition of Equity and reminds us of the importance of having clarity around how we define terms. Her definition is:
“Equity means that every child gets whatever they need
in order to be successful and to thrive in school every day.
Every child, every day,
regardless of race or ethnicity, regardless of socioeconomic status,
regardless of languages spoken at home,
regardless of gender or sexual orientation or religion or ability.
Every child, every day, period.”
-Elena Aguilar
She goes on to describe thriving to include academics and social emotional, so that students “feel loved for and cared for and that they belong to a community, to know they are welcomed, accepted, valued, and embraced.” Students need to feel seen for who they are, inclusive of all of their identity markers. As a colleague said to me yesterday, students feel “the fierceness of our love… and when they cross the threshold of our school they feel at home.” For me, the academic piece means that students understand and see themselves as scholars and feel joy at school. I see Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius Framework as a tool to develop experiences at school that nurture a learner identity through Joy, Skills, Intellect, Identity, and Criticality.
In Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity, Floyd Cobb provides a model illustrating the importance of Belonging for both learning and self-actualization. I encourage reading the book for more information. A summary of the model is that instead of a need hierarchy like the one below:
Physiological –> Safety –> Achievement –> Belonging –> Self-Actualization
This hierarchy leads to greater Achievement:
Physiological –> Safety –> Belonging –> Achievement –> Self-Actualization
If you don’t feel a sense of Belonging, successful Achievement is much more challenging. Amante-Jackson states: “We must ask ourselves this question: How can students achieve if they don’t feel that they belong in our schools? More importantly, in what ways do we actively prevent students from belonging simply through our use of language? How often do we as educators, both in our professional conversations and in our perceptions, view certain students as not belonging?”
To build a sense of Belonging:
- Prioritize an environment where different lived experiences and backgrounds are valued and seen as assets to teams and to the organization.
- Use data for planning of curriculum.
- Review curriculum and pedagogy for shifts towards cultural relevance.
Aguilar urges us to “take action in spite of our fear. I know that you are committed to seeing your
students thrive. I know that you want to see your own loved ones, your own children, thrive. And I know that you want to be seen for who you truly are, you want to belong and with compassion, curiosity, and creativity we will transform our schools.” Let us work together for our children to feel they belong and that we believe in them and love them with all our hearts.
Resources:
Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity, Dr. Amante-Jackson
Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad
Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation, Floyd Cobb